Screening for Dyscalculia

• Signs of Dyscalculia in Preschool

  • Has trouble learning to count and skips over numbers long after kids the same age can remember numbers in the right order.

  • Doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of counting. For example, when you ask for five blocks, he just hands you a large group of blocks, rather than counting them out.

  • Struggles to recognize patterns, like smallest to largest or tallest to shortest.

  • Has trouble understanding number symbols, like making the connection between “7” and the word seven.

  • Struggles to connect a number to an object, such as knowing that “3” applies to groups of things like 3 cookies, 3 cars, or 3 kids.

• Signs of Dyscalculia in Grade School

  • Has difficulty learning and recalling basic math facts, such as 2 + 4 = 6.

  • Still uses fingers to count instead of using more advanced strategies (like mental math).

  • Struggles to identify math signs like + and ‒ and to use them correctly.

  • Has a tough time understanding math phrases, like greater than and less than.

  • Has trouble with place value, often putting numbers in the wrong column.

• Signs of Dyscalculia in Middle School

  • Struggles with math concepts like commutativity (3 + 5 is the same as 5 + 3) and inversion (being able to solve 3 + 26 ‒ 26 without calculating).

  • Has a tough time understanding math language and coming up with a plan to solve a math problem.

  • Has trouble keeping score in sports games and gym activities.

  • Has difficulty figuring out the total cost of things and often runs out of money on his lunch account.

  • May avoid situations that require understanding numbers, like playing games that involve math.

• Signs of Dyscalculia in High School

  • Struggles to understand information on charts and graphs.

  • Has trouble applying math concepts to money, such as making exact change and figuring out a tip.

  • Has trouble measuring things like ingredients in a simple recipe or liquids in a bottle.

  • Lacks confidence in activities that require understanding speed, distance and directions, and may get lost easily.

  • Has trouble finding different approaches to the same math problem, such as adding the length and width of a rectangle and doubling the answer to solve for the perimeter (rather than adding all the sides).

Symptoms Count: 0