January 29

0 comments

By NeuroHealth Arlington Heights

January 29, 2025

children in school, dyscalculia, math

Understanding Your Child’s Struggles With Math

Teachers indicate that as many as 40% of their students perform below grade level in mathematics, yet only 15% indicate that these students have been screened for dyscalculia. This and other math disabilities impact hundreds of thousands of children, but these students aren’t always identified, making it difficult for parents and educators to help them.

Though your child may struggle with math for many reasons, learning disabilities are a common source of trouble. While 36% of the general population scores below the basic level in math, this increases to 75% among students with learning disabilities. Understanding how and why your child is struggling will equip you with the information you need to help them catch up.

The Core Reasons Why Children Struggle With Math

Woman in blue denim jacket holding white paper

There are many reasons why your child may be struggling with math. Parents and teachers often begin by looking for lifestyle factors, such as stress, a language barrier, or a disruption in learning, which can include a move or change in schools. A new teacher may inadvertently disrupt a child’s learning simply by using a method that doesn’t match the child’s learning style.

For many children, a learning disorder is at the root of their math struggle. Between 25% and 42% of students with math difficulties have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and about 40% have a reading disability. Only about 3% to 7% of students have dyscalculia, but it’s possible that this learning disability is currently underdiagnosed. Developmental dyscalculia is defined as a biological math learning disability that’s not related to language or sensory impairments and isn’t associated with low intelligence.

Recognizing the Signs: Is Your Child Struggling With Math?

Children who have difficulty learning math may fail to meet developmental milestones and exhibit serious stress and confusion when presented with math-related activities. Tracking your child’s progress as they grow and develop can help you recognize early indicators that they’re behind.

Preschool

At an early age, you may notice that your child has trouble putting items in order or identifying patterns. Though these skills don’t directly involve numbers, they’re an early entry point to the world of math. Children with a math  learning disability may not readily connect numbers with quantities. For example, if you ask your child for two apples, they may bring you a random number, paying no attention to the quantity. Other signs of dyscalculia include:

  • Having trouble associating numerals (1) with corresponding words (one)
  • Skipping over numbers when counting
  • Struggling to understand terms related to quantities

Grade School

In grade school, children may struggle to comprehend concepts such as less than or greater than. Time is like an enigma to them, and they’ll find it difficult to properly estimate how long something will take. They’ll only retain the nonnumerical parts of word problems. Other signs your child is struggling at this stage include:

  • Significant difficulty with addition, subtraction, and multiplication
  • Challenges with core math facts, such as multiplication tables
  • Inability to identify and use math symbols, such as + and –
  • Trouble using place values properly

Middle School

In middle school, you may notice that your child doesn’t interact with common activities the same way as others. For example, a child with dyscalculia may not be able to keep score at sporting events or participate properly in board games and card games. They’ll likely avoid these activities, as they can’t participate or enjoy them the same as others. Other dyscalculia signs in middle school include:

  • Struggling to understand the cost of a purchase
  • Being unable to develop a plan to solve math problems
  • Failing to understand commutativity (2 + 4 is the same as 4 + 2)
  • Struggling to understand or use math-related language
  • Having difficulty calculating distances or determining the time to get from one point to another

High School

By high school, a child with a math-related disability will probably be several grades behind developmentally. You’ll be familiar with low scores on math assignments and tests. Symptoms of number dyslexia and dyscalculia in high school include:

  • Inability to understand or follow directions when walking or driving from one place to another
  • Difficulty figuring out a tip or counting out change
  • Trouble reading graphs and charts
  • Difficulty measuring ingredients or following a recipe

Practical Strategies To Support Your Child in Mathematics

The best way to support a struggling math student at home is by incorporating math into your everyday life. Frequently reviewing math concepts is the best way to strengthen these connections in the brain. This may include:

  • Playing video games or board games together that use math concepts and keep score
  • Cooking from recipes together
  • Comparing prices and quantities on shopping trips
  • Sorting and organizing toys around the house
  • Counting allowance money
  • Calculating household needs, such as gallons of paint, rolls of wrapping paper, or cups of applesauce, based on the task.

Make sure your child is receiving math information in their personal learning style. Children typically have a preference for auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learning, which means they prefer to hear, see, or touch the concepts they’re learning about. Working with a tutor, online math program, or different workbooks may help your child grasp math concepts that they didn’t understand in a different format. 

If your child is still struggling, professional testing can determine whether they have dyscalculia or another learning disability. With the proper diagnosis, your school system and other professionals can offer accommodations, such as math programs, for dyscalculia.

Get Dyscalculia Testing for Your Child Today

If your child has exhibited some of the signs mentioned above, they may have a learning disability that’s making it especially difficult for them to succeed in math. Professional testing is the only way to get a concrete dyscalculia diagnosis. Properly diagnosing this learning disability will enable your child to get the school accommodations needed to overcome math-related challenges. Contact our team at NeuroHealth in Arlington Heights, Illinois, to schedule an assessment or learn more.

Image by Joshua Hoehne is licensed with Unsplash License

NeuroHealth Arlington Heights

About the author

For over 20 years, NeuroHealth Arlington Heights has been offering neuropsychological and psychological assessments and treatments for people of all ages. These assessments and treatments address Behavioral, Emotional, & Social Issues, Neurocognitive Functions, and Neurodevelopmental Growth.