Dyscalculia is More Common in Girls

Üsküdar University NP Feneryolu Medical Center Child Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Assist. Assoc. Dr. Neriman Kilit shared important information about dyscalculia, which is one of the specific learning difficulties.

Dyscalculia, which is a specific learning disorder such as dyslexia and dysgraphia, is defined as the difficulty experienced in mathematics due to the disorder in certain parts of the brain, including mathematical cognition. Stating that dyscalculia is caused by the structural and functional differences that occur during brain development in the mother's womb, experts point out that it is more common in girls than boys. Experts state that dyscalculia is a permanent condition and its treatment can be carried out with special training.

It is among the specific learning difficulties

A Greek example of dyscalculia is 'dis' (corrupt-bad) and Latin 'calculare' (counting-calculating) sözcüStating that it is derived from . Assoc. Dr. Neriman Kilit said, “We can say that dyscalculia is one of the specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, which is known as reading difficulty, and dysgraphia, which is defined as writing difficulty. Dyscalculia was first defined by Czechoslovakian researcher Kosc as 'difficulty in mathematics due to impairment in certain parts of the brain, including mathematical cognition, without a general difficulty in cognitive functions'. The terms arithmetic learning disability, math learning disability, computational disorder, math-arithmetic disability are used in the same sense.” said.

Dyscalculia is a persistent condition

Stating that individuals with learning disabilities slowly receive and process the data they have just encountered, Kilit said, “For this reason, this interaction between the skill that the person has and the work that he is expected to do and the homework causes the person to have difficulties and difficulties. Individuals with specific learning difficulties are considered to have average or above-average intelligence. Like all specific types of learning disabilities, dyscalculia is a permanent condition. We can say that mathematics learning disability is a permanent condition that affects the ability to acquire mathematical skills despite a desired teaching.” he said.

They forget the question before they can find the answer

Assist. Assoc. Dr. Neriman Kilit said that individuals with dyscalculia give answers to math questions late and are slow compared to their peers and continued as follows:

“They have difficulties in mental calculations and use their fingers in simple additions, use notches where their friends do mental calculations, have difficulty in estimating and giving approximate answers, find it difficult to talk about mathematical operations, do not ask questions even though they do not understand, and make mistakes in interpreting verbal problems. Also, these individuals confuse terms like 'equals' with 'greater than'. They forget very quickly the operations that they learned well before. They have problems remembering the meaning of symbols such as '+'. For an answer like 3×6=18, they recite all the multiplications by heart. They have difficulty in mental mathematical operations, they forget the question before finding the answer. When counting, they get confused in the order of the numbers. They mess up the order when reading the multiplication table. They have difficulty remembering the steps in a multi-step process. Confused about the difference between 36 and 63, alternately using one for the other. They confuse the '+' and '×' signs. They misplace numbers when using the distributive and commutative properties. They cannot use the page properly when working and calculating on a page. Again, mixing the differences between '6-2' and '2-6', they give the answer '4' for both cases. They have difficulty rounding numbers. They have trouble telling the time in analog clocks and they can do the addition mechanically, but they can't explain how and why they do it."

Dyscalculia occurs in the womb

Stating that dyscalculia, like other specific types of learning disability, is a problem that is caused by more than one gene, Kilit said, “Dyscalculia is caused by structural and functional differences that occur during brain development in the mother's womb. It can be mentioned that it is a neurodevelopmental disorder, the first symptoms of which have been present since the early developmental period, but the diagnosis can be made after school life begins. It can be found alone, or it can often coexist with one or both of dyslexia and dysgraphia difficulties. Specific learning difficulties are encountered more frequently in boys as in all neurodevelopmental diseases, but when we look at the rate of occurrence of dyscalculia alone, we can say that it is more common in girls. The severity of dyscalculia varies from individual to individual, as in all other specific types of learning disabilities. From mild to severe, their severity is determined and their training is shaped accordingly.” said.

They take lessons within the scope of special education

Emphasizing that the treatment of all specific learning difficulties is special education, Assist. Assoc. Dr. Neriman Kilit said, “Individuals with mathematics learning difficulties are considered as full-time inclusive students within the scope of special education and receive their education in regular classes. At the same time, they benefit from the resource room and support service in their mathematics lessons. For this reason, within the framework of the 'Individual Education Programs', which are prepared by taking into account the characteristics and needs of the individual with specific learning difficulties, to be followed in mathematics lessons, individuals carry out their mathematics lessons individually or in groups with a specialist educator in the resource room.” used the phrases.