Dyscalculia is a learning disability in which the student has difficulty learning or comprehending math. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia. It is like dsylexia (which is characterized by difficulty with reading skills), but in math. http://www.dyscalculia.org/dyscalculia/math-dyslexia. Students with dyscalculia exhibit various difficulties with math, including difficulty understanding the concept of place value, difficulty doing and understanding word problems, and difficulty understanding fractions - just to name a few. http://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/?doing_wp_cron=1423792424.6967639923095703125000. The previous link is to a great website for the Learning Disabilities Association of America, where they list signs and symptoms of various learning disabilities, as well as strategies to help students who struggle with them.
No one knows what causes dyscalculia, but possible causes are genes/heredity, environment, brain development and/or brain injury. https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/understanding-dyscalculia. Children with dyscalculia are said to be dyscalculic (like children with dyslexia are called dyslexic). The following link provides a self assessment from The University of Oxford aimed to better understand and, perhaps, treat dyscalculia. https://cohenkadosh.psy.ox.ac.uk/test-yourself/are-you-dyscalculic.
One type of assistive technology used to help students with dyscalculia is talking calculators. Talking calculators have a synthesized voice that reads the numbers and symbols out loud when the student presses them. It also reads the answer to the problem. This helps the student verify that he/she is choosing the intended key and also verify the correct answer before he/she writes it on their paper. http://www.dyscalculia.org/math-ld-books/math-tools.
Another type of assistive technology used to help students with dsycalculia is electronic math worksheets. Electronic math worksheets are computer software programs that help students line up columns when doing math problems. They can also include a voice synthesizer that will read the numbers out loud. This can be very helpful for students who struggle with place values, organizing math problems and following steps in math equations. http://www.dyscalculia.org/math-ld-books/math-tools.
There are limited electronic math software programs for free and some manufacturers offer free trials before you purchase the program. But generally, electronic math software programs range from about $50 to $100. http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Curriculum/Math/worksheets.php. There are more deluxe programs that schools can purchase which can get pretty costly, ranging from $200 to $2000! https://www.touchmath.com/index.cfm
There are limited electronic math software programs for free and some manufacturers offer free trials before you purchase the program. But generally, electronic math software programs range from about $50 to $100. http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Curriculum/Math/worksheets.php. There are more deluxe programs that schools can purchase which can get pretty costly, ranging from $200 to $2000! https://www.touchmath.com/index.cfm
There is not a lot of information available as to the future directions of talking calculators or electronic math worksheets. I did, however, find that the future development of talking calculators is to "include voice recognition of calculator functions and more advanced engineering calculations." http://sourceforge.net/projects/voicecalc/. If it is not already being done, I think it would be great to be able to download electronic math worksheet software to a smartboard. In the future I would like to see assistive technology such as talking calculators and electronic math worksheets used more in general education clasrooms for the entire class. There are students who struggle with dyscalculia who are never diagnosed, and this type of technology would be a good learning tool for any student!
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