Dyscalculia is defined as an inability to learn arithmetic skills. A learner who has dyscalculia may exhibit problems comprehending basic number concepts such a rote counting, one to one correlation etc. They may even appear to have an inability to intuit or grasp numbers.

   It is important that a timely and accurate diagnosis of dyscalculia occurs in order to begin intervention strategies as soon as possible. In order to do this there are specific signs that may indicate a child is dyscalculic. Some things to look for follow. As you are reading through this list, take a pencil and mark the ones you see in a child you are concerned about. If you mark more than 50%, it is important that you follow through with seeking an evaluation.

	A normal and even sometimes accelerated pattern of language development including: expressive and receptive language skills, reading, writing and poetic skills
	Developmentally appropriate visual memory skills for the printed word
	Basically age appropriate development in science up to when the science content advances to needing to be able to apply higher level skills such as geometry etc
	Generally average abilities in creative arts
	Below age development in learning abstract concepts such as of time and spatial directions –inside out, over, north, south, etc.
	Below age development in acquiring the ability to remember schedules and the order of past or future events
	Below age development in understanding how to tell time and to keep track of it. Chronic lateness is common
	Below age development in being able to recall names and faces. You may see a child replace the forgotten name with another name beginning with same letter
	Unpredictable answers when calculating by adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
	Below age development in the ability to solve word problems or solve a problem without the use of paper and pencil
	Below age development in the ability to manage money and credit, to manage financial planning and budgeting – cannot balance a checkbook, and to do financial planning into the future
	Below age development in knowing how to count back change or to calculate appropriate change from a purchase and difficulty calculating taxes on purchases and tips
	Below age development in writing, reading and recalling numbers exhibiting errors in adding numbers, substituting numbers, transposing numbers, omitting numbers, and reversing numbers
	Below age development in understanding and recalling mathematical concepts such as: rules and formulas, sequences, and basic calculation facts (adding, subtracting etc.).
	Inconsistent long term memory for concepts mastered - one day may be able to accurately execute a math operation and then the next time the same operation needed is totally incapable of grasping what to do
	Below age development in understanding mechanical processes because of an inability to see the gestalt or the big picture.
	Below age development in visualizing or seeing the placement of the numbers on a clock as well as an inability to recall or visualize the geographical positions of states, countries, oceans, etc.
	Below age development in seeing and remembering the arrangement of places and things. Easily becomes disoriented and lost. Typically has an inadequate sense of direction, often misplaces or looses things.
	Often has difficulty understanding musical concepts, doing sight reading and learning finger positions and movement on instruments.
	Below age development in motor coordination making athletics difficult. Unable to keep time and rhythm, difficulty keeping up with quickly altering physical directions when follow instructions for aerobics, and inability to recall the sequence of the steps in different types of dances.
	Below age development in recalling the rules for playing board games or games of sport, knowing how to keep an accurate score for games, frequently does not know whose turn it is there turn and inadequate ability to play games (chess, checkers etc.) that require strategic planning.

   Once a child has been diagnosed it is important to start interventions but, there are no empirical studies that validate the impact of any of the current intervention practices. When a child’s academic life and self esteem is at stake, you can not wait for science to catch-up so, the first thing to think about is finding someone who can provide the child with extra help in math.

   You may just need to “try different tactics to see which one(s) work. Making an end of the day evaluation may be the most effective approach. You can do this by: identifying the areas of difficulty for the child and trying different targeted interventions to see which ones have an impact. One important question to answer though is –does the child have the

	Dysgraphia
	Dyslexia
	Nonverbal Learning Disability