How does it feel to be the parent of your child?
My daughter, Brianna, is now 8 years old. She is the youngest of our three children and is a bright and happy little girl. We share a very close bond. When Brianna was in Kindergarten, we started noticing that she was not recognizing numbers as easily as her older siblings had. My husband and I began to wonder if there was something wrong, or if she was just a little slower at learning than our other two children. During parent-teacher conferences, her teacher told us that she did not feel there was anything to worry about because Brianna seemed to be thriving in every other subject. Over the next few years, she continued to struggle with math. We noticed that she had trouble with simple things, like understanding the concept of time, remembering the date, keeping score when we played games, and counting down the days left until our family vacation every summer. Brianna’s second grade teacher was truly a blessing. She also noticed that Brianna had a very hard time with simple math calculations. She told us that we had the option to contact the principal and request that our daughter be assessed for a learning disability in math. We took her advice, and with the help of the principal, her teacher, and other specialists at the school, our daughter was identified as having dyscalculia. Dyscalculia is a learning disability that causes severe difficulties in math. It was such a relief for us and our daughter. She had always thought she was just dumb in math. After the assessment, she was able to understand that she just learned math in a different way than the other students. It has been quite a journey trying to help our little girl. Brianna just started the third grade, and her new teacher is very dedicated to helping her succeed. We are fortunate to have the help of her teacher as well as an outstanding tutor that works with her after school.
How is your child developmentally the same or different from other children at the various ages?
We noticed early on that it was taking Brianna longer to understand math concepts that were simple for her siblings to master. She struggles in math in comparison to her classmates, but does really well in the other subjects that do not require any calculation, especially Language Arts. Her teacher told us that she is actually above-average in Language Arts. Now that Brianna is in third grade, she is expected to learn multiplication. She has trouble remembering and retaining basic math facts, so she is behind her classmates in learning the times tables. While she is still in the process of mastering addition and subtraction facts, some of her classmates have already mastered the multiplication facts. We are working hard with her teacher and tutor to help her master the basic math facts so that she will be able to move on to more advanced math applications.
What professionals/agencies do you deal with? What services are available to you and your child?
At first, we had to go through the school principal to get Brianna assessed for any learning disabilities. After she was identified as having dyscalculia, the school provided her with special assistance. Her teacher provides concrete examples for the math problems and encourages her to visualize the problems. She is given extra time on math tests, and Brianna is given extra space on worksheets and tests for her work. We also hired a private tutor for our daughter.
How did you find out about the above services?
Brianna’s second grade teacher referred us to the principal for requesting that our daughter be assessed. We found out about our private tutor through another parent at our school that has a son with dyscalculia.
What financial burden, if any, are you experiencing?
We pay for Brianna to have a private tutor that works with her on her math skills. The tutor charges about $40 an hour. Brianna works with the tutor three to five days a week, so the average cost is between $120 to $200 a week. We do not see this as a burden, however, because Brianna is really showing improvement. We are willing to do whatever it takes to help her understand math concepts.
What other information do you want to share?
I think it is extremely important to help your child focus on his or her strengths. Dyscalculia can be very discouraging for children, so they need to see that they have talents in other areas. My biggest piece of advice is to be patient with your child and do whatever you can to get him or her the help that is needed. If you suspect that your child may have Dyscalculia, don’t hesitate to speak with the principal at your child’s school about getting your child assessed. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is take the first step, but it can make all the difference.
My Glogster
-Liz Holcomb
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