Can the Abacus Help Children with Dyslexia
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Having a dyslexic child can be a challenging situation. You know this as a parent. While not a tragedy, it raises many questions for you:
How will this affect their academic success? How can I help them?
There is a simple solution to implement in your child's education: learning the abacus.
But without further delay, let's get straight to the point.
Dyslexia and Mathematics
It's easy to assume that children with dyslexia will excel in mathematics, but this is not always the case. The fact that the brilliant scientist Albert Einstein was dyslexic often gives the impression that everyone with learning difficulties finds math easy.
In general, people with dyslexia have an infallible ability to see how things connect to create complex systems, as well as to identify similarities across many fields. It is these perceived strengths that are important when it comes to specific areas like science and mathematics, in which visual representations are key.
However, according to the Swiss Dyslexia Association, approximately 60% of people with dyslexia have significant difficulties with mathematics. Some dyslexic children also suffer from dyscalculia alongside their dyslexia.
Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that affects numbers and math. Those who suffer from dyscalculia struggle to understand number concepts, facts, and procedures.
Dyscalculia: Solving Your Child's Learning Difficulties
It's important to mention here, however, that not all dyslexic children who have math difficulties necessarily have dyscalculia. The difficulty for those without dyscalculia is usually related to language rather than concepts.
What are the benefits of the abacus for a dyslexic child?
The difficulties dyslexic