The Dyslexia Guild 2010

16th Annual Symposium

How can you assess for dyscalculia in

dyslexics and low numeracy students?
What works in intervention?

Jane Emerson: Director

Emerson House
Hammersmith, London W6.
www.emersonhouse.co.uk 1
 What is dyscalculia?
‘…a condition that affects the ability to acquire
arithmetical skills. Dyscalculic learners may have
difficulty understanding simple number concepts,
lack an intuitive grasp of numbers, and have
problems learning number facts and procedures.
Even if they produce a correct answer or use a
correct method, they may do so mechanically
and without confidence.’
Guidance to support pupils with dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Ref. DfES 2001

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 What is understood by dyscalculia?
• An umbrella term used to refer
to various conditions that
cause specific difficulties with
numeracy, in particular,
developmental dyscalculia.

• Used to refer to different levels

of difficulty with numeracy and
becomes apparent at different
developmental stages.

• The absence of Number

Sense or low Number Sense is
a sign of dyscalculia.

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 Components of a Numerical Idea
• Concept of numbers: • Concepts are the mental
representations of the world
and how information is
The two-ness
organised and generalised.
of two

• The language used to describe

what has been conceptualised.
The language used affects
• Linguistic: how the concrete objects are
Two threes perceived.

• The conventional symbols

used to represent a taught
procedure as an algorithm.
• Procedural: 2 x 3 = 6
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 Assessing for Dyscalculia
• The Dyscalculia Screener
by Emeritus Professor Brian
Butterworth
• Designed to distinguish
the dyscalculic learner
from other low attaining
learners
• An online assessment
which looks for evidence
of dyscalculia.
The Dyscalculia
Assessment
by Emerson and Babtie
• Shows you how to find
out why a child is
struggling with basic
numeracy
• Explains what you can do
to help pupils to learn
essential number facts
and concepts
• Gives information for
teaching plan
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 The Dyscalculia Screener can be used in
conjunction with The Dyscalculia Assessment
The Dyscalculia Screener by Brian Butterworth pub. by nferNelson
• Computerised for use in schools (30 mins)
Subtests: Subitizing/counting
Number size comparisons
Mental arithmetic

• Precise measures including reaction time, standardised and quick to

administer

• Assumes dyscalculia is caused by a core deficit in parietal lobe

affecting number sense, as opposed to other causes such as co-
morbid conditions such as dyslexia or dyspraxia.

See www.mathematicalbrain.com

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What to look for? Surface symptoms
that you may see in the classroom.
• Delay in flexible counting development
• Immature strategies such as counting ‘all’
instead of counting ‘on’, plus finger counting
• Poor memorization of facts and procedures (e.g.
doubles, number bonds, tables)
• Lack of reasoning from known fact to unknown
fact: 2+2=4 so 2+3=one more than 4.
• Poor understanding of place value
• Difficulties with application to solve word
problems and multi step calculations
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 The Dyscalculia Assessment
The Dyscalculia Assessment looks for
evidence of mathematical thinking, that
is, the ability to reason about number. If
present this suggests a positive
prognosis for the effect of tried and
tested interventions developed at
Emerson House.
• A practical investigation of a
pupil’s sense of number,
knowledge and skills
• Can be used to assess
anyone’s low levels of
numeracy
• Does not compare an individual
to others, except for planning
group teaching
• Considers the child’s style of
thinking: visual or auditory
• Information is recorded on a
summary sheet
• Practical suggestions for
games and activities
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 Areas Assessed
• Number Sense and Counting
• Calculation
• Place Value
• Multiplication and Division
• Word problems
• Formal Written Numeracy

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 Assessing Number Sense
• An ability to estimate the size of a quantity
of objects

• Early knowledge of the way the number

system is structured in groups of tens

• Subitizing

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Can you subitize this many?

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 What is Subitizing?

• The ability to enumerate a

random array of objects at
a glance without counting

• Most people can subitize

up to 5 objects

• An innate ability which

may be lacking in
dyscalculics
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 How many ladybirds?
How many spots on the ladybirds?

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 The
Dyscalculia
Assessment
has

Recording
Sheets

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Summary Maths Profile

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 What information is gained from the
Dyscalculia Assessment and what can be done
with it?
• The information can be analysed using the
Interpretation Section.
• The information can be recorded on the Summary
Maths Profile form for ease of analysis.
• It can be entered onto a Group Grid using an excel
spread sheet given in the appendices.
• Children can then be grouped for teaching purposes
depending on the findings.
• Activities and games can be selected to match the
needs of the groups from the games chapter.

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What works in intervention?
• Multi-sensory teaching:
concrete materials,
talking, listening
• Discussion between
teacher and pupil
• Do it, see it, say it :
understand
• Guided teaching to
explore concepts

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Concrete Materials

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Rods for components
Cuisenaire Rods • Rods can be used as
continuous materials
when children are
ready to move from
discrete dice patterns
• They can be used to
demonstrate both
whole numbers and
parts of wholes.

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Emerson House Mathematics.
• A systematic, multi-sensory way of
teaching numeracy based on the
doubles patterns and extending
those patterns eg. 2+2 and 2+3
• The universal principle is: teach all
bonds, expect internalisation of the
minimum, and then teach
strategies to derive the others.
• Teach pupils to be flexible thinkers
who can recognise, generate and
use numbers to solve problems.

