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What is Dyscalculia?
KoolMinds Team
Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects the ability to learn arithmetic and mathematics. Dyscalculia presents itself in many different ways and is unique to each individual. The signs of dyscalculia can vary from person to person, and they can also be different for different ages.
Estimates vary, but most experts believe 3 to 6 percent of the population has symptoms of dyscalculia. Most dyscalculia is developmental, meaning that it was present from birth. Researchers don't know the exact cause of developmental dyscalculia but believe that it is caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors. It is also possible for an adult to be diagnosed with acquired dyscalculia — usually as the result of a serious brain injury or a stroke.
Estimates vary, but most experts believe 3 to 6 percent of the population has symptoms of dyscalculia. Most dyscalculia is developmental, meaning that it was present from birth. Researchers don't know the exact cause of developmental dyscalculia but believe that it is caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors. It is also possible for an adult to be diagnosed with acquired dyscalculia — usually as the result of a serious brain injury or a stroke.
Symptoms of Dyscalculia
Educator and dyscalculia
specialist Ronit Bird explains the symptoms of dyscalculia in The Dyscalculia Toolkit, a
book written to help teachers and parents whose children are struggling
with the disorder. Common symptoms include:
-
Difficulty learning to count
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Trouble recognizing printed numbers
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Using fingers to count out math solutions, long after peers have stopped using this method
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Has difficulty adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers, or gets inconsistent results when doing so
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Trouble recalling basic math facts
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Trouble organizing things in a logical way
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Difficulty linking numbers and symbols to amounts and directions
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Unable to tell time on an analog clock
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Difficulty immediately sorting out right from left
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Trouble with recognizing patterns and sequencing numbers
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Struggles with math vocabulary
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Struggles with identifying which quantity is largest or smallest
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Has difficulty estimating values like speed, time, or distance
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Missing or overlooking the +/- signs when adding and subtracting
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Difficulty with conceptualizing story problems
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Difficulty making sense of money (For example, handing a cashier a fistful of bills and change rather than counting it out)
Diagnosis and Treatment of Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is typically diagnosed through a comprehensive evaluation that tests specific math skills and general cognitive abilities; reviews family history, standardized test scores, and past academic performance; and rules out other, related disorders, such as generalized anxiety or ADHD. Though schools and private testing centers use different approaches to determine dyscalculia, any good test will compare a child’s math ability and skills to those of other children the same age. Every child with dyscalculia has different strengths and weaknesses; a competent professional will recognize this and try a combination of tests to identify the specific areas where your child struggles.
There is no way of entirely curing dyscalculia, but it is treatable and early diagnosis can make a big difference. Some of the things that can help individuals with dyscalculia include specialized instruction, multisensory instruction, assistive technology, repetition, reinforcement, making games out of counting and arithmetic, working with professionals (including us, here at KoolMinds) to help build those math skills, and there are also accommodations that can be made at school or work for people that have dyscalculia.
There is no way of entirely curing dyscalculia, but it is treatable and early diagnosis can make a big difference. Some of the things that can help individuals with dyscalculia include specialized instruction, multisensory instruction, assistive technology, repetition, reinforcement, making games out of counting and arithmetic, working with professionals (including us, here at KoolMinds) to help build those math skills, and there are also accommodations that can be made at school or work for people that have dyscalculia.
Articles/Resources for Dyscalculia
Videos about Dyscalculia
If you think that you or your child has Dyscalculia, click the link below to learn more about how KoolMinds can help!
Sources:
[i] Aro, L. (2021, June 8). When Math Just Doesn’t Add Up: Understanding Dyscalculia. ADDitude. https://www.additudemag.com/dyscalculia/
[ii] Child Mind Institute. (2022, February 3). How to Spot Dyscalculia. https://childmind.org/article/how-to-spot-dyscalculia/
[iii] Watson, K. (2019, December 19). Dyscalculia: Know the Signs. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/dyscalculia#treatment
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May 27, 2021
To Whom It May Concern
I am a pediatric neuropsychologist, licensed to practice in both Nevada and Utah. My practice currently offer comprehensive neuropsychological and psychological evaluations for children between 2 1/2 and 17 years of age.
Our team offers expertise in evaluating and diagnosing a wide range of childhood concerns and diagnoses, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities, Developmental Delays, Communication Disorders, Anxiety, Depression, and Mood Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Behavioral Disorders. We also offer evaluation for giftedness.
Given the diversity of the population that we serve, our team works with children who struggle with learning for various reasons on a daily basis.
In my opinion, one of the greatest resources for the families in our community who have children in need of specialized intervention to improve their academic abilities, is KoolMinds, founded and operated by Jura Kool.
KoolMinds is the first place that we refer families when their child is diagnosed with a learning difference because we have seen the quality of their service, and the positive impact that they have on their clients, time and time again.
The feedback that we have received from families about their experience with KoolMinds has been overwhelmingly positive.
Ms. Kool is an asset to our community; she is very responsive to questions and has always been able to provide our clinicians as well as our patients and their families with valuable insight and practical tools for improving academic performance and remediating academic difficulties.
When Ms. Kool informed me that she was growing her practice to Utah and Idaho, my first thought was how amazing it will be for families in those states to be able to access her services.
It is exciting to think how many more children and families will have a better quality of life because they will be able to get the help that they need to succeed academically.
In sum, I highly recommend that you consider referring any child with a learning difference to KoolMinds.
Please feel free to contact me if I am able to provide additional information in support of KoolMinds and Jura Kool.
Warmly,Nicole Ann Cavenagh, PhDNV Licensed Psychologist, PY0584UT Licensed Psychologist, 120174472501Pediatric Neuropsychologist
Jura Kool
President & Co-Founder
Jura has been helping students with learning and attention issues since 2009. She is a Reading and Dyslexia specialist, an Orton-Gillingham practitioner, and Educational Advocate.
Jura has done volunteer work as Co-Founder of Decoding Dyslexia of NV where she helps parents with accommodations and resources for students who struggle with Dyslexia. She became passionate about working with students with learning difficulties when she witnessed her own family members struggle with Autism, ADHD, and Dyslexia.
Jura's vision and dream would be for every parent and teacher to understand learning differences and know how to help their students. She has experience with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, ODD, and NLD. She has a background in Psychology, Education, and is currently continuing her education in Linguistics and Cognitive Neuroscience at Brigham Young University.
Jura loves researching about best remedial techniques for students with learning disabilities. Jura enjoys spending her free time with a relaxing movie or good book, reading classics to her children, studying the French language, teaching, traveling, and experiencing new things with her two children and husband. At KoolMinds, she's the Director of Learning and Development and manages the instructional design and support of the programs.
Andrew Mellen
Chief Operating Officer
& Co-Founder
Andrew currently manages the Weber and Davis County KoolMinds locations. He had a unique journey pulling him towards a passion with cognitive skill development. As a young student Andrew struggled to keep up with his schools demands, even in elementary school the load was very overwhelming for him. Specifically reading and concentration were challenge.
When Andrew decided to attend college things really hit a focal point. Immediately the learning struggles became magnified, the learning environment required more individual focus and reading ability. It didn’t take long before he was fighting to pass classes. At this time he had to look at his future with a different perspective, take a different path outside of education or find support to help address the underlying learning blocks.
Immediately after surviving the semester and some research, Andrew enrolled in a cognitive skills program to open up the processing blocks that stood in the way of achieving academic success. A few months later things really started to change, it was about half way through the next semester that he recognized more focus, stamina, retaining information came easier and test scores greatly improved. Reading wasn’t just doable, it was enjoyable!
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