Our Story Exploring Math for Dyscalculia

I am deviating from my usual monthly newsletter format to share more of our family’s story with you.

Most of the early days of our dyscalculia journey I detailed in my book. But I wrote that five years ago, and so much has happened in that time. 

I have shared this part of my story with some of you in consultations and speaking engagements, but I wanted to share it with this community here in Substack.

This is the story of how my daughter and I explored math together at home, navigated middle school and high school math, and where we find ourselves now in this adventure.

Teaching my dyscalculic daughter math at home was not something I thought possible, especially through the middle school years. This was a decision I made out of desperation, not a dream or desire.

This is the story of how I ended up teaching math, and the surprising success we experienced.

In fourth grade, after receiving a math learning disability diagnosis, I figured the school would know how to teach a student with this challenge.

The school established an IEP (individual education program) for my daughter. I remember filling out form after form, completely unsure about the confusing language on types of supports, learning objectives, and accommodations. I simply assumed the school knew what my daughter needed to succeed in math.

My daughter began receiving pull-out help from the special education teacher, a couple of times a week in a small group. She also received accommodations in the classroom like a multiplication chart, and access to a teacher aid for questions. I was hopeful these supports would be enough for my daughter’s math struggles.

Yet, as the weeks went on, I slowly came to realize that the school didn’t know how to help students with a math learning disability. There was no specific program or curriculum in place to help students with dyscalculia, no understanding of it, and no teacher training. Even the special education teacher had not received any university training for this learning disability.

It was devastating to realize that no one at the school had any idea how to teach this bright kid with a math learning disability.

I spent hours searching online for curriculum and programs, comparing my findings with the special education teacher. We both couldn’t find clear answers on how to teach math for dyscalculia. We found only a hodge-podge of books, with no clear way forward. I was discouraged, realizing that support for my daughter’s math education, was only just beginning.

That fourth grade year, and all through fifth grade, I witnessed my daughter struggle her way through special education math, making no progress in her math understanding. She became more discouraged and anxious. Now, even with “help,” she still didn’t have any grasp of basic math concepts.

The following year we tried a new school, in a new district, with the promise of a separate math class and help five days a week. But one month into her 6th grade year, the hope of learning math in this new setting was shattered. My daughter was once again stressed, anxious, dreading math class, and spending hours after school slogging through math homework.

The special education teacher was not open to collaborating or trying any of the new methods I was finding in my research on dyscalculia. It was clear she didn’t know how to help either.

At this point I knew we needed to do something drastically different. I didn’t feel equipped or prepared to take on my daughter’s math learning. But I did not want to waste another year without any math progress.

My investigation ramped up and I read every book I could find on teaching for dyscalculia. Since I couldn’t find adequate dyscalculia math resources in the US, I turned to researchers and educators in the UK who seemed to have a better grasp of the subject.

With these new resources to try, I pulled my daughter from 6th grade math class, to explore math together at home. My daughter began with math class at home in the morning, then I would drive her to school for the rest of the day.

I didn’t know how long we would do math at home. It ended up being for three years, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

During this time, we explored a new way of learning math. And most importantly we worked to help my daughter develop a better sense for numbers and quantity. I was surprised to see first-hand all the concepts she did not grasp, math concepts I assumed everyone innately knew. I could more clearly see why math at school had been so difficult.

And it was exciting to see her make new connections about numbers, experience new ways to explore quantities, and to shed that anxiety and confusion that had been a part of her life for so long.

It was slow, developmental work that couldn’t be rushed or forced.

As we looked ahead to my daughter’s transition to high school, she wanted what she called “the high school experience.” Math at home with mom was not part of the image a now 15-year-old wanted for high school. And she was tired of explaining to her peers why she wasn’t at school for the full day.

That summer before 9th grade, I met with the school and showed them the dyscalculia math books we had worked through. One teacher looked at me with her eyebrows raised skeptically, “You know this material only goes through fourth grade, right?”

