Dyscalculia Test Online - Help Children Overcome Dyscalculia

Dec. 22, 2011 - PRLog -- Dyscalculia or you call it math disability is a specific learning disability involving difficulty in learning or comprehending simple arithmetic. It is akin to dyslexia and includes difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, learning maths facts, and a number of other related symptoms (although there is no exact form of the disability).

Math disabilities can also occur as the result of some types of brain injury, in which case the proper term is acalculia, to distinguish it from dyscalculia which is of innate, genetic or developmental origin.

Although math learning difficulties occur in children with low IQ; dyscalculia occurs in people across the whole IQ range, and sufferers often, but not always, also have difficulties with time, measurement, and spatial reasoning. Estimates of the prevalence of dyscalculia range between 3 and 6% of the population. Dyscalculia does not necessarily imply higher mathematical reasoning difficulties as well as difficulties with arithmetic operations, there is evidence (especially from brain damaged patients) that arithmetic (e.g. calculation and number fact memory) and mathematical (abstract reasoning with numbers) abilities can be dissociated. That is (some researchers argue), an individual might suffer arithmetic difficulties (or dyscalculia), with no impairment of, or even giftedness in, abstract mathematical reasoning abilities.

Click Here - Help for Dyscalculia - http://dyscalculianomore.com/

Symptoms

The earliest symptom of dyscalculia to appear is a deficit in subitizing. Subitizing is the ability to know, from a brief glance and without counting, how many objects there are in a small group. This is an innate ability, present in human infants from birth. Homologous circuits exist in primates, and many other animals have been shown to possess similar ability; obviously, there is survival value in knowing how many predators there are, etc. Human infants can typically subitize three objects, and this number grows as the person matures, so that most adults can subitize 5 or more objects. However, children with dyscalculia can subitize fewer objects and even when correct take longer to identify the number than their age-matched peers. Other symptoms include difficulty reading analog clocks, and in extreme cases inability to even simply state which of two numbers is larger.
Frequent difficulties with arithmetic

Difficulty with everyday tasks like reading analog clocks

Inability to comprehend financial planning or budgeting, sometimes even at a basic level; for example, estimating the cost of the items in a shopping basket or balancing a checkbook

Difficulty with multiplication-tables, and subtraction-tables, addition tables, division tables, mental arithmetic, etc.

Difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the passing of time. May be chronically late or early

Particularly problems with differentiating between left and right

Might do exceptionally well in a writing related field many authors and journalists have this disorder

Difficulty navigating or mentally "turning" the map to face the current direction rather than the common North=Top usage
Having particular difficulty mentally estimating the measurement of an object or distance (e.g., whether something is 10 or 20 feet (3 or 6 metres) away).

Often unable to grasp and remember mathematical concepts, rules, formulae, and sequences
Inability to concentrate on mentally intensive tasks
Low latent inhibition, i.e., over-sensitivity to noise, smell, light and the inability to tune out, filtering unwanted information or impressions. Might have a well-developed sense of imagination due to this (possibly as cognitive compensation to mathematical-numeric deficits)
Mistaken recollection of names. Poor name/face retrieval. May substitute names beginning with same letter


Causes

Scientists have yet to understand the causes of dyscalculia. They have been investigating in several domains.
Neurological: Dyscalculia has been associated with lesions to the supramarginal and angular gyri at the junction between the temporal and parietal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
Deficits in working memory: Adams and Hitch argue that working memory is a major factor in mental addition. From this base, Geary conducted a study that suggested there was a working memory deficit for those who suffered from dyscalculia. However, working memory problems are confounded with general learning difficulties, thus Geary's findings may not be specific to dyscalculia but rather may reflect a greater learning deficit.
Other causes may be:
Short term memory being disturbed or reduced, making it difficult to remember calculations.
Congenital or hereditary disorders. Studies show indications of this, but the evidence is not yet concrete.
Gerstmann syndrome: dyscalculia is one of a constellation of symptoms acquired after damage to the angular gyrus.
Involvement of the intraparietal sulcus has been suggested.

Treatment

Some people with dyscalculia have advocated a shift in attitudes that it is a difference, rather than a disability that must be treated or cured if they show talent in other areas - such as art skills.

Software intended to remediate dyscalculia has been developed.

Forms of educational therapy, such as neuro-sensory educational therapy, can be an effective treatment.

A study published in Current Biology to "investigate the feasibility of using noninvasive stimulation to the parietal lobe during numerical learning to selectively improve numerical abilities" used transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) and demonstrated improvement that was still present six months later.

Do not ignore and burden your child. Help your child!

# # #

Number Magic is a computer-assisted game designed exclusively for the remediation of dyscalculia. It's based on the latest cognitive neuroscience research... and is designed for children to use with a minimum of supervision.

It engages your child's attention because it's effective remediation therapy in the form of a game.

This makes remediation simple and fun.
But they key to the software's effectiveness is that it uses an adaptive algorithm that can detect when a child experiences difficulty. It then presents problems at the appropriate level of difficulty (enough to be challenging, but easy enough to avoid discouragement).

Number Magic is a powerful and effective tool. But, for maximum benefit, you may want to use it in conjunction with additional forms of dyscalculia remediation.