Children with learning disabilities do not always have a deficiency in mathematics. Some children, however, struggle with math because of an inability to grasp spatial relationships, an inability to estimate quantity, poor memory skills or poor cognitive abilities. For others, difficulty with math is a manifestation of a language-based disability.

The Language of Mathematics

Mastering Mathematics: Needed Components

Teaching Mathematics to Children With Learning Disabilities

The Language of Mathematics

Mathematics has its own language and a vocabulary that children must learn. Children with language-based disorders have poor decoding (sounding out words) skills, difficulties with receptive language (understanding others) and difficulties with expressive language (sharing thoughts, ideas and feelings completely). This makes lecture-based or text-based instruction extremely difficult. If these children are limited to these types of instruction, their resulting skills are dismal when added to their poor understanding of math concepts.

Mastering Mathematics: Needed Components

Learning Facts
Early stages of math skills place a heavy emphasis on memorizing simple math facts so students can recall them precisely and on demand as tasks become more complex. Ideally, students will recall math facts automatically.

Details
Students must understand and identify the smallest details to master all levels of math. They must have attention to detail, such as noting operational signs or symbols (+,-), observing decimal point location and checking their work for errors. Children with ADHD may appear to understand math facts, but because of their lack of attention to detail, they may have poor overall performance.

Mastering Procedures
Children with sequencing problems have significant difficulties applying mathematical algorithms (specific procedures needed to understand multiplication, division, reducing fractions and regrouping). This requires a good understanding of the underlying logic required.

Accumulating Abilities
Math is cumulative. It requires an ability to learn in a hierarchical fashion. Information learned in lower grades much be retained for future use. Some students have problems across many subjects (science, foreign language, etc.) with this skill.

Conceptualizing and Linking
Understanding concepts is the basis of math problems. Children with poor conceptualization abilities frequency have difficulty with middle school math lessons because they cannot link concepts. They may be able to master computations but may not be able to use them in application.

Using Manipulations
Students must be able to manipulate facts, details and procedures to solve more complex problems. This requires a substantial amount of “thinking space,” or working memory. Students have to be able to remember numbers and use them later. They must also understand why they are using the numbers. They have to be able to manipulate task subcomponents. Students with limited working memory experience considerable difficulty using manipulations.

Systematic Approach
Problem-solving skills are complex and require a systematic approach, entailing the following steps: identifying the question; discarding irrelevant information; devising a possible strategy; choosing the best strategy; trying that strategy; using alternative strategies, if required; and monitoring the entire process. Impulsive students fail to use a systematic approach and do not self-monitor throughout the entire process. They are unlikely to use a coordinated, executive functioning manner to solve the problem.

Teaching Mathematics to Children With Learning Difficulties

At ACCESS, students learn the language of math. We use manipulative objects in all instruction. We also teach things in a slightly different order or manner. We concentrate heavily on the “meaning” and application of everything we teach.

Calendar Skills
Students learn to estimate and recognize patterns; learn vocabulary and rote math facts; count by 1’s, 5’s and 10’s; and count forward and backward, using the calendar functionally. We also discuss time by using the calendar and discussing the seasons. Students learn about the months and seasons with a monthly calendar story.

Focus on Fundamentals
By focusing on language needed for math and applying calculations to real-life situations – counting money, telling the time and making basic calculations – we make math skills functional and establish the basic foundation for math. Mastery at this level is essential.

Simple Math Vocabulary
We teach math facts as sentences. 2 + 2 = 4 is a sentence: Two plus two equals four. But, moreover it means: Two balls and two balls are four balls. By translating math concepts into meaningful circumstances, using items students already know, we introduce the concept in a more concrete manner.

Relating to Increasingly Difficult Vocabulary
The mastery of math requires acquisition of a new vocabulary as suggested above with math facts. It continues as students learn words like “denominator,” “numerator,” “isosceles,” and “equilateral.” Most of this vocabulary is not part of everyday life and must be learned without the assistance of contextual clues Children who have slow processing skills or who are weak in language semantics (vocabulary) often have huge difficulty as math becomes more complex.

Applying Knowledge
The symbols of math (+, -, =, etc.) have meanings that have to be specifically taught. In the everyday world, we do not use these words when we want to solve a math problem. Children must be able to realize the relevance of mathematics to use in day-to-day life. We use story problems and practical situations to do this. We start this early, as students are learning how to use the language of math.