How can I help DD learn to do Maths?

[CatrinVennastin]

DD2 is 13 and in year 8. She was diagnosed with Dyslexia in year 5. She’s always struggled with maths. Throughout primary school I tried to help her learn her times tables but nothing sticks. The feedback was always “don’t worry she’s not that far behind”.

She’s come home today saying that she’s done an end of year test and her marks was 10 out of 65.

She’s upset as her teacher said she needs to work harder because if she can’t pass her GCSE maths she won’t be able to get a place at college. DD’s ambition is to study dance and to become a dance teacher. Now she feels this won’t be possible because of her maths.

She says that when she does a test she cannot remember the methods no matter how many times she revised these. She also said that her friend has been helping her in class as her teacher goes through the work so quickly.

She does get 25% extra time in tests but even with this she is still really struggling. Her dyslexia screening highlighted that her short term and working memory are both poor. I’ve noticed that she doesn’t grasp concepts like doubling numbers or that 3 x4 and 4 x3 are the same sum.

She does well in English and her teacher said her written work was excellent. Same with other subjects like History, Geography etc.

I am going to ask if I can meet with her form tutor and the Senco again but does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can help her. Thank you.

Ok please nobody have a go at me
Music and dance go together
Make up a math song to her favourite tune and dance

Sorry pressed too early she will remember it when doing exams

I'm home educating a nearly 10 year old with very similar issues.
Some kind of problem with processing speed plus difficulty following tasks with multiple steps plus difficulty maintaining attention equals nothing sticking.
I just googled numicron and I see that it uses a lot of maths manipulatives. I would also recommend this approach.
We use plastic 10 frames a lot for adding, subtracting and dividing. It really helps to visualise the numbers and see how they relate to each other. I see the numicron sets have similar 10 frames but we got ours in a board game called "Ten Frame Towers" which I think works out cheaper.
We also use base 10 manipulatives a lot. (The type where you have tiny Cube's to represent the ones, then sticks to represent 10s and flat plates to represent the hundreds)
The set we bought has the numbers 1 to 100 printed on some of the hundreds plates so we use them almost as a number line, with the ones Cube's as counters.
You can also use them to lay out the times tables on them and visualise them as patterns.
We use an app called IXL which is a bit dry but hugely comprehensive and arranged so that each exercise builds tiny incremental skills. We sit and do the exercises together with the maths manipulatives.
Very very slowly, he's getting the idea of how the numbers relate to one another.
It's like walking through treacle though.

I agree. My dh is a music teacher, and dd a professional dancer.

But as one of her vocational teachers said shortly before dd embarked on her audition process: "Don't worry about exam results. They are looking at the dancer in the audition, not pieces of paper".

I was merely trying to reassure the OP that a decent mark in maths is not a requirement for dance college.

Thanks very much for all the helpful info.

The senco said she didn’t think a meeting was required “so close to the end of term” so I emailed the Head of Year and she has booked a meeting in for next week.

Placemarking x

The reason dyscalculia is rarely diagnosed in the UK is that there are very few people qualified to diagnose it. Getting an appointment can take years and require you to travel hundreds of miles. You can do free screening tests online which will give an idea but this is not the same as a diagnosis.

Getting a tutor is a good idea. While her cousin might be able to help a bit you really need someone who can identify the gaps in knowledge and the concepts underlying them - you need an experienced teacher. Given some of the knowledge gaps you've described you want either top end of primary or one with experience of "nurture" groups in secondary. I say this as a maths teacher who has taught and tutored students with similar problems, including SEN.

If DD uses coloured overlays/similar for reading she should also use them for maths - helps stop stuff jumping around the page.

I agree a tutor is needed, but you need a professional one, not the nephew doing it for extra pocket money. My DD has severe dyslexia and we got her a maths tutor for the same reason…to pass GCSEs high enough to get into a selective 6th form where she needed at least a 6. We used Tutor Doctor and they got us a tutor that was trained in teaching maths to dylexics…there are special techniques that work with their brains as the standard teaching style is round peg square hole. The tutor we got was amazing! She got her grade up from a 4 (predicted) to a 7 (actual exam grade). DD is how happily doing Ancient History at Uni.

One thing I have understood over the past 20 years since diagnosis is many teachers still don’t understand or recognise it

I agree.

Mate, don't blame teachers for it not being recognised as a distinct SEN, we don't do diagnoses

Any teacher that fails to recognize a student with a disability and fails to put them forward to the SENco is a rubbish teacher. If you put in a end of school report ‘lacks focus and could try harder’ doesn’t understand dyslexia or dyscalculia.
If you can’t differentiate between a child doing well and one who could do well then it is your problem.

When my son was placed on detention for the above reasons, which is against the disability laws in the country then something is seriously wrong.

Sue only needs to learn the formulas once she has those BINGO the area of a triangle uses a specific formula, finding the perimeter of a shape uses a specific formula. Start with the basics and progress. Good luck to her

Three tulips unfortunately that calllous sounding, mate don't blame the teacher 🙄is true. Pgce doesn't cover Sen and certainly not in any meaningful way. Senco are often just coordinators, and again don't know any tips or have any resources at all.

