Does My Child Have Mathematics Disorder?

Does your child have difficulties with estimating things, (e.g., how long something takes)?

Does your child have difficulties with understanding graphs and charts (visual-spatial concepts)?

Does your child have difficulties with learning basic math (e.g., addition, subtraction, and multiplication)?

Does your child have difficulties with linking a number (2) to its corresponding word (two)?

Does your child have difficulties with understanding math words?

Does your child have difficulties with counting money or making change?

Does your child have difficulties with remembering phone numbers or ZIP codes?

Does your child have difficulties with understanding fractions?

Does your child have difficulties with telling time or reading clocks?

Based on your answers, it may be very unlikely that your child has mathematic disorder. Kids with mathematic disorder, also called dyscalculia, may lose track when counting. They may continue to count on their fingers even after kids their age have stopped doing it. They don’t have a basic understanding of numbers, and they may become anxious when thinking about numbers or math homework. Anything related to numbers or math, even outside school, can make kids with dyscalculia panic. If you are not sure about your child’s symptoms or you would like to know more about this disorder, it may be important to seek medical attention.

Based on your answers, your child may be displaying some signs related to mathematics disorder. If you notice that your child has difficulties with numbers, it may be useful to plan a visit to a mental health professional to rule out vision or hearing problems that may affect his learning performance. Besides, it may be important to talk with the child’s math teacher, but also the other teachers to understand if your child has difficulties in other areas as well. Only by getting a thorough evaluation, you will know for sure if your child has a mathematics disorder or not.

Unfortunately, your child is displaying various symptoms typically seen among individuals who have mathematics disorder. It may be of high importance to seek medical support. Treatment for this kind of problem usually consists of specially designed teaching plans, games to learn math, and practicing math skills more often than other students. You may get your child an experienced math tutor. Besides, make sure your child has the right tools, like a nice calculator (that the child picked himself), erasers, and graph paper. Using music to teach math may also help, as well as playing math games on the computer.