Does Dyscalculia Preclude College?

VISITOR:  I can't thank you enough for writing me back! I must have ten calls into area professionals and am getting no where. I'm working to get her formally tested and trying to find a tutor who is a good fit for her. Most people haven't even heard of Dyscalculia. The links you sent are fantastic and I thank you. 

I've ordered the book, Why is Math So Hard along with several others to educate myself. One question that still lingers for me and my husband is, will this be something that she will outgrow...like a developmental issue or is this a physical condition? For example, if I give her the problem, 586 x 28 she can't do it. 

We've been stuck on multiplying numbers like this for two years. Fractions are a nightmare. When you sit down with her and walk through it, sometimes she will follow you but if her life depended on it she can't solve it herself. I've made her a notebook with laminated pages of instructions as to how to solve different problems, but she will never be allowed to take that with her to take SATs. So do we give up, or do we keep plugging along hoping at some point something will click? 

In her other subjects, the online school gives her timed tests. She will work herself into being physically sick with anxiety. Some of this I feel like I could curb if I had the formal diagnosis and could speak to her teachers about it. When I have her tested at the end of the year to meet the home schooling requirements for Virginia, I don't time her and I allow her to use a calculator. 

But eventually, she will want to go to college and she'll have to deal with people that do not understand. That's what is so heart breaking. 

Again, I thank you so much for the links! Our local Barnes and Noble doesn't carry anything on Dyscalculia and out of an entire section on teaching, I found only one book on teaching math...and it didn't include any special needs. Everything else is geared to reading. Thank you for your organization and your wealth of knowledge!  

DYSCALCULIA.ORG:

Dr. Daniel Berch is a dyscalculia expert at the University of Virginia. I would contact him for advice on a local therapist. Maybe he can send one of his grad students to work with her. Here is Dr. Berch's contact info: http://curry.virginia.edu/about/directory/daniel-b.-berch
He is associated with CogniFit dyscalculia program, but I don't know how effective it is, as I have never experienced it. https://www.cognifit.com/pathology/dyscalculia


You will need a formal diagnosis for accommodations on standardized tests. You can ask Dr. Berch about dyscalculia testing. Insurance should cover it. Also ask if she can join a dyscalculia study at UV. She can learn to think mathematically with special training that focuses on the language of math and logical visual patterns. See how it is done on these pages: Our Lessons, Money, and Fix.