Abstract
Among learning disorders, dyscalculia remains less well-known and understood within the field of education. Research shows that children with dyscalculia face various challenges at schools and in their day-to-day life, situating this disorder as one demanding immense recognition. This chapter will address dyscalculia and its impact on different age groups by examining various theories of dyscalculia. Some research shows that the literature has tended to focus on particular difficulties and symptoms experienced by different age groups. Upon review, it becomes evident that research regarding dyscalculia has not yet been examined from a cohesive perspective, illustrating a lack of unification that undermines a more global understanding of this condition. Thus, this chapter aims to provide school rehabilitation professionals an overview of dyscalculia, useful definitions and characteristics, the diagnosis methods, and the current treatment procedures and interventions.
TopBackground
In this section, the authors will first introduce dyscalculia from an etymology perspective and define this disorder with some general information about dyscalculia followed by different types of dyscalculia, connections with other learning disorders, causes, and symptoms. Readers will also learn more about different warning signs based on different age groups, how common dyscalculia can be, what assessments are available, and finally, what treatment plans are available for dyscalculia in various age groups.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Developmental Dyscalculia: A specific learning disability affects the acquisition of arithmetic skills in an otherwise-normal child; however, poor teaching, environmental deprivation, and low intelligence have been implicated in the etiology of developmental dyscalculia. Dyscalculia people may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, lack the power to grasp numbers, and have problems learning number facts.
Numerical Operation: Numerical operation refers to performing numbers and usually in the four primary operations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in mathematics. Children with dyscalculia might have difficulty in understanding the concepts of these four operations. They are usually unable to remember the process for carrying out calculations.
Numerical Facts: The basic number facts are all the numbers from 01 to 10. For example, let's say the number 2 can represent a quantity of two items, two and one, two and three, or one and four, depending on the way the two are looked at in terms of containing two components or parts. Children with dyscalculia might have a unitary concept of each number and do not understand that numbers can be seen to make different combinations.
Numerosity: Numerosity, the set size of a group of items, is processed by the association cortex, but certain aspects mirror the properties of primary senses. The numerosity adaptation effect is a perceptual phenomenon in numerical cognition that demonstrates non-symbolic numerical intuition and exemplifies how numerical precepts can impose themselves upon the human brain automatically.
Dyscalculia: Is a specific neurological disorder affecting the acquisition of arithmetic skills in an otherwise-normal child; due to it, some kids might be having difficulty learning, process, or perform relevant mathematical calculations, tasks and understand some mathematical concepts. Children with this learning disorder might demonstrate some severe impairments or tendencies toward lower math performance, math symbols identification difficulties in their arithmetical skills, etc.