Those who suffer from dyslexia or dyscalculia are of a high intelligence level and should not be underestimated in intelligence. Usually they have average or accelerated performance in language, including all areas of writing, reading, and verbal. Their communication skills might be above that of their classmates and they might possess superior creative writing skills. They might have a good memory and even excel in areas of science and art. Sometimes the problems in math are not evident until more advanced levels of science and math enter into academia and require higher level processing. Since the child seems to excel in certain areas, it seems difficult to believe that they are having problems. But when it comes to problems in math, they are large in number and can cover many areas. It can include small things such as keeping track of time, following directions for finding a location, and balancing a checkbook. Their math skills might prove to be inconsistent even after repeated practice in simple math including addition and subtraction. Mentally doing math can be difficult if not impossible for someone with dyscalculia, even something as small as deciding on the amount for a tip in a restaurant. There might be poor mental recollection when it comes to names and faces also. But it is their ability to compromise for deficits that can make the problem hard to detect until a child is older.
As math gets more difficult, the child might have difficulty grasping simple math concepts or trying to remember math rules and basic functions. Errors become more common and they might even forget what they have learned earlier; it is like their long-term memory ceases to function and they have to relearn things that should already be known. Lacking the ability to see things from a big perspective might carry over to other areas of study and affect classes like geography. Even physical coordination in gym class can be lacking and the child perceived as clumsy. All of these things together will inevitably affect performance at school and may hinder social development as well.
The most difficult thing about dyscalculia can be the detection of the problem. A clever child will be able to cover up the problem for a long time and find other ways to accommodate what may be lacking. A child may or may not need dyscalculia treatment depending on how severely it is impacting their school functioning. First is diagnosis of the problem, and symptoms are usually recognized by a teacher. The teacher might notice something as small as disorganization or poor overall academic performance when the child seems to do well on book work. Absentmindedness might lead to a discovery of a student with dyscalculia. But first, someone has to notice something is wrong.
What can be done for dyscalculia treatment is to find out the optimal ways a child learns. Maybe they are visual learners and can comprehend well from pictures? Dyscalculia treatment can include adapting pictures into the math curriculum to illustrate and help the child comprehend better and be able to remember later. Providing examples that are linked to real life can also help with memory. Dyscalculia treatment might encompass extra time spent on math as a whole. Having a neat and uncluttered workspace is also imperative to helping the student learn. One-on-one interaction and extra time for math completion is the most common form of dyscalculia treatment.