I was aware. But it was all foundational numeracy skills my daughter never mastered before, and now she had.

With my daughter determined to attend high school full time, I figured we could always pull her out of Algebra later and continue at home if needed. So, with new accommodations, a smaller classroom, and a flexible teacher, my daughter took her newly developed numeracy understanding and applied them to Algebra class.

My daughter and I were both surprised as the year went on. She was hardly ever stressed about homework, received “As” on most of her exams and quizzes, and even helped struggling peers with their homework.

I did not expect this kind of success! I had mentally prepared for hours of helping her after school, many after-school teacher meetings, and her just barely making it through with the same anxiety and stress we had experienced in elementary school.

Even my daughter was surprised at the difference.

Now, the dyscalculia and math struggles had not gone away. She was still very dyscalculic. We were still uncovering the many struggles with number and quantity in other school subjects, as well as many aspects of daily life.

What was new was the better self-understanding she had for her unique experience with numbers. She had language and new visuals for quantities to help her when things were confusing.

Many times, she did not understand the teacher’s instruction in class, so she would put on her headphones and draw out the visuals she had learned to help her grasp the math concepts.

She ended the year with an A in algebra. We were shocked. The following school year, an A in geometry.

She became her own peer advocate, giving questionnaires to friends struggling in math to help them determine if the struggles were because of dyslexia, or perhaps dyscalculia like her. Several peers reached out to her for help. I remember hearing her on the phone with a friend, asking them questions, and helping them think through their difficulties in math to determine if they might also have a learning disability.

My daughter has commented to me many times over the past few years, just how lost she would still be without those years exploring dot patterns and digging into early number sense together.

If you’ve read my book, you’ve read the letter she wrote to another struggling student about this time of learning a new way. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to get a copy. It’s encouraging to any student on a similar journey of developing numeracy later in life.

This kind of intensive math learning does not make the dyscalculia go away. My daughter will always experience numbers and quantity differently than most of her friends and society around her. She will always need to self-advocate and find her own solutions with tasks involving number and quantity.

We are continually becoming more aware of the impact dyscalculia has on other areas of daily life – time, money, dates, memory, driving, cooking… the list continues to grow. But we also understand dyscalculia so much better now, so we are better able to make pivots, provide adequate supports, and know when and where our daughter will need specific help.

Learning this way has also done so much for her mental and emotional health, growing her confidence and self-advocacy, and acceptance of herself.

I’m not saying it’s been easy. I have had many frustrating, exasperated, and overwhelmed moments. My daughter has too. There are highs and there are lows, just like all of life’s complicated journeys. I am grateful for the help, guidance, and support we have received along the way. We will continue to lean into those supports ourselves, as we are still very much on the journey.

My daughter is now finishing her senior year of high school, and enrolled in the honors program at her first-choice university for next year.

I could never have imagined this all was possible years ago, given our start of her crying in 3rd grade and asking me, “Mommy, am I stupid?”

There is no recipe for an unexpected experience like this. Every student is different and has their own challenges and unique circumstances to work through.

But I want to encourage you that it is possible to support dyscalculic students in tangible and life-changing ways. It’s also possible to teach math in a way that these students can connect with and translate to everyday life.

Supporting a loved one with dyscalculia is a process, a journey, a continued exploration. It helps to embrace the long-term reality and settle in for the adventure of it.

Your fellow parent in the journey,

Laura Jackson

If you want to hear more about the details of our dyscalculia math learning experience, join me in Substack where I am posting a series of articles and audio recordings detailing the teaching strategies, books, tools, and accommodations we explored. You’ll find these in the Guide to Math Education for Dyscalculia section on the main page. 

New to Discovering Dyscalculia? I’m Laura M. Jackson, parent, author, and dyscalculia specialist supporting families, educators, students, and adults in their journey with dyscalculia. I write and speak for dyscalculia awareness, education, and support here on Substack and on DiscoveringDyscalculia.com. I am honored to be on this journey with you.

Discovering Dyscalculia website

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