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 Teaching Number Sense and
Counting
• Estimating: developing
awareness of quantity

• Counting: counting of items into

lines of tens to help pupils develop
sense of the tens based system

• Getting pupils to stop counting in

ones (The Counting Trap) by
seeing the structure of tens and
‘some more’

• Studying dice patterns: 1 to 6 then

7 to 10.

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 Building over 100
• Numicon boxes with Base • Once children are
Ten Materials calculating comfortably
up to 100, they can study
the numbers over 100
• Base 10 can be used to
build 100s in tens to
emphasise the repeating
10s
• Revise adding 1 or 10 for
100,101,110, 120,121,
etc.
• A 100 metre stick can be
exchanged for 100s.

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 Teaching Calculation
• Dice patterns 1-6
• Dot patterns 7-10 : made
of doubles and near
doubles, visually distinct
images, key facts
• Bonds of 10: 5+5, 9+1 etc.
• Bonds of the counting
numbers under ten:
3=2+1etc.
• Reasoning from key
facts to calculate: to
think mathematically;
5+5=10 so 5+6=11
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Semi Abstract Representations
for Doubles and near Doubles
• Use counters initially:
concrete to semi abstract
• Reason for near doubles:
• If 2+2=4 then 2+3=‘just
one more’ so must be 5.
• This is highly diagnostic
when a young child with
possible dyscalculia is
first seen.
• Can they reason at all
about number?
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Dot pattern games

• To develop
quantitative
awareness : 6 > 5
• To build pattern
recognition skills
• To develop children’s
ability to talk about
numbers and relative
sizes

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 The Tables as repeated addition.
Key facts 1x the table, 10x the table and 5x the table
being studied.
So if 5x4=20 then 6x4=20+4 and if 10x4=40 then
9x4=40-4

• Step-count in fours
• Step-count from different starting points
4,8,12 or 20,24,28
• Ask one-step questions:
• What is one more 4 than 20?
• Ask two-steps questions: What are two
more 4s than 24? (28+4 revises bridging) 27
 Teaching Multiplication and
Division as closely associated
• Multiplication as repeated addition
• Division as grouping and, later, sharing
• False separation: teach inverse
relationship of the concepts at the same
time to stress the connections:
• 2 x 3 = 6 and 3 x 2 = 6
• Two threes in 6 and three twos in 6
• 6 divided by 3 is 2 and 6 divided by 2 is 3.
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 Teaching Multiplication and
Division
• Multiplication as 5x3= + + + + = 15
repeated addition
• Multiplication as Area
Model
• Division as grouping
and, later, sharing:
• Avoid false
separation: teach
inverse relationship of
these concepts

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 Teaching Place Value
• Principle of exchange:
several items can be
represented by
another single item
• Place Value: structure
of the number
system:
HTU:HTU:HTU Millions Thousands
H T U H T U H T U
Teach repeated
pattern of threes

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Partitioning with concrete materials
on a place value mat
• 57 is partitioned
• 50 and 7
• 5 tens and 7 units
• Base ten Dienes
materials could be used
• Stern rods could be used
• Flexible partitioning can
be used with older
children
• 57 is made of 40 and 17
for example, can be
shown to make a column
arithmetic sum
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Teaching Bridging as a Universal
Strategy

• Bridging is a technique based on linear understanding of the number

system where 10 or multiples of ten are used as a stepping stone to
the next decade.
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 Concrete materials to teach Bridging.

• Bridging forward
9+3= (9+1)+2= 12

• Bridging back for

numbers close on a
number line
12-3 =(12-2)-1 = 9
‘ I KNOW THAT 12 TAKE AWAY 2 IS 10. THEN TAKE ONE MORE AWAY
TO GET BACK TO 9 BECAUSE 9 IS ONE LESS THAN 10.’
‘I KNOW THAT 12 IS MADE OF 3+9 SO 12 TAKE AWAY 3 LEAVES 9.’
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Teaching Word Problems
• Pupils explaining their • There are three ducks on
thinking from the start
• Leads to conceptual four ponds
foundations for word • What is the total number
problems of ducks?
• Use concrete objects to
model the problems NOTE IF THE PUPIL
• Draw images or diagrams CAN DRAW THE
• Write algorithms IMAGES OR RECORD
THEIR THINKING AS
• Beware of teaching 3+3+3+3 OR 3X4
trigger words
• Check the answer is
possible or sensible

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 Teaching Formal Written Methods
• Train the pupil to do a rough estimation to
establish the approximate size of the
answer to all calculations before doing
formal written work.

• Teach the child how to set out and use

standard written forms correctly.

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 Concluding Remarks
• The information can be analysed using the Interpretation
Section.
• The information can be recorded on the Summary Maths
Profile form.
• It can be entered onto a Group Grid using an excel
spread sheet given in appendices.
• Children can be grouped for teaching purposes
depending on the findings.
• Activities and games can be selected to match the needs
of the groups from chapter 6.

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 Summing up
• Why has The Dyscalculia Assessment been carried out?

To find out why a pupil is struggling with basic numeracy,

and how they think about numeracy. Is it a memory
problem or a reasoning problem?

• What is to be done with the information gained?

A multi sensory teaching plan can be devised to help the

pupil to learn essential facts and concepts.

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Today is all about having different points of view.

Safe? Open?
Not Amused?
Limited? Enquiring?
Frustrated?
Confident? Fascinated?
Resigned?

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