Dyscalculia is sometimes referred to as "math dyslexia". If a child struggles with math and remembering symbols, it is possible that he has Dycalculia,
and may or may not have the similar disability - Dyslexia. Dyslexia
is difficulty with reading and is based in the language center of the
brain. A child with Dyscalculia may be quite capable of reading, yet
may struggle tremendously with math and mathematic symbols. There isn't
a lot of information available about Dyscalculia, but awareness of this
unique disability is growing. You may find beneficial information at
http://www.dyscalculiainfo.org/
and http://www.dyscalculia.org/#Dyscalculia.
Although my child does not have Dyscalculia, Mathematics was a significant area
of concern when we began home schooling. My child had slipped from the
80th percentile down to the 40th percentile during his five years in
public school.
Now that I homeschool my child, his scores have rebounded and are up in
the 90 percentiles. We have seen significant results via **Math-U-See
and **Cuisenaire
Rods. My child has gone from having difficulty remembering any facts,
to being a realitive Math whiz on grade level.(continued below..)
Our neuropsychologist recommended using a 'self-regulating' memory system
for memorizing math facts, which worked very well for our guy along
with Math-U-See
and Cuisenaire Rods.
Basically, you put each math fact on a flash card.. and put the fact
on one side of the card, and the answer on the other side (for example,
9x5 on one side and 45 on the other side).
Your child then drills himself daily. He reads the problem out loud..
"Nine times five is ____." If he can fluently say, "Nine times five
is forty-five", he flips the card over to verify he is correct and puts
the card in an "I know it" pile.
If he hesitates trying to recall the answer.. He turns the card over,
reads the answer out loud, then puts it back in his hand at the back
of the deck.
You begin with one set of math facts.. By starting with a few cards,
the cards will cycle through fast enough that the child will eventually
be able to remember some of what he JUST read.. then as he eliminates
cards, the re-review comes up more rapidly and he may be able to remember.
Eventually he'll have one card in his hand and can read the problem,
then see the answer, then flip it over and read the problem and hopefully
answer it because there will be virtually NO delay.
After all facts in one set are mastered, you ADD another set. We did
our facts in this order x0, x1, x10, x11, x2, x5, x3, x4, x6, x7, x8,
x9, x12. After we had about five sets of facts, I'd pull out the earliest
set and have my child keep about 5 sets going. (continued below..)
This system has worked extremely well for our child who also has short-term memory deficits. By letting the child do the cards himself.. HE can 1) take responsibility for his own learning 2) regulate how much time he gives himself to think of the answer and 3) review if he doesn't know the answer -- Plus, as time goes on, your child will develop his own internal means of figuring out how to remember things which is the BIG key to long-term success.