Exploring Dyscalculia and Its Effects on Math Students The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Cornue, Julia W. 2018. Exploring Dyscalculia and Its Effects on Math Students. Master's thesis, Harvard Extension School. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42004020 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Exploring Dyscalculia and its Effects on Mathematics Students Julia Warena Cornue A Thesis in the Field of Mathematics for Teaching for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University May 2018 Copyright 2018 [Julia Warena Cornue] Abstract This thesis project will provide a detailed analysis of the current state of knowledge about the mathematical learning difficulties of dyscalculia. The project will include information about the much more well known learning disability of dyslexia, and will discuss the relatively high level of responsiveness, including testing and interventions, which have been used for reading and writing development. This thesis project will discuss the definition, history, diagnosis, and characteristics of dyscalculia, as well as describe relevant educational interventions. Information about dyscalculia will be collected through interviews with math educators, students struggling with dyscalculia, psychologists, and skills teachers who focus on the learning profiles of students. Information for this project will also be collected through a careful review of relevant literature and studies on dyscalculia. A major concern, which will be discussed at length in this thesis, is whether educators have been missing opportunities to provide proper support to students with dyscalculia. It is our hypothesis that much more needs to be done to address the issues that students struggle with who have dyscalculia. Part of the focus of the thesis project will include creating a guide for teachers, to provide them with critical information for them to help support students who struggle with dyscalculia. This guide will incorporate a sample lesson plan, demonstrating potential interventions and support techniques that can be used, as well as highlight what attributes stand out when a student is struggling with dyscalculia. Dedication To my husband, family and friends for all of their love and support throughout this process. I could not have gotten through this with out the thoughtful words of encouragement from Jon David; my husband, Martha; my mother, Dale; my father, and Rebecca; my dear friend. iv Acknowledgments Many thanks to John Wesley Cain for his positivity, thoughtful advice and thorough feedback through the development of this thesis project. v Table of Contents Dedication ................................................................................................................... iv! Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................v! List of Tables .................................................................................................................. vii! List of Figures ................................................................................................................. viii! Chapter 1 Introduction .........................................................................................................1! Chapter 2 Definition and Diagnosis .....................................................................................8! Testing and Diagnosis .......................................................................................12! Dyslexia .............................................................................................................15! Chapter 3 Confounding Factors .........................................................................................19! Memory .............................................................................................................20! Language ...........................................................................................................22! Other Confounding Factors ...............................................................................24! Chapter 4 Effective Teaching Leads to Effective Learning ...............................................27! Participant Background .....................................................................................27! Interview with Participant .................................................................................32! Participant Grades and Comments ....................................................................36! Interventions ......................................................................................................39! Chapter 5 Conclusion and Future Research .......................................................................45! References ...................................................................................................................49! vi List of Tables Table 1: Participant’s Percentile Rank ...............................................................................29! Table 2: Ranges of PR Scores ............................................................................................30! Table 3: Teacher Comments ..............................................................................................36! Table 4: Suggestions for Student .......................................................................................40! Table 5: Suggestions for Teachers .....................................................................................41! Table 6: Classroom Accommodations ...............................................................................41! Table 7: Action Plans .........................................................................................................42! vii List of Figures Figure 1: Which has more? ................................................................................................10! Figure 2: Number Line .......................................................................................................10! Figure 3: WISC-IV Coding ................................................................................................14! Figure 4: WISC-IV Matching ............................................................................................14! Figure 5: Defining Dyslexia ...............................................................................................16! Figure 6: Visual Spatial Sketch ..........................................................................................22! viii Chapter 1 Introduction The term acalculia was coined in 1919 to describe arithmetic disorders, and preceded the term dyscalculia by nearly 50 years (Berch, Mazzocco, 2007, p. 11). Compared to dyslexia, few people are diagnosed or consider themselves to have dyscalculia (Michelle de Almeida Horsae Dias, 2013). When it comes to having trouble with mathematics, students and parents tend to blame their struggles on many different learning deficiencies, but rarely connect these to dyscalculia. What if the student has dyscalculia, but is not recognized? Could we as a teaching community be doing more for these students than we currently are? It is troubling to think that there is a less recognizable learning disability impacting student’s ability to learn mathematics. Dyscalculia can be most closely compared to dyslexia and the ability to learn how to read and write. Texts that help clinicians with diagnosis, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), refer to dyscalculia as a “Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in mathematics”. The DSM-5 also refers to dyslexia as a “Specific Learning Disorder”, but with “impairment in reading”. Dyslexia and dyscalculia fall under the same umbrella within the DSM-5, but the prevalence of the dyslexia diagnosis seems far higher. It has been suggested that when a person states they are bad at math it comes across as a relatively normal statement. Dyslexia and dyscalculia can exist in isolation from each other. It is fair to say that of the two disorders, dyslexia is usually more readily 1 recognized, and remedied, while mathematical difficulties often seem to go unnoticed. Perhaps this is because mathematics is often seen as an unusually challenging subject, where it is ‘normal’ and therefore acceptable for otherwise capable pupils to have difficulties (Hannell, 2013 p. 5). This quote from Hannell’s article, Dyscalculia: action plans for successful learning in mathematics, shows us a summary of society’s view on students struggling in mathematics and these struggles holding less weight relative to struggles with reading and writing. In comparison, when a person states they are a bad reader, society places an increased amount of attention on that person. It is believed that this person needs support in order to move forward in their life. As will be discussed later in this thesis, the initial neglect of students’ challenges in mathematics can often lead to significant delay to their mathematical development. When becoming confident in different school subjects, mathematics holds the reputation of not being comprehensive to the general population.