Thursday, October 21, 2004
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a learning disability characterized by poor understanding of the number concept and the number system. Problems of mathematics, underachievement is greatest for students with mild disabilities and those at risk for mathematics failure.Students with disabilities experience considerable difficulty with problem representation or identifying relevant information along with difficulties in reading comprehension and identifying operations.
Dyscalculia is of two types; developmental dyscalculia is associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities while acquired dyscalculia is a result of overt brain injury.Both are a result of deficits in processing of numerical and arithmetical information.
As Learning Disability is a life long condition, the best way to approach is throguh effective research based intervention.Special Education plays an important role in remediating the deficits.There is a necessity to build a strong foundation for basic concepts in math. Once the concepts are very deeply ingrained, it becomes easier to teach computation.
Systematic Practice in discriminating among related problem types; separation of confusing elements and terminology; use of wide range of examples to illustrate each conceptare highly recommended for effective results.
Providing a wider range of examples clearer step by step strategies, and discrimination practice can augment the effectiveness of any mathematics curriculum.
For students who have learned the basic mathematical skills but cannot apply them successfully when solving mathematical problems, cognitive strategy instruction should be a part of their curriculum. Additionally if we expect students to generalize the strategies they have learned, they must become actively involved in the learning process by participating in goal setting and evaluating their performance.
Dyscalculia is of two types; developmental dyscalculia is associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities while acquired dyscalculia is a result of overt brain injury.Both are a result of deficits in processing of numerical and arithmetical information.
As Learning Disability is a life long condition, the best way to approach is throguh effective research based intervention.Special Education plays an important role in remediating the deficits.There is a necessity to build a strong foundation for basic concepts in math. Once the concepts are very deeply ingrained, it becomes easier to teach computation.
Systematic Practice in discriminating among related problem types; separation of confusing elements and terminology; use of wide range of examples to illustrate each conceptare highly recommended for effective results.
Providing a wider range of examples clearer step by step strategies, and discrimination practice can augment the effectiveness of any mathematics curriculum.
For students who have learned the basic mathematical skills but cannot apply them successfully when solving mathematical problems, cognitive strategy instruction should be a part of their curriculum. Additionally if we expect students to generalize the strategies they have learned, they must become actively involved in the learning process by participating in goal setting and evaluating their performance.
# posted by Swapna Bolleboina @ 5:37 PM 
