Dyscalculia Testing in Richmond, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg
What is Dyscalculia?
I know, it’s a four-letter-word that strikes fear in the hearts of many. Math. Now, math can be hard for lots of people, but just because math is hard doesn’t mean you have a learning disability in math. Yes, that’s Dyscalculia, the fancy word for a learning disability in math. Some might say math Dyslexia, and that makes sense but, sorry, that’s not what it’s called. Back to my main point though, just because math is hard doesn’t mean that you have a disability. But that’s why we test because there are a lot of different reasons that math can be hard. Testing answers the question, why is it hard. And when we know why, then we can help you or your child thrive. Or at least not hate math as much, right?
What does Dyscalculia testing include?
So, let’s talk about testing for a learning disability like Dyscalculia. We all have a bunch of different cognitive or thinking skills. In total, psychologists agree that there are seven. These range from picking up new vocabulary (some people absorb words like sponges, for others it takes longer) to putting together IKEA furniture (some have a knack for it, but it stops others dead in their tracks). So, what does this have to do with a learning disability? A learning disability is this: it’s when someone has one or more weak cognitive skills and this explains their struggle in reading, writing, and/or math. That’s it.
So, how do you test for a learning disability like Dyscalculia? Well, the testing involves two core pieces: assessing cognitive skills and assessing academic skills. Now, plenty of us have one or two cognitive skills that are a bit lower than the rest, but this doesn’t automatically mean we have a learning disability. A learning disability is a specific academic struggle that is matched to a specific and weak cognitive skill. And, it’s important to rule out other factors that may explain the struggle. After all, there are plenty of them—think about attention, attendance, and anxiety just to name a few. A good evaluation addresses all these in order to answer the question: why is math a struggle? Because after we know why, then we have a good idea of what supports can lead to success.
And, there’s lots of reasons that math can be a struggle. One common reason is poor Working Memory. Without going down a deep rabbit hole, Working Memory includes 1) immediately recalling information and 2) mentally multi-tasking. An easy example is mental math—like asking what’s 17+11. Now, you can solve this a lot of different ways. One is to separate the tens, 10+10=20. As you’re doing this, you’re holding onto 7 and 1. Now, you have 20+7+1=28. That kind of mental math requires good Working Memory and good number sense. When students have weak Working Memory, this is intensely hard, they will want to write down numbers, and they might make an error or two. So, now think about something bigger like 3×3 multiplication or long division. Students have to work through these step-by-step, doing tasks in order, performing calculations, and switching back-and-forth to the end. This requires good Working Memory. So, students with lower Working Memory often skip steps, inverse steps, make simple mistakes, and get frustrated. I would, too.
Another reason math is hard for many is anxiety. And, truthfully, anxiety can impact math more than any other subject. For instance, many students with anxiety struggle to learn math concepts the first time around. Even a hint of difficulty raises their defenses, “This is impossible. I can’t do this. This is so stupid! I hate math!” Obviously, when our fight/flight/freeze response is triggered, it’s hard to learn anything, math included. Even when the anxiety is mild, it takes us longer to complete math problems, and we’re more prone to make simple mistakes. Why? Because anxiety can weaken our Working Memory. And we know what that does. If I’m honest with you, it’s rare that a student struggles with math exclusively due to anxiety. Just stop and think about reading for example. There’s plenty of people who dread reading out loud in front of others, and usually there’s a reason for this. It’s not always because they have Dyslexia, but my bet is that it is a good amount of time. It’s the same for math. There’s usually a reason why someone won’t raise their hand in math class or ever volunteer to work out a problem on the board. It might not be a learning disability, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
Dyscalculia Testing
What are signs of Dyscalculia?
There are early signs of Dyscalculia. Students in kindergarten or first grade struggling to count with 1:1 correspondence, students who seem like they’re often guessing when faced with math, students who consistently seem to grasp a concept one day but the next day seem lost. These aren’t symptoms, more like warning signs. And, I know I’ve said it on other pages, be on the look-out for attention struggles. For impulsivity and restlessness and distractibility. Why? Because nearly half of all students with attention struggles also have a learning disability. Here’s the research–really, it’s a compilation of a bunch of studies.
There are more subtle signs, too. I’ve worked with a number of teenagers who have gotten good grades in math for years. But their good grades were because they were conscientious, they were hard workers and religiously completed their homework. They tested poorly, but these bad grades were overshadowed by homework, classwork, and participation. Ultimately, they struggled to really grasp what they were learning, to apply this knowledge, and to generalize to new or slightly different problems. And—sure enough—testing indicated that there was a reason. They suffered from Dyscalculia.
Who diagnoses Dyscalculia?
So, a lot of different professionals can diagnose ADD, ADHD, and Autism. But it’s only really psychologists who can diagnose learning disabilities like Dyscalculia. Now obviously, there’s plenty of psychologists out there. My recommendation—whether or not you contact me—is to consider someone based on their experience. Time in the field, time working in schools, the quality of their reports, and how they interact with parents. Okay, I know, all these can be hard to judge from the available information. Most often you’ve just got a website with a bio and few other pages. Regardless, I’d encourage you to ask around, talk with people you trust, I guess even look at reviews.
More questions about Dyscalculia testing?
Have more questions about the testing process? Fees, availability, or something else? I’d be happy to talk on the phone or answer questions by email. Here’s my contact page. Also know that we have offices in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Harrisonburg, Va.