Dyscalculia: Understanding the Hidden Math Disability

Seth Perler interviews Adrienne Meldrum and Cara Scandlin

Hey, what’s up, everybody? It’s me, Seth from SethPerler.com.

Today we’re going to talk about dyscalculia, a math-related learning disability. I’m really excited about this conversation.

Joining me today are Adrienne Meldrum, someone I’ve known for a long time and one of my favorite math nerds in the world, and Cara Scandlin, who is working alongside Adrienne on several projects, including an upcoming dyscalculia webinar.

Adrienne and I have known each other for years. We’ve supported each other’s missions and collaborated in various ways, so I’m super excited to have this discussion.

Parents and teachers, this conversation is for you. If you’re concerned about a child who struggles with math, I encourage you to listen and see whether dyscalculia might be something worth exploring.

Introductions

Adrienne Meldrum

Adrienne: Hi, I’m Adrienne, the owner of Math for Middles.

I’ve been tutoring students in math since around 2006. Throughout my career, I was frustrated by a certain percentage of students who would learn something one day, seem to understand it, and then completely forget it the next time we met.

Or they would know the material during tutoring but couldn’t demonstrate that knowledge on tests at school.

I became determined to understand why this was happening, so I dove deep into research and began studying multisensory math instruction, dyscalculia, dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences that affect mathematical learning.

That research completely transformed how I teach.

Today, these issues are no longer major obstacles for my students because I teach in ways that align with how their brains are wired.

Cara Scandlin

Cara: I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was five years old, and I was diagnosed with ADHD about two or three years ago.

The ADHD was always there, but because I didn’t need accommodations like extended testing time, it wasn’t considered necessary to pursue a formal diagnosis when I was younger.

I was also heavily involved in sports, which functioned as a kind of natural support system for me.

Because of my own experiences, I have a deep sense of empathy for students who struggle academically. For me, the challenges were primarily with reading, writing, and spelling—not math.

Today, I work with students in mathematics, teaching up through Calculus III. That’s usually where I reach the limit of my ability to make the content sufficiently multisensory and engaging, even though higher-level math can absolutely be taught that way.

What Is Multisensory Math?

Seth: Before we define dyscalculia, let’s talk about multisensory math. What is it, and why should parents and teachers care?

Adrienne: Multisensory math focuses on how students take in information through multiple senses.

We start with kinesthetic learning—touching, manipulating, building, and physically interacting with objects.

Students might use:

• Manipulatives

• Blocks

• Models

• Legos

• Physical representations

Next comes representational learning, where students use drawings, diagrams, and visual models.

Finally, we move to the abstract level, which is where traditional math instruction usually begins.

Most of us learned math entirely through abstract symbols, procedures, formulas, and memorization.

The problem is that many students need the concrete and visual stages first.

When students experience multisensory instruction, they often say:

“No one has ever taught me this way before.”

Suddenly, math starts making sense.

They begin replacing beliefs like:

“I’m not a math person.”

with:

“Maybe I can do math.”

That’s where the transformation begins.

A Success Story

Adrienne shared the story of a 14-year-old student who began at approximately a third-grade math level.

After only nine months of multisensory instruction, he had nearly reached grade level.

His mother reported dramatic improvements in both his confidence and competence.

Instead of worrying constantly and spinning his wheels, he now approaches problems calmly and confidently because he understands the concepts.

The shift wasn’t just academic—it was also a shift in identity.

The “Bucket Theory”

Seth: One metaphor I use is what I call the Bucket Theory.

Imagine we’re trying to fill a bucket with math knowledge.

For many struggling students, the bucket has holes in it.

As we keep pouring information in, foundational concepts leak out.

Math is highly sequential. As students progress through school, concepts become increasingly complex and depend on earlier knowledge.

When foundational gaps exist, students appear incapable of doing advanced math—not because they lack ability, but because critical pieces are missing.

Adrienne: That’s a perfect metaphor. We see that every day.

Many of our students don’t need entirely new instruction. They need the holes filled.

What Does Dyscalculia Look Like?

Before giving a formal definition, Seth asked what parents and teachers typically observe.

Common Warning Signs

Cara:

One major sign is avoidance.

Students may say:

• “I’ll do my English homework first.”

• “Can I play basketball a little longer?”

• “I’ll get to math later.”

They consistently avoid math whenever possible.

Parent Frustrations

Adrienne:

Parents often tell us:

“We’ve practiced these math facts over and over, but nothing sticks.”

Or:

“It’s like the movie 50 First Dates. Every day we start over from scratch.”

Parents watch their child understand concepts during practice, only to see everything disappear the next day.

Foundational Difficulties

Some students:

• Can’t remember basic math facts

• Count on their fingers well beyond expected ages

• Struggle to tell time

• Have difficulty reading calendars

• Cannot instantly recognize quantities

Adrienne described a ninth-grade student who couldn’t instantly recognize a standard dice pattern showing five dots.

Instead of immediately recognizing “five,” she had to count each dot individually.

That is a significant red flag.

Defining Dyscalculia

Cara:

For me, dyscalculia means there is no inherent meaning attached to mathematical symbols.

As someone with dyslexia, I can relate.

Letters don’t automatically carry meaning for me in the way they do for many other people.

Similarly, for students with dyscalculia, numbers and mathematical symbols often feel disconnected from their meanings.

A division symbol isn’t automatically understood as dividing a quantity.

It may simply appear as a line with two dots.

Without concrete experiences and physical representations, those symbols remain abstract and meaningless.

Difficulty Distinguishing Symbols

Some students struggle to differentiate:

• 6 and 9

• Addition and multiplication symbols

• Division and percentage symbols

The symbols don’t feel stable or meaningful.

Why Multisensory Instruction Matters

The purpose of multisensory math is to build mental images and conceptual understanding.

Students need to physically experience mathematical concepts before abstract symbols can become meaningful.

How Teachers Can Identify Dyscalculia

Teachers often notice a disconnect between a student’s intelligence and their mathematical performance.

These students may:

• Be highly articulate

• Participate in discussions

• Demonstrate strong reasoning skills

• Show curiosity and creativity

Yet they consistently perform poorly in mathematics.

They may:

• Earn D’s and F’s on assessments

• Complete homework but fail tests

• Work significantly harder than peers without seeing results

These are important warning signs.

What Teachers Can Do Differently

Go Back to Earlier Concepts

Adrienne recommends connecting advanced concepts to foundational ideas.

For example:

Factoring is fundamentally connected to area models and multiplication.

Rather than teaching factoring as a procedure, teachers can draw visual representations and connect current lessons to earlier concepts.

Use Visual Models

Teachers should incorporate:

• Pictures

• Diagrams

• Drawings

• Models

Even in higher grades, visual representations remain powerful learning tools.

Make Learning Physical

Cara shared an example from a precalculus class.

Students were solving a maximization problem involving a pizza box.

When she asked students to visualize a pizza box, some couldn’t.

So she brought in an actual pizza box.

Once students could touch it, manipulate it, and explore its structure physically, the mathematics became much easier to understand.

Concrete experiences create meaningful learning.

Advice for Parents

Not All Tutors Are the Same

Both Adrienne and Cara emphasized that traditional tutoring often isn’t enough.

Many tutoring centers simply repeat the same methods students experience in school.

If those methods weren’t working before, more of the same is unlikely to help.

Parents should specifically ask:

• Do you understand dyscalculia?

• What training do you have?

• How do you teach differently?

• Do you use multisensory approaches?

Look for Specialized Training

Helpful qualifications may include:

• Multisensory math training

• Educational therapy

• Specialized dyscalculia training

• Experience working with neurodiverse learners

Advocate with Schools

Parents should work collaboratively with schools whenever possible.

Successful advocacy often involves:

• Remaining calm and solution-focused

• Sharing information about dyscalculia

• Exploring accommodations and support options

• Looking for creative solutions

Schools are sometimes more flexible and willing to help than parents realize.

Final Thoughts

The biggest takeaway from this discussion is simple:

Many students who struggle with math are not lazy, unmotivated, or incapable.

They may simply be learning through a system that doesn’t match how their brains process mathematical information.

When instruction becomes concrete, visual, physical, and multisensory, remarkable growth can happen.

Students who once believed:

“I’m bad at math.”

can begin saying:

“I can do this.”

And that shift can change everything.

Again, this conversation featured Adrienne Meldrum and Cara Scandlin discussing dyscalculia, multisensory math, and how parents and teachers can better support students who struggle with mathematics.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next time.