Does dd have a problem with numbers?

[GooseyLoosey]

Dd started reception last year. I had made the decision not to teach my children much about numbers and reading before they started school and this worked very well for ds who is a year older. Dd has a late Aug birthday so I did not push her when she was in reception as she seemed so young.

She has now gone into year 1 and although her literacy is OK, I have discovered that she has no clue at all when it comes to numeracy.

When numbers are written down she struggles to recognise 1-10 and is clueless beyond that. She has no idea what 11 is and what it represents numerically. She can however add 4 and 4 on her fingers and tell you it is 8 (but the written sum would be meaningless) and start with 15 things and then count 7 on and tell you that the result is 22. So I think that she understands numbers in a concrete sense but not at all in an abstract one.

Clearly we need to help her, but do you think that this is something we should be concerned about or is it within the normal range for a child who has just turned 5?

bumpity bump. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Have you asked her teacher what s/he thinks? What are your daughters' school reports like?

I think the starting point (if you haven't already done so) would be to engage the school, with a view to having your DD formally assessed if they think there is a problem.

Can I ask why you opted not to teach them before they started school?

My dd is dyslexic and has poor visual memory. Her nursery started teaching her numbers 1-10 when whe was aroung 3.5. It took until the end of P1 (at the age of 5.5) before she could recognise them. She still, at 7, does not recognise all the numbers from 11 - 20 and writes several numbers back to front)
So I would have a chat with her teacher and find out if she has any concerns.

Taught them nothing before they started school as I could read, write and do basic numeracy when I started and spent early school years bored out of my skull. It also impacted on the way I related to my peers.

School have not mentioned a problem. At the end of reception where they asses the milestones they have reached, she got 6 out of 9 for numeracy which I thought was about average. However, I have seen the "groups" they are in for numeracy and that would certainly indicate that the teacher thinks she is weak there.

I wonder if there is some kind of visual issue. She can read fairly well but sometimes it appears as though she can not quite make out the letter (eg she will not be able to determine whether something is an "l" or a "t" even though she knows the characteristics of each). I have tried to determine whether her eyesight is the issue, but it seems not to be.

I don't really have a clue, but there is a form of dyslexia which is specific to numbers.

not saying it is this but you might find it interesting to read.

Thanks Pavlov - will have a look at that. Am feeling very guilty that I have let this go this far and that I have let dd down!

I don't think you have let her down at all. When DD started nursery this week, we asked about reading, writing and numbers and were told that a child who is able to read, write or recognise any numbers is at an advantage but it is not expected.

Also, my niece, whose first language is not english, could not read, write, do numbers and hardly talk english at all until she was 6 is now top of her class at 9.

And, one final point, some educational systems such as Steiner do not teach children to read and write until around 7 and by the time children reach x age (can't remember what age), there is no difference in literary and numerical ability.

If your child has a difficulty with numbers that continues, it is very unlikely to be because you did not teach her earlier. It might have been noticeable earlier, but what would you have done about it then? She is still so so little, there is time for her to learn, whether she struggles a little or not.