What is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a condition that affects the ability to acquire arithmetic skills.
Dyscalculic learners may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts.
They may lack an intuitive grasp of numbers, and are likely to have problems learning number facts.
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder that decreases math fluency and capacity to complete mathematical calculations.
Symptoms include a poor sense of numbers (for example, the person cannot “see” that four items are 4), they have difficulty counting backwards, they mostly count in quantities of 1, and they find estimation difficult.
In addition, they may not remember basic number facts, despite hours of practice and repetition, and they have difficulty understanding the role of zero in the Arabic/Hindu number system.
Due to these difficulties, they also tend to have a high level of mathematics anxiety.
Dyscalculia, if recognized and addressed early, can be greatly improved by thoughtful and informed interventions.
