Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a disorder that manifests itself in a person's inability to count and solve mathematical problems. Most often, this condition manifests itself in preschool and primary school age. Often, children suffering from dyscalculia are recognized as either mentally retarded or lazy, and they are placed in special classes for the slow learners. For the further full development and successful education of the child, it is important to conduct timely diagnostics and correction of this disorder.

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Epidemiology

Dyscalculia, caused by various factors, occurs in an average of 6% of children.

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Causes dyscalculia

Dyscalculia in adults is a result of a disruption in the normal functioning of the brain. Organic lesions of the temporal part of the brain can lead to this disease. This can be caused by hemorrhages and blood clots, tumors and cysts of the brain, and craniocerebral injuries.

The development of dyscalculia in an adult requires immediate consultation with a neurologist!

Psychotraumatic factors include:

1. Fear of mathematics. This psychological factor significantly affects children's ability to count. Perhaps the child has bad memories of learning mathematics, when he failed to solve examples correctly and was punished or scolded for it. In this case, self-doubt and fear of repeated punishment reduces the child's ability to count.
2. A general disorder of the child's psychological health. This disorder is often observed in children raised in dysfunctional families.

Disorders of thinking that lead to dyscalculia:

1. Visual processing disorders – children are unable to visualize what is described in the task.
2. Problems with abstract logical thinking.
3. Memory problems, inability to learn formulas and rules for solving mathematical problems.
4. Low attention span.

Pathogenesis

The pathogenesis of the disease can be associated with both congenital mental retardation in the child and with trauma or psychological factors.

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Symptoms dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is not only a disorder of the ability to count, it is a complex disorder of mental activity that manifests itself in various symptoms.

1. The child does not understand what a number is and does not know the names of numbers.
2. He does not understand the principle by which the numerical series is constructed and is not able to determine the place of a number in the sequence.
3. The child is not able to perform operations with complex numbers and does not understand how to decompose a number into its components.
4. The child has a problem comparing numbers. He does not understand what a larger and smaller number means.
5. Comparisons of the number and size of objects also cause difficulties.
6. The child has difficulty performing arithmetic operations on numbers, he does not understand the meaning of these operations. He is able to perform only elementary arithmetic operations using manual, not mental, counting.
7. The child does not know the sequence of arithmetic operations and is not able to solve examples from several operations.
8. He cannot remember the names of numbers and mathematical terms, does not know what they mean.
9. The child is unable to write numbers correctly.
10. Due to visualization impairments, the child is able to solve problems only if they have an objective component. He is unable to imagine what is described in the problem.

In general, dyscalculia in children manifests itself in the inability to understand and solve mathematical and logical problems. The child is unable to remember and understand the conditions of the problem and develop an algorithm for solving it. Dyscalculia in schoolchildren is often associated with the fact that they are also unable to correctly calculate their time. All this leads to low academic performance at school.

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Forms

Depending on the pathogenesis, the following types of this disease are distinguished:

1. Practical gnostic. The child is unable to count objects, determine how many there are, compare the numbers of one group and another.
2. Verbal. The child makes mistakes when naming numbers, actions performed on them, geometric figures.
3. Graphic. The child is unable to write down numbers, signs of mathematical operations, or draw geometric figures.
4. Dyslexic. The child makes mistakes when reading numbers and arithmetic signs in the problem statement.
5. Operational. The child has difficulty performing mathematical operations on numbers, solving simple or complex problems. The child may have several groups of symptoms. After determining the type of disease, specialists develop therapy aimed at correcting existing disorders and preventing the development of other types of dyscalculia.

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Complications and consequences

The consequences and complications of dyscalculia are manifested in the child's inability to master the school curriculum and refusal to continue studying. Inability to count is accompanied by a weak ability to learn the humanities. As a result, such a person is unable to master any profession and experiences difficulties in life.

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Differential diagnosis

The first signs of dyscalculia appear in preschool age, when the child first encounters the need to count, and elementary mathematical operations cause difficulties for him. If parents have identified such problems in their child, they should contact a speech therapist or child psychologist. Specialists conduct differential diagnostics of the type of disorder, identify its causes and develop a correction method.

For an accurate diagnosis, the child is asked to perform a series of mathematical operations:

• count from 10 to 20;
• compare numbers with each other;
• arrange the given numbers in descending or ascending order;
• perform basic arithmetic operations on numbers;
• name and sort different geometric shapes by color and size.

The child's ability or inability to perform certain groups of mathematical operations allows us to make a clear diagnosis and determine the type of dyscalculia. Further treatment directly depends on this.

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Treatment dyscalculia

Correction of the disorder is carried out in speech therapy centers, as well as in polyclinics and specialized treatment centers. For effective correction, joint work of a speech therapist, neurologist and child psychologist is required. The therapy uses special computer games for children with dyscalculia and interactive sessions with a specialist.

Therapeutic games for dyscalculia are aimed at teaching the child to count and perform mathematical operations. He is taught to compare objects, sort them by various characteristics. After the child achieves success in this, you can begin to teach him simple arithmetic operations. It is important to ensure that the child understands the logic of the operations performed and the simplest mathematical operations. Then he is taught to decompose a whole object or number into parts and assemble a whole from them.

To correct the disorder, it is very important to develop the child's literate and rich speech, enrich the vocabulary, including mathematical terms. To begin with, the child must correctly name numbers and the actions that are performed with them, geometric figures and their characteristics: color, size. Then the child is taught to correctly use the learned words in colloquial speech. Close attention is paid to written literacy: the ability to correctly write numbers and mathematical signs.

In parallel with the correction of numeracy, it is important to conduct the general development of the child's thinking abilities: the development of abstract-logical thinking, visual memory, spatial orientation, the ability to predict, musical abilities. Children are taught self-control and the ability to evaluate and manage their time.

A number of drugs, for example, B vitamins, glycine, cogitum, cortexin, are used for dyscalculia to improve cerebral circulation and activate higher nervous activity.

Prevention

To prevent a disorder of the practical-gnostic type, it is recommended to teach children counting skills at preschool age. The child needs to be shown how to count objects, how to perform simple arithmetic operations. When teaching, it is important to pronounce the names of numbers and mathematical operations and accompany this with visualization (show the number of fingers or objects). It is important to develop the child's ability to correlate a real object and its image. In this case, the child remembers the names of objects, numbers and arithmetic operations.

To avoid the development of operational dyscalculia, it is important to teach the child the rules of counting and the order of arithmetic operations.

To avoid verbal and dyslexic dyscalculia, it is important to ask the child to pronounce the names of numbers and actions, color, size and shape of geometric figures, objects. At the same time, the parent should control the correct use of certain words, gently correct errors.

To prevent graphic dyscalculia, it is important to develop the child's visual memory and the ability to recognize and operate with visual images. Fine motor skills and coordination of movements, the ability to calculate hand movements based on visual information, for example, to estimate the distance to an object, to manage to grab a moving object, are of great importance.

To prevent all types of disease, it is important to develop spatial and abstract-logical thinking, all types of memory, literate and clear speech, and precise coordination.

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Forecast

With the right therapy, the prognosis for dyscalculia in children is favorable. Timely treatment helps correct the symptoms of the disease, prepare the child for school or improve his or her academic performance.