Math Calculation

Math Calculation is the ability to count, group objects, and compute simple math facts and operations. Understanding numbers and simple math facts and operations begins at a young age.

Children with good math calculation skills:

• Count to 10
• Have one-to-one correspondence
• Recognize math numbers and symbols
• Group objects
• Compute simple calculations and operations with manipulatives
• See a small amount of objects and know how many there are without counting (e.g., the number you roll on a six sided dice).

Characteristics of a math disorder include problems learning to count, recognizing math numbers, sequencing and patterning objects, learning one-to-one correspondence, manipulating numbers using mathematical operations.

Math difficulties are common in other disorder groups as well. Individuals with dyslexia often struggle with numbers as they do with letters. Children with language limitations may confuse operations and have trouble processing word problems. Children with ADHD are slow to learn and retrieve math facts, do not attend to operations (add when it says to subtract), miss steps when completing problems, and often make careless calculation errors.