My Child has a Learning Disability in math

This page is dedicated to Learning Disability in Math. See separate pages for a description of Learning Disability in Reading and Learning Disability in Writing.

Other types of learning disabilities can also occur. For example, a child with intellectual disability or language impairment could have difficulty mastering reading, writing, and math. These other forms of learning difficulty are described separately.

Essential skill: Math calculations

The first essential skill of math is the ability to perform math calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It takes approximately five years to master math calculations (kindergarten to grade 5). Once a student masters math calculation skills, they need to apply these skills to solving everyday classroom and real-world math problems. All of the math problems that we have to solve, such as money problems, measurement problems (temperature, volume, weight), word problems, estimating- rely on the skill of math calculations.

There is another aspect to math calculations that you’ll learn about when you read the full framework: Number sense. It’s not possible to master math calculations without secure number sense skills; The two skills are inter-dependent. Even though I just wrote that Number sense is the first step towards understanding calculations, it’s also true that learning about math calculations helps to develop number sense.

So, which skill is the more essential skill? Math calculations or Number sense? The most Essential skill for your child will depend upon your child’s math learning difficulties. What you need to know is that your child will not perform successfully in math calculations without first developing number sense skills. At the same time, as your child learns about math calculations, they will also be expanding and deepening their number sense skills. There’s a two-way street between these two aspects of math. Your child will have to master both of them to be a successful math problem solver.

what does it look like when math calculation skills are under-developed?

Children who struggle with math will commonly show poor math symbol formation, poor spacing or aligning of numbers, and errors when following math procedures for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. They might mix up these two types of math calculations. they might not know how to do one-digit addition or subtraction problems. Or, they may be able to do simple addition and subtraction (often using manipulatives such as their using their fingers), but then not be able to do addition or subtraction for 2- or 3- digit numbers. Multi-step math problems may be too challenging for them. when they arrive at an answer, they cannot verify whether the answer ‘makes sense’ (a number sense skill), even if their answer is far off from the actual answer. When children struggle with these basic aspects of math, they will also have difficulty applying the skill of math calculations to solving everyday math problems at school and elsewhere.

ready for a deeper dive?

If your child is struggling to in math, you will likely need to look at the entire Math Skills Framework. Even though math calculations are the critical first skills that your child needs to master, there are other skills that your child also needs to develop before they will become a good math problem solver. Number sense is one of them, but there are several other essential skills in math. Click on the button below to learn more