What is a Dyscalculia Assessment?
A Dyscalculia assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s counting, number sense, and mathematics abilities. There is no single test that can diagnose Dyscalculia, so psychologists use a combination of cognitive (IQ) and academic assessments, known as a specific learning disorder assessment, to understand your child’s overall learning and investigate all potential causes of mathematics difficulties. This assessment is also used to diagnose other specific learning disorders, such as Dyslexia.
When is a Dyscalculia Assessment Recommended for a Child?
Your child’s teacher or allied health professional may recommend a Dyscalculia assessment if they are having persistent difficulties with counting and simple calculations despite regular instruction and practice. Some key indicators that may lead to an assessment referral include:
- Difficulty understanding basic number concepts such as counting and place value
- Poor understanding of simple maths operations like single-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
- Anxiety or frustration towards maths-related tasks, which can impact a child’s confidence in school
It is important to note that your child must have completed formal mathematics instruction, through classroom teaching or private tutoring, before a Dyscalculia assessment can be completed. Limited access to formal education needs to be ruled out for a Dyscalculia diagnosis to be made.
Why Does a Psychologist Diagnose Dyscalculia?
Psychologists play a key role in diagnosing conditions that affect cognitive development and learning processes, including Dyscalculia.
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder caused by differences in brain development that affect numerical processing. As Dyscalculia is a condition with complex cognitive and neurodevelopmental factors, psychologists are best trained to administer a range of standardised tests to not only identify Dyscalculia but also rule out other potential reasons for the difficulties.
Benefits of a Dyscalculia Assessment
Although a formal assessment is not required to access support with maths, there are many practical benefits to completing a Dyscalculia assessment:
- Greater understanding of the root cause of your child’s mathematics difficulties, providing evidence-based methods to address them
- Development of an individualised learning plan tailored to support your child’s progress in mathematics
- Identifying appropriate classroom adjustments, such as providing extra working paper and allowing the use of a calculator
- Accessing special provisions during tests, such as extra time and access to formula sheets
The Assessment Process
Dyscalculia assessments involve several components to ensure a thorough evaluation. A psychologist may include the following steps:
- A developmental history to identify any family history of Dyscalculia or medical conditions that may affect learning
- Interviews with parents and teachers to understand your child’s specific learning difficulties
- Standardised testing in a controlled environment, including cognitive and academic assessments
- Observations to see how your child engages with mathematics tasks
Understanding Dyscalculia Assessment Results
Following the Dyscalculia assessment, the psychologist provides a comprehensive report that includes an outline of your child’s performance in the cognitive and academic tests and tailored recommendations to best support your child’s learning. Families are given the opportunity to schedule a phone consultation to discuss the results and next steps with the psychologist.
From the cognitive assessment, your child will receive an IQ composite score range along with a classification description representing their overall intellectual ability. An IQ score range of 90-109 is considered average. You will also receive a description of their performance in each subtest, which can help you understand areas of strength and difficulty.
From the academic assessment, your child will receive a composite score range for their overall performance in oral language, reading, mathematics and writing. A composite score range of 90-109 is considered average. You will also receive a written description of how they performed in each subtest to better understand their academic strengths and areas of improvement. Typically, a child with Dyscalculia might perform below average in numerical operations and math fluency tests.
The assessment report may or may not state a diagnosis alongside the assessment findings. If a learning disorder diagnosis is made, the report may include any of the following, depending on your child’s profile:
- Specific Learning Disorder – Impairment in Mathematics: your child’s learning difficulties are primarily in mathematics but may be broader than Dyscalculia
- Specific Learning Disorder – Impairment in Writing: your child’s learning difficulties are primarily in written expression including sentence composition, essay composition and spelling
- Specific Learning Disorder – Impairment in Reading: your child’s learning difficulties are primarily in reading including fluency, accuracy and comprehension
- Specific Learning Disorder (Dyscalculia): your child’s difficulties are primarily in numerical operations and maths fluency and meet the criteria for the Dyscalculia subset of Specific Learning Disorder.
Assessment Tools Used by Learning Links
At Learning Links, our psychologists use a variety of tools to evaluate whether a child may have Dyscalculia. Some of the most commonly used tools include:
- Wechsler Cognitive Assessment Tools (WPPSI-IV, WISC-V, and WAIS-IV) – These standardised tools assess a child’s cognitive abilities across five domains.
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) – This tool measures a child’s performance in key academic areas, including reading, writing, oral language, and mathematics.
Take the Next Step: Book a Dyscalculia Assessment Today
If your child is struggling with maths and you suspect that Dyscalculia may be the cause, a comprehensive assessment can provide clarity. Contact us today to schedule a Dyscalculia assessment.
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This assessment guide aims to demystify the evaluation process and introduce you to the wide range of psychological assessments available for families so you know what to expect and how to select the best option for your child.
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