Vicki, the mother of a daughter who has dyslexia, wrote to us with the following question about her daughter's math struggles:
My daughter is in the 6th grade. She was evaluated in June of 5th grade and found to be dyslexic (specific learning disability) and was given an IEP the following school year. Her problem areas are processing, word retrieval and oral expression. She is currently doing the multisensory reading program Project Read and is progressing nicely. However, math still remains a problem. Do you have any suggestions for her IEP or tutors?
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One of our Parent Support Specialists, Diane Taranto, herself the mother of a daughter with dyslexia, responded with the following suggestions:
It’s good to hear that your daughter is enrolled in an Orton-Gillingham-based reading program; this is one of the best interventions you can provide for her at this point.
Although dyslexia affects reading, it can also cause difficulty with mathematics because math involves many of the cognitive processes affected by dyslexia.
Ideally, mathematics instruction should be multisensory, sequential, and presented in small steps. Some general approaches that are valuable when creating a program include the following:
- Visuals and manipulatives to introduce new, essential concepts
- Assigning fewer homework problems (but ensuring that all concepts covered in the classroom are reflected in the homework assignment)
- Sequencing instruction in manageable increments
- Auditory cueing
- Finger tracing or other tactile cues
- Naming of each step of a process as it is being performed
- Ample time for practice and review
- Graphic organizers may help to “piece out” information and math processes into an organized bundle
My daughter is dyslexic and is a solid math student. However, at one time, she would frequently confuse symbols, e.g. the “+” sign for the “-” sign, as well as “<” and “>”. Highlighting signs and operations on tests, quizzes and homework assignments significantly helped her.
Math vocabulary can also be puzzling to a student with dyslexia. One math operation may use a variety of different words. For example, subtraction problems can be phrased as “take away," “minus," “less than” or “subtract”; addition problems can be phrased as “add,” “increase,” “grew by,” “put back,” “expand” or “lengthen.” Multiple meanings need to be directly taught. Don’t take for granted that your child automatically understands them. Calculating the correct answer to a math problem is dependent upon understanding the vocabulary, what the problem is asking, and disregarding irrelevant information.
A good tutor can help your child learn various “tricks” and shortcuts. If you can, it’s helpful to choose a tutor with some knowledge of dyslexia, or one who has experience working with students who have learning disabilities. However, finding a tutor that your child can relate to and work well with is most important. You can always educate a good tutor about dyslexia yourself.
To schedule a 30-minute phone consultation with Diane or one of Learning Ally’s other Parent Support Specialists, visit Our Parent Support Team or call 800-635-1403.