The impact of dyslexia on numeracy

Memory

Difficulty in remembering and learning number facts May forget vocabulary and/or equivalent words (e.g product=times) Cannot remember formulae Forgetting or ‘getting lost’ during explanations Forgetting books and equipment Ineffective revision (despite spending hours revising!) Forgetting correct processes and sequence of operations Remembering times tables May not remember relationships between numbers (50%,0.5,1/2)

Processing

Slow speed of working May get lost in series of operations Retrieving number facts, vocabulary and formulae from long-term memory May produce quality or quantity of work but not both Can start in the ‘wrong place’ May need reinforcement or several explanations of concepts/processes before information ‘sinks in’ Difficulty in solving problems Mental arithmetic

Visual and auditory perception

Transposing numbers Reversal and inversion of numbers Misreading or writing symbols Difficulty in accurately reading times tables Difficulty in accurately reading or constructing graphs, charts and tables May miscopy from the board or a book In a 2-part question, he/she may miscopy their first answer Losing place when reading Difficulties with shape (noting similarities or differences) Confuses words when listening or speaking e.g thirty/thirteen, reflection/rotation (this can also be due to processing difficulties) Commutative numbers May miss decimal points Reading

Difficulty in decoding subject-specific vocabulary Comprehension difficulties – understanding problems that are worded Misinterpreting exam questions Misreading symbols Difficulty with past tense Difficulty in understanding words used in other, everyday contexts e.g. product,

Sequencing, direction, orientation, spatial awareness

Learning times tables Difficulties with place value Difficulties with ordering numbers Transposing figures including when using a calculator Cannot remember the sequence of BODMAS Difficulty with time including elapsed time and timetables Starting at the ‘wrong end’ in basic computation Difficulties with data handling Difficulties with geometry

Motor skills

Difficulties in constructing charts, diagrams ,tables Difficulty in accurately measuring angles and drawing figures in geometry Difficulty in practical measuring tasks Correct alignment when copying or writing a calculation Copying numbers and symbols correctly Using protractors, rulers, compasses accurately Poor presentation of work

Mears-Irlen syndrome

Difficulty in reading worded problems Difficulty in reading charts, diagrams, tables May not be able to use squared paper May not be able to accurately read numbers or symbols In geometry, figures may distort