No Understanding of Time or Numbers, but As & Bs in Other Subjects.

VISITOR:  I am the parent of  a 12 year old who enjoys reading, but has a lot of difficulty with retaining and recalling basic math facts. She is able to understand math concepts, such as how to find the square root of a number, but spends an extraordinary amount of time trying to recall answers to even simple math facts, such as 5x5 or 2+8. 

It is hard for her to identify and use place value, or to group like numbers. She also struggles to identify time in any form, estimate the passage of time, or make plans based on time. For instance, if she wanted to bake cookies to take to an activity 2 hours in the future, she would be unable to estimate if she had time enough to do so, even when provided with information about how long it would take to prep and bake the cookies. 

While doing math problems, she becomes frustrated or distracted, as it takes a long, long time for her to complete assignments and tests. This is not helped by the fact that she seems unable to comprehend the passage of time; she may struggle with a problem for 30 minutes without seeking help, later to discover much more time has passed than she realized and she is far, far behind her peers in her work. 

In the past, we have tried intensive work to memorize math facts, which has created anxiety and resulted in minimal retention. We have set timers to help her regulate work, but she is frequently shocked when the timer rings--to her, little to no time has passed. 

The most effective intervention has been when teachers decrease the number of problems she needs to complete on an assignment; having fewer problems tends to decrease her anxiety and increase her overall productivity. Despite her difficulties with recalling math facts and telling time, she is a hard working student who earns A's and B's.

DYSCALCULIA.ORG:  (1) Email the principal to request testing for learning disabilities, with a focus on math.  (2) In addition to testing, make sure the school gives her Tier 2 intensive remedial math instruction for 30 minutes per day using methods proven effective with weak math learners.  (3)  If the school refuses to test her, tell them you will file a complaint.  (4) Use our Money Lessons to teach place value and basic math understanding. (5) See this information take charge of dyscalculia: Manage It  | Conquer It  | Fix | To Do  |  Remediation | Accessing Math  |  Appreciating Math  | Best Math Tools.