The Dyscalculia Assessment

The book publishes in June 2010 from Continuum Books, but to coincide with National Dyscalculia Day (3rd March) here is a preview featuring an introduction to dyscalculia plus a list of useful websites and organisations for further information and support. 1

INTRODUCTION How to use the Assessment

This book is for those wanting to investigate a child ’s numeracy levels in order to plan an intervention programme for individuals or small groups. It is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs).

There is an introduction to Dyscalculia (chapter 1) and the problems with Numeracy (chapter 2), and an Overview of the Dyscalculia Dyscalculia Assessment Assessment (chapter 3). The main part of  the book contains detailed instructions with a suggested script for conducting the Dyscalculia Assessment Assessment and forms forms for recording the findings findings (chapter 4). The Interpretation section explains how possible errors may arise and gives advice for formulating a teaching teaching plan (chapter 5). There are Activities Activities and Games Games for multi-sensory multi-sensory teaching (chapter 6). The Appendix contains a glossary of terms and suggestions for further reading, websites, organizations, software and and suppliers of numeracy teaching teaching equipment. There is also a sample report, a sample IEP, and explanations of the Dyscalculia Screener and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC IV).

The Dyscalculia Assessment

The Dyscalculia Assessment was devised at Emerson House in London to i dentify the specific numeracy numeracy problems a child has, rather than to diagnose diagnose a condition. Emerson House is a specialist centre in London supporting pupils with difficulties in numeracy and literacy. The assessment is designed to be used with primary school children, whose intellectual level lies within the average range of intelligence, who are found to have significant maths learning difficulties. However it could be used with older children. The results give information about a particular child, without comparing them to their peers. 2

The assessment assessment is a detailed investigation into what the t he child can do and how they think  about numeracy. It starts with an initial discussion about about the child ’s attitudes to school and numeracy. There is a suggested script script to provide guidance whilst investigating the pupil pupil ’s knowledge and skills in Number Sense, Counting and t he Number System, Calculation, Place Value, Multiplication and Division, Word Problems, and Formal Written Numeracy.

It can be done in one hour or over several sessions. It is not necessary to complete the whole assessment but only until enough information has been gained to formulate a teaching plan. The length of time required will depend on the speed and ability of the child. You should stop after the child has made two or three errors i n a section and proceed to investigate the next section. If the child has significant difficulty with many of the early stages there is no point in continuing with the assessment; you will have already identified the point at which teaching must start.

The Dyscalculia Assessment is an informal diagnostic assessment. It aims to conduct the investigation in an atmosphere that is friendly and non-threatening in order to reduce any anxiety to the minimum possible. It provides information about about why a child is not learning, or why they are underachieving. underachieving. It provides detailed information about areas of strength and weakness in key areas of early maths development from which to develop a teaching plan for a suitable approach to teaching.

The results give information about a particular child, without comparing them to their peers. The evidence gathered gathered is used to devise a detailed personalized personalized programme for the child. Children with at similar stages of numeracy development development could be taught taught together.

Who is The Dyscalculia Assessment designed for?

3

The assessment is designed for primary school children within the average range of  intelligence who are having difficulty learning maths. However, the assessment could be used for children above or below the average range in order to determine starting points for devising an individual individual maths programme for them. It can also be used with older children children who have significant maths weaknesses. weaknesses.

Who can carry out The Dyscalculia Assessment?

The assessment is informal and can be carried out by:



Maths teachers



Specialists trained and experienced in teaching children with special educational needs



Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOS)



Teaching Assistants with some experience in working with children with low levels of numeracy.

Basic maths knowledge is required in order to be able to observe and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the child, such as memory or reasoning in maths learning. The assessor needs to make detailed notes of the child ’s attitude as well as their responses during the session. It could be helpful to video other colleagues carrying out an assessment so that a group of people involved with a child could discuss the findings and the implications for a teaching plan.

Do you need any other information to carry out the assessment?

4

The Dyscalculia Assessment can be used on its own. However, if any other co-existing conditions are suspected then you will need more information about those. There are complex connections between specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit disorder.

Although the assessment can stand alone, alone, it is helpful to collect information from parents, teachers and from any standardized tests which have been carried out. Information may be available from educational psychologists, as well as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists. This information may include results from other subjects which will help to build a picture of how specific the problem is to maths or if it is i s affecting other aspects of the child’s education.

>B HEAD