Dyslexia Doesn’t Just Affect Reading: It Can Affect Math, Too

When we hear the word dyslexia, we usually think about reading, spelling, and writing.

But dyslexia can show up in the math classroom, too—and sometimes in ways that are easy to mistake for carelessness, lack of effort, or simply being “bad at math.”

A student with dyslexia may understand a mathematical concept perfectly well and still struggle to show what they know.

For example, dyslexia can affect math by making it harder to:

• Recall math facts automatically. A student may understand exactly what multiplication means but still struggle to quickly retrieve 7 × 8 from memory.

• Keep numbers and symbols in the correct order. 12 may become 21, or a student may copy a problem incorrectly even though they know how to solve it.

• Follow multi-step procedures. Long division, multi-digit multiplication, fractions, and algebra can become difficult when several steps must be remembered and completed in a particular sequence.

• Interpret mathematical language. Words such as difference, product, quotient, greater than, and less than add another layer of language processing to an already challenging problem.

• Read word problems. Sometimes the obstacle isn't the math at all. A child may be perfectly capable of solving the mathematical problem once someone helps them get through the reading.

• Organize written work. Keeping columns aligned, copying numbers accurately, and tracking where they are in a problem can require enormous effort.

Slow Doesn't Mean Unable

This is one of the most important things I wish parents—and students—understood.

A child who takes longer to retrieve a math fact isn't necessarily a child who doesn't understand math.

A child who reverses two digits isn't necessarily careless.

And a student who loses their place halfway through a complicated problem may understand the underlying mathematics beautifully.

We need to separate mathematical understanding from the mechanics required to demonstrate it.

That's particularly important because repeated struggles can eventually convince a perfectly capable student that they simply aren't a “math person.”

Teaching Differently Can Make a Huge Difference

For many dyslexic learners, math becomes much more accessible when we slow things down and make the mathematics visible and tangible.

Manipulatives, visual models, games, explicit instruction, plenty of repetition, and opportunities to talk through mathematical thinking can all help.

Instead of simply asking a student to memorize that something works, we can help them see why it works.

And when a child genuinely understands the mathematics underneath the symbols and procedures, they have something much stronger to fall back on when memory fails them.

At TurningPoint Math, that's one of the reasons we place so much emphasis on number sense and understanding rather than speed.

Because dyslexia may change the path a child takes to learn mathematics.

It doesn't determine how far they can go.

Different brains may need different pathways—and sometimes finding the right pathway is the turning point.

If your dyslexic child is struggling with math too, reach out - we even have tutors who have specific training in the Barton Reading and Spelling system, and can incorporate methods from OG teaching standards into the math lessons! www.turingpointmath.com