Math Learning Difficulties and Disabilities

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In recent years, several learning challenges have been discovered in students that struggle to perform in school. These learning challenges may affect their performance in various subjects in different ways, leading to difficulty learning math, commonly defined with the broad term known as a Math Difficulty (MD). The following are just a few.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. 

People with dyslexia have trouble reading accurately and fluently. They may also have trouble with reading comprehension, spelling, and writing. And although it is commonly believed to be a language-based condition, it can affect a student’s ability to grasp math concepts because math is considered a universal language. The symbols and organization to form equations are the same in every country of the world.

Math difficulty may arise from Memory problems – Short-term and long-term memory problems affect how much information a student can retain and understand.

And finally, dure to repeated failure in math class students can experience stress, anxiety, and low self-confidence which in turn may affect the student’s attention span and comprehension of math concepts. It becomes a negative series of events that build on and reinforce each other

Apart from dyslexia, researchers have discovered that other learning disabilities are more match-specific, such as Mathematics Learning Disability (MLD) also known as an impairment in mathematics as defined in the DSM 5.

The term Dyscalculia is becoming more widely accepted.

MLD and dyscalculia both affect a student’s relationship with numbers. Therefore, students have difficulty understanding and processing numerical information and struggle with visualizing and performing mental math.

The next series of math insights will invite you to consider tools and Orton Gillingham math approaches, which will bring you a step closer to successfully teaching your struggling students and reconciling them with math.