According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, learning disabilities such as dyscalculia affect at least one in 10 school-aged children. Difficulties in learning are associated with the nervous system not receiving, processing or communicating information in a normal fashion. Dyscalculia is a disorder of learning mathematics, which can affect a wide range of information processing such as spatial relationship, remembering numbers or facts and sequencing of steps. Dyscalculia affects individuals differently because math disabilities often vary. However, there are warning signs, such as difficulty understanding numerical procedures like counting or numeric pattern recognition, which prompt further evaluation for this disorder.
Initial Evaluation
The initial evaluation process determines the presence of a learning disability. According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, professional evaluation facilitates identification of the learning problem as well as prompts planning of special needs for ongoing education. Formal and informal testing to measure mathematical performance occur after the child is deemed as having a problem with learning arithmetic. Since the forms of dyscalculia vary, this often requires several screenings or tests to find the specific area of numerical deficiency the child struggles with.
WISC-III
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, or WISC-III, is an individual test given to children between ages 6 and 16, orally and without time limit, except during the mathematical portion. The mathematical portion has several application areas being tested. The sections of this test include verbally framed math applications, repeating dictated digits in a series in order of instruction such as forward or backward, and block design, which includes copying small geometric designs. A coding portion of this test measures recognition of shapes and transcribing digit-symbols as quickly as possible in a time limited fashion. Overall intelligence is measured by the full WISC-III test. Dyscalculia is deemed evident when a discrepancy is present between the results of the arithmetic portion of the test compared to the overall test results.
WJ III
The Woodcock Johnson III, or WJ III, is a test for all ages over 2 years old. It tests overall academic achievement and includes brief testing for mathematical ability. Fairleigh Dickinson University describes the math portions of the test as involving computations, timed calculations, oral word problems and questions about factual math information or operations. The overall test focuses on cognitive ability and dyscalculia is diagnosed when a discrepancy between the math portion of the test is below that of the overall cognitive achievement scored on the test.
Dyscalculia Screener
The Dyscalculia Screener is a newer standardized and computer-based test developed to diagnose children between the ages of 6 and 14. According to the 2007 review in the "British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics," this test is used solely to distinguish dyscalculia from any other condition that affects performance. The Dyscalculia Screener identifies deficiencies in numerical tasks through measuring reaction time, number comparisons and use of addition and multiplication achievements.
References
- nferNelson: Dyscalculia Screener
- "British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics": Issues in Identifying Children with Specific Arithmetic Difficulties Through Standardized Testing, 2007
- Learning Disabilities Association of America: Evaluation: What Does it Mean for Your Child
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Children with Learning Disabilities
- National Center for Learning Disabilities: Dyscalculia