All of this should be made much clearer because unfortunately it's down to parents to learn all this themselves pretty quickly!!

Op ,echoing what others have said... definitely get a tutor but one wirh specific Sen experience only. They will have tips and tools for aiding the child.

Something is really skewed in our primary systems and unfortunately sometimes even dyslexia itself isn't recognised and apd is another problem that teachers just don't know about.
I know apd groups are desperately trying to make it more well known

Interestingly when I spoke to some teachers at dd school when I started to get concerned about her progress,I was heaped with a negative pile of bilge.
Everything we couldn't do...we couldn't get an ehcp ( wrong) we shouldn't do this, they can't do that etc.
It almost felt as if she was actively working against me!

Can I ask, has anyone used virtual tutors with any success? I want to support my DD with her dyslexia over the summer but we live out in the sticks.

Cheaty we started virtual but obviously it is better in real life, easier to help, bring visual tools.

@CatrinVennastin

Unfortunately many senco are not trained properly and you may find the school against you. I would simply take this on yourself.

I'm a bit late to this discussion but I am 'involved' parent with maths degree and 2 children with SEN. DD1 has dyspraxia, and DD2 has dyslexia & dyspraxia. I have done a lot of maths with mine over the years.

Things I have found that help

• coming back to things time and time again, doing maths in the summer so they don't forget


• strategies for times tables. OK it is great if they know 6x7=42, but if they don't then can they could up in 6s? If not, then can they add on from something they do know so 5x6=30, add 6 and add 6 again.


• knowing number bonds and doubles are helpful but not necessary


• written calculations: make sure they have a method that works for all 4 operations. My DDs each stuck on a different long multiplication method, but it works for them.


• number lines are fab, especially for negative numbers and time


• give them enough space to write out all the steps they need to (test papers are often short on space if you need more interim steps or have large handwriting)


• drawing pictures helps lots of the time

We use an app called IXL which is a bit dry but hugely comprehensive

We tried that but kids did get board of it though did take a while.

We first used in primary school mathsfactor - my younger two finally learnt their times tables with constant repeating little and often - it covers the arithmetic basics.

Whether it would be too young for OP DD not sure - it's aimed at 4-11 year olds but at one celebration event there was a Y8 who'd completed it in just over a year after massively struggling with maths and DH said Carol Vorderman was great with her made sure she enjoyed the event despite it mainly being younger children - was a few years ago though.

There are quiet a few good maths apps out there and they do seem good for little but frequent practise and running explanations a few times - but if you can get a specialist tutor its's probably best way forward and use apps as additional practise.

Her exact diagnosis doesn’t matter wrt helping her (though may help on paper if she requires adjustments for exams).

Don’t rely on the school too much, even if you do get some help. You’ll need to roll your sleeves up and help her yourself. NO-ONE else will care as much as you!

From experience:
Most people with learning disorders do best when things are taught visually and practically rather than with lots of words and explanations.

Re: tables. You cannot progress in maths unless your tables are flawless. Dyslexic people find the “word” aspect of tables difficult. So go over her tables with her while she’s walking, skipping, throwing a ball, or singing. Every. Single. Day. until she has them off.

Imo a good maths app is much better value than a tutor. There are lots of them but not all are helpful. Some eg Khan academy are very verbal and more for people who are good with language but bad at Maths. Others are ridiculously complicated and difficult to navigate.

We found ixl.com very helpful. You can try it for free or subscribe for approx £100 per year which imo is better value than a tutor. It’s the clearest and least complicated app that I have seen and uses a very visual way of teaching. I’m not affiliated with them btw - I just settled on the app after a lot of searching. You’ll need to sit and do it with her for a few sessions until she gets the hang of it. She sounds very behind so you may need to start each topic at a lower class level than she’s currently at.

Short bursts, every single day.
Repetition, repetition, repetition.
It’s the only way.

Imo a good maths app is much better value than a tutor.

I'd usually agree but the DD here is Y8 and depending on school she could be starting GCSE next academic year - I'd want to know weakest areas are now and have a plan as soon as possible as there is limited time.

We've used load of apps we thought IXL was okay but comprehensive - mathsfactor really good but mine were in age range. I loved the 7 x 8 tip they gave - 5678 so 56=7x8 I did maths A-level but had a few timetables had to work out from others and that was one for me - I am diagnosed with dyslexia.

Dragonbox app was best and fun for algebra - others I was less impressed with.

I agree not to rely just on the school - though I'd hope an meeting might provide some insight.

@TeenDivided

When you say all four operations, what do you mean please?

Ict games is good.

@Summer Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division.

They need methods that work consistently, even if not the 'best' method or the one prescribed in KS2 maths in primary.

My daughter has the same issue but she is still only year 4 so reading with interest. She has a tutor but this is not helping her confidence. Some good suggestions on here .

Thank you teen

I wonk. The tutor needs to be Sen aware. they will have different strategies