The First Step to Clearing the Confusion
Confusion is a common hurdle many families face when they have a dyscalculic child.
There is a surprisingly simple, and powerful first step you can take to begin clearing away that overwhelming confusion. It's so simple that many of parents skip right over it in their search for answers.
That first step is to Focus on UNDERSTANDING. Really understand your child, and be curious about their unique experience of being dyscalculic. Without trying to fix them, just be curious and try to see the world from their point of view.
You might be thinking, "I don't have time for this! We need solutions for school right now!"
I get it. And I’m sharing from my own personal experience of having a child with dyscalculia, this is honestly the one step that can make the most positive impact for your child. It will also give you a solid framework for all the future decisions you will be making about how to best support them in school and everyday life.
It's easy to move on to quick-fixes and programs promising solutions. Promises for success at memorizing multiplication tables or math facts. But understanding dyscalculia is key to supporting our dyscalculic children and supporting all children with learning differences. Being curious and empathetic is the best way through the confusion.
So how do we go about that? Here are some steps towards understanding dyscalculia that helped our own family out of so much confusion and overwhelm.
The first one is to observe. Without judgment, notice what's difficult in math and in life for your child. Where do they get stuck? Take notice without trying to fix it or offer solutions, or trying to help them through in any way. Just observe.
The second one is to ask questions. Instead of telling your child how they should solve a problem or face a specific life situation with numbers, with genuine curiosity ask them how they think about a particular situation. What is their experience? Still, do not share your opinion on what you think it should be, but just take in their experience and what they share with you. You might be surprised!
The third one is to learn. Learn more about dyscalculia through books, videos, podcasts - these are all great ways to learn a bit more. There are several wonderful books out there on dyscalculia and I have a recommended reading list on my website you can download for free. You can also listen to some of my podcasts or YouTube videos like this one. I teach a whole workshop on understanding dyscalculia for parents because it's so important and so helpful in having clarity when it comes to supporting your child.
One question I'll leave with you today is: What is one aspect of dyscalculia that you want to understand better? What struggles or behaviors from your child bring you the most confusion?