Mathematics Disorder & the Importance of Parent Involvement in Child Education

As children head into school, there are many facets of education that parents may become involved in. From academic achievement to extracurricular activities, some of the most successful students, in grade school, middle school and high school, include parents who are very involved in their child's education.

Focus upon your child's education and academic performance may be the most significant impact, as a parent, that you can make. For some children, the involvement of a parent, in the curriculum and academic setting, allows for an early diagnosis into developmental or academic complications.

One such complication, commonly first diagnosed for children in grade school, is a condition that is known as simply the Mathematics disorder. Historically, this developmental condition was also referred to as the Developmental arithmetic disorder or even acalculia. Associated with any combination of four underlying factors: language, perception, math and attention complications, children who suffer from Mathematics disorder require extra time and attention in the academic setting but also require tutoring and treatment outside of the school setting.

Symptoms of a child who suffers from Mathematics disorder commonly present as problems with counting objects, an inability to memorize the multiplication table, difficulty interpreting graphs and even difficulty in simply copying numbers from one page to another. If your child experiences any of these complications, examination by a child mental health specialist may be necessary.

While it is estimated that about one percent of the school age children in the United States suffer from Mathematics disorder, some mental health specialists believe this complication is significantly more prevalent, often found among family members. While the complication may be associated with mental retardation or complications with sight and hearing, most children who suffer from Mathematics disorder are simply struggling with a mental health complication.