The important role of technology in treating Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a condition characterized by marked difficulty in mathematical learning in the presence of normal conditions of intelligence, education, and in the absence of neurosensory changes that may justify such difficulty. It is not known as dyslexia, but according to experts it is common in the same way. It is not yet known whether the Dyscalculia is more present in males or females, but it is currently believed that there are no significant differences.

What does Dyscalculia do?

Children with this kind of learning difficulties find problems with different aspects of mathematics. They often fail to understand the quantities or concepts such as biggest vs. smallest. They have difficulty associating numbers and words, the so-called “sense of numbers”: for example, they cannot understand that the number 5 corresponds to the word five.
In addition, dyscalculic children have difficulty with the mechanics that underlie mathematics, such as remembering operations. They can understand the logic behind math but are not able to implement solutions in practice.
The more common difficulties you may find in children suffering from Dyscalculia are the ones concerning the operational memory, that is the ability to keep in mind the numbers when doing mental mathematical operations in several steps.
There are many ways this disorder is called: mathematics learning disability, mathematics disorder, math dyslexia. The latter could be confusing, as dyscalculia and dyslexia are two very different things.

What help can technology give?

Technology can play a fundamental role in helping children affected by this condition, so that they can grow up with their peers without disadvantages. So let’s see what are some solutions that technology can make available.

Gamification

Dybuster Calcularis learning games can help children suffering from Dyscalculia to develop new learning channels and new cognitive strategies able to automate mathematical processes. The tests showed how this approach can be really effective. Students who use this software for 3 months improve the ability to solve 30% additions and 40% the ability to solve subtraction.
The games have been specially designed to help understand both numerical concepts and arithmetic operations. Students practice using numbers like quantities, words, Arabic numbers and positions on the graphs, thanks to the different comparisons, to the colored blocks used to facilitate the operations of subtraction and additions. And, as their mathematical abilities improve, also improves confidence with the world of numbers.

EquatIO

EquatIO by Texthelp is instead an extension of Chrome browser that allows students to type, write by hand and dictate equations, formulas or other math operations directly on the computer.
Thanks to this program, children can better visualize complex math operations and problems, saving time and effort, without the need to know how to use codes or complicated mathematical languages.
These are the main benefits of this learning solution by Texthelp:

• Makes digital math simpler for students and teachers
• Allows fast creation of math formulas and other expressions
• Turns expressions into clear, accurate on-screen formulas

Thanks to EquatIO, students can save time and effort by concentrating their energies on the understanding of mathematical concepts and their practical applicability.