Can anyone help me with DD and possible Dyscalculia

[shamelesshackney]

DD is in Y6 and until last year seemed to be doing fine at maths, they were streamed last year and she was put in the top group but increasingly struggled and her maths really seemed to go downhill from there. We recently got her a maths tutor and it's transpired that she's really struggling with very easy calculations and even counting to ten. I listened in on her session last night and she repeats numbers and then misses others out ((1, 2, 4, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10) and would keep repeating this but not realise she was doing it. She still uses her fingers to work out very easy sums and simple calculations like 5 + 0, she really couldn't work out. Things like fractions and percentages she seemed fine with. I am going to speak to the school but I'm confused as nothing has been picked up.

She has also been struggling with her SPAG which is new for her. Very messy handwriting and misses words but her reading and comprehension is very good. DS has just been diagnosed as have dyslexia so we're thinking of getting her tested privately.

Any advice would be very gratefully received. TIA.

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Well, there’s a mismatch between being put in the top set and what you are seeing now.

If she’s struggling across the board and it’s a new situation, I think I’d be looking for another cause. I’d certainly get a perspective from the school before spending money on private testing, You need to know whether they are noticing similar difficulties and what they plan to do to support her.

If you can afford it, get her tested.

My dd has dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. The three are interlinked (but not always) and will affect everything you've stated. I'm not an expert, just a parent whose been there and worn the tshirt, but it sounds like your DD has a spikey profile (good at some things, but not others) which points to a specific learning difficulty. However, I'm not sure your DD has dyscalculia as if she did I think she would struggle to understand fractions which you say she does understand . But dyslexia will affect all of the things you mention. Contrary to popular belief its not just about letters. Dyslexic kids often have issues with processing and working memory which will affect remembering sequences, such as counting from 1-10.

My dd was diagnosed at the start of year 6, which by all account is not unusual as they can cover up for quite a long time. What have the school said? Is she expected to pass her SATs?

TBH op, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you're in England (can't comment on the rest of the UK) any help will be limited. The curriculum moves at such speed there's no time for a child with weaknesses to catch up. The best thing you can do is find yourself an excellent Ed psych who has experience in dyscalculia and dyslexia and ask them to identify the exact areas of weakness. In the meantime speak to the school and raise the issue of a EHC plan and once you have your info then contact the SENCO in the potential secondary school you have in mind to find out how they would help. I'm happy to pm if you want any other information. I have found website understand Org very useful.

Re the school. My experience has been grim. I was repeatedly told she didn't have dyslexia and the issues were underplayed. It was only when I had a report in my hand showing the extent of the issues that I was taken seriously. Schools don't have money to spend, more so on children who will be leaving in a few months and will therfore become the problem of the secondary school! Your school may well be better than mine but it felt very much about money and not much more. Its a sad state of affairs.

Jess74 Thank you. DDs school are going to do a dyslexia test for DD. The SENCO at her school is really good. We'll see... thank you for replying

If she was doing fine in Maths and now is not, and if her handwriting and spelling have deteriorated recently, I’d be booking an appointment with the GP, not consulting an ed psych.

Sorry, but I'm another one who would be going to the GP asap. I suspect DS has dyscalculia but he has ALWAYS had issues with counting and maths. It's not something that they can do and then in Yr 6, suddenly can't.

She has also been struggling with her SPAG which is new for her.

Also this. It's a sudden change, not something that has always been an issue.

SparklingTwilight thanks for your reply. What would you be asking GP to look at? I know from experience with DS (Dyslexic & Dyspraxic) my GP wasn't terribly helpful and the school were much more so. She's very well physically and happy in school in other ways. A lot of what she's experiencing is similar to DS albeit at a later stage.TIA

I'd be asking them to rule out any physical reasons for the sudden change.

Sorry, that was a bit abrupt, had to dash out.

I know kids can mask and work around maths difficulty, I know I did but I did that by learning by rote. I can't believe that not being able to count up to ten hasn't been picked up before. Even if she's been randomly guessing for the past 5 years, that shouldn't land her in the top set.

As far as I know you don't just develop dys- whatever, you've always had it and even if you hadn't noticed it at the time, you would be saying to yourself "ah, that's why she had trouble with that." And things would begin to make sense and you can see why she is having particular difficulties. But you're not saying that. You're saying she's a top set child who hasn't had any difficulties until now. And not just in one topic, in several. It's the wrong way round.

Agree - I'd want her to have a thorough neurological examination amongst other things, before investigating this as a long-term thing like dyslexia. If you can find work she has done in the past, or other evidence of what she was capable of previously, and confirm that her current difficulties are a change from that, that will be very useful information for your GP. I'd expect some sort of referral to come out of that discussion, depending on the "facts and findings".

By all means consider ed psych assessment, but only as an adjunct to checking that there isn't something else going on.

I can’t see the possibility of getting a child neurologically assessed for something like dyslexia. Who would sanction or fund it?

I can’t see the possibility of getting a child neurologically assessed for something like dyslexia.

She wouldn't be asking that. If the child had always had problems then I can't see any reason for it. But this child has always been a top set child and is now unable to count to 10. Too bloody right I'd be wanting a neurological assessment. It's the change that would have me worried.

The fact is that a child can be in the top set and then really struggle as they progress through the years as maths becomes more complex. That doesn’t warrant a neurological assessment

The fact is that a child can be in the top set and then really struggle as they progress through the years as maths becomes more complex.

Yes, but this is a top set child who can no longer count to 10 not a child who is struggling with more complex maths

Has her handwriting always been messy?
Or is this another regression?

Could you get a health visitor appointment to check eyesight, hearing, coordination and fine motor skills?

Any traumatic events lately, births, deaths, separation?

Sometimes kids stand still or regress slightly.

Best to give her a quick MOT and check everything is physically fine.

A good SENCO can also check these things.

Children tend to get better at doing things as time goes by. If they start to regress - markedly- instead, there may be a medical reason for it.

My DD sounds very similar y6, messy handwriting, poor maths but brilliant reader. Dyscalculia has been mentioned. The only difference is there has been no regression, she has always struggled with these things.

Sparkling If it was neurological it would have manefested itself in more obvious ways than not being able to count.

I think people are just pointing out it’s very unusual to be in the top set for maths, then struggle to count to ten in yr6. She must have been able to count to 10 in reception so what has happened? She’s gone from advanced maths to no maths rather than just struggling to keep up.

The problem with counting could easily be down to a loss of confidence. I have experience of this with DC and it never occurred to me to have a full neurological assessment carried out.

I agree with a GP visit and a referral to rule out any physical causes. I have dyscalculia and dyspraxia. The problems I had with maths were evident as soon as I started school. Dyspraxia was even earlier as I walked very late and was uncoordinated and had poor spatial awareness. English I was good at and could read before starting school. I still use my fingers to count and struggle with simple calculations. My difficulties have really held me back and they made my entire school life awful. There was no worsening of problems though which does make you have to question whether there’s anything else going on for your DD as she hasn’t been struggling from early in in school. I know the curriculum becomes more demanding as they progress but I don’t think this explains what’s happening.

Wow, thank you for all these replies. i haven't checked here for a while. i'll have a good look through these. Update is that she had a processing test at school which in their words 'was very slow'. She's having a test for dyslexia next week so we'll see what happens then.