Nurturing Numerical Fluency and Confidence
Evaluations of Dyscalculia and Math Skills
Finding solutions can feel overwhelming when math challenges create roadblocks for your child. At Minnesota Neuropsychology, our comprehensive evaluations assess numerical processing, mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, and math facts fluency to help clarify why your child struggles in math. Sometimes math struggles are diagnosed as dyscalculia. Other times, math struggles may be related to other primary factors like dyslexia or ADHD. We provide clear insights to support your child’s academic growth and lasting confidence in math.
Recognizing and Supporting Math Skills Differences
Math difficulties affect how children process numbers, apply concepts, and solve problems. These children often possess remarkable creativity and strengths in other areas while struggling with traditional number-based learning. Each child’s experience differs – some struggle with basic calculations, others with translating word problems into equations.
These challenges represent neurodevelopmental differences and can affect skills like number sense, visual-spatial reasoning, and sometimes executive functioning. Children who struggle with math can learn to harness their unique strengths, develop effective strategies to meet academic demands, and gain confidence in applying mathematical concepts to real-world situations.
Seeking a Neuropsychological Evaluation
Recognizing math challenges early can significantly help your child’s educational journey and self-confidence. At Minnesota Neuropsychology, our comprehensive evaluations examine the whole child—considering cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral patterns. Our assessment process identifies neurodevelopmental conditions like dyscalculia (affecting number sense), ADHD (impacting focus and working memory), executive functioning deficits (affecting organization and problem-solving), and other possible factors contributing to your child’s mathematical challenges.
Signs Your Child May Need Extra Support with Math
- Number Recognition: Difficulty identifying or sequencing numbers, affecting basic calculations.
- Mathematical Concepts: Struggles to understand foundational concepts like place value, fractions, or measurement.
- Calculation Accuracy: Makes persistent computational errors despite practice and instruction.
- Problem-Solving: Challenges with translating word problems into mathematical operations.
- Visual-Spatial Processing: Difficulty with number alignment, geometric concepts, or interpreting graphs.
- Working Memory: Trouble remembering mathematical procedures or formulas during problem-solving.
- Attention to Detail: Inconsistent attention to operation signs, decimal points, or mathematical notation.
- Emotional Response: When faced with math-related tasks, anxiety, frustration, or avoidance behaviors.
The Evaluation Day
Our one-day evaluations provide a complete picture of your child’s learning profile, any potential diagnoses, and a roadmap with specific strategies for support. The evaluation process includes:
- Morning parent interview to discuss your concerns and child’s history
- Child assessment activities (testing, puzzles, academic skills, hands-on work)
- Same-day parent meeting with results and recommendations
- Detailed written report delivered the following week
Our experienced team of neuropsychologists has established relationships with local experts who offer services for ongoing support like tutoring, coaching, therapy, and medication consultation. Learn more about your child’s evaluation day in our detailed overview.
We had such a great experience at MNNP and appreciate the detailed report. I met with my chlid’s teacher and she said it was one of the best reports she’s ever read. I just wanted to pass that on to you and let you know that all the details you included in here, we so appreciate it and it’s been amazing.
We were so impressed by the care, humanity, humor, and professionalism of the MNNP team. A sincere thank you to the team that worked with us.
Both myself and my husband were so impressed with the thorough assessment, organization, and overall experience we had with MNNP. We understand this is going to be a long journey, but feel informed and empowered. We had a meeting with the school today and I was excited to see in the draft that many of the recommendations from Dr. Adams were already listed.
Diagnostic Care from a Compassionate Team
We provide evaluations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area through comprehensive, data-driven evaluations in two welcoming settings. Whether you visit our Cathedral Hill or Wayzata location, you can expect a caring and compassionate team. Our neuropsychologists work hand-in-hand with our team of assessment specialists (psychometrists) to ensure that your child has a positive and engaging evaluation experience. Our mission is to provide a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation that empowers children of all ages to understand their brain and go forward confidently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are frequently asked questions specifically about ADHD. For information about our comprehensive evaluation process and additional questions regarding assessments for school-age children and teens, please visit the FAQ section on our Evaluations for Children & Adolescents webpage.
What causes math difficulties in children, and can multiple factors be involved?
Math challenges rarely have a single cause. While some children have dyscalculia (a specific learning difference affecting number sense), math difficulties often result from a combination of factors. ADHD can impact working memory and attention to detail needed for calculations. Anxiety about math performance can interfere with a child’s ability to demonstrate their true understanding. Processing speed differences may make timed math assessments particularly challenging. Executive functioning difficulties can affect problem-solving strategies and organization. Some children may have underlying language processing differences that impact their ability to understand word problems. Our neuropsychological evaluation examines all these potential contributing factors to create a complete picture of your child’s unique profile and needs.
What is dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a learning difference that affects a person’s ability to understand and work with numbers. Individuals with dyscalculia may struggle to grasp basic math facts, follow math procedures, or make sense of numerical concepts. This difficulty can significantly impact academic progress and everyday tasks involving numbers such as counting money, measuring ingredients, and reading charts and graphs.
A neuropsychological evaluation is often helpful in identifying the underlying causes of these difficulties. It can provide a formal diagnosis and recommendations for support strategies and accommodations tailored to their needs.
Learn more about dyscalculia in our related article, What is Dyscalculia?.
How are math difficulties related to visual-spatial processing challenges?
Math and visual-spatial skills are closely connected in many areas of mathematical learning. Visual-spatial processing affects how children understand number alignment, interpret geometric shapes, read graphs and charts, and visualize mathematical relationships. Children with visual-spatial challenges may struggle with organizing numbers in columns for calculations, understanding place value concepts, interpreting word problems that involve spatial relationships, or grasping geometric concepts like angles and measurements. During our comprehensive evaluation, we assess both mathematical abilities and visual-spatial processing to understand how these skills interact and impact your child’s overall math performance.
How is dyscalculia treated, and why is evaluation important for treatment planning?
Effective treatment for math difficulties, including dyscalculia, depends entirely on understanding the underlying causes. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach because each child’s challenges stem from different combinations of factors. A child whose math struggles are primarily due to ADHD-related working memory issues will need different interventions than a child with visual-spatial processing differences or anxiety about math performance. Our comprehensive evaluation identifies the specific cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors contributing to your child’s math challenges. This allows us to recommend targeted interventions, appropriate accommodations, and evidence-based teaching strategies that address your child’s unique needs. Whether that involves specialized math instruction, working memory training, anxiety management, or visual-spatial skill development, the evaluation results guide the most effective path forward for lasting improvement.
What are your policies regarding insurance?
To ensure we can provide thorough evaluations, we have chosen to be an out-of-network provider and do not accept insurance. Unfortunately, insurance companies impose strict limitations on how much time can be allocated to different parts of an evaluation. For complete details about potential reimbursement opportunities, please visit our Fees & Payments web page.
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