09 Apr

Hey, good afternoon! ,

I thought it would be a good idea to explore  A parents guide to SpLD…. Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

 SpLD rarely occur one difference at a time. 

A child may have other SpLD mixed into the pot, such as Dyspraxia - rather undiplomatically nicknamed ' clumsy child syndrome, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD a behavioural disorder that includes symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness),  Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia (this effects handwriting and fine motor skills involved with writing)

A combination of these SpLD will affect a child's learning to a lesser or greater degree. 

Dyslexia is one of the more well known SpLD, people seem sort of familiar and perhaps a little comfortable with Dyslexia. Its been around for quite a while but not recognised until recently as a learning 'difficulty'. 

When I was at school, children who couldn't read well were considered 'behind' or 'slow'. It's good to know times have moved on and we now realise that these children are neither but require more time and good specialist teaching.

Dyslexia seems to be understood better - maybe this is because famous successful people, Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson and Tom Cruise to name a few are 'coming out ' as Dyslexic.

Dyscalculia research  isn't quite so far in its recognition journey . It's often referred to a ' like Dyslexia but with numbers,' which to most people is sufficient description.

Your child with dyscalculia may demonstrate 

  • poor sense of direction and keeps getting lost in school;
  • struggles with mental maths; Is unable to estimate number quantities
  • seems to be acquiring good reading, writing and speaking skills but slow with basic Maths skills
  • struggles reading numbers and recalling numbers in sequence
  • problems with telling the time, finishing work in time and estimating the passage of time;
  • is not able to record their work properly and struggles with money,
  • understanding the value of coins and shopping

There are challenges in common with Dyslexia and of course EVERY child is different so their combination will be individual to that child. 

And children develop different strategies for themselves to cope with their learning style.

It's not a case of one size fits all!!

As with Dyslexia a specialist Dyscalculia assessor will be able to pin point your child's differences. There are screeners online which may signpost Dyscalculia difficulties but a thorough individualised assessment will be invaluable. 

Next blog ..…… Dyslexia and the other SpLD


Enjoy your week!!


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