The Impact of Dyslexia on Numeracy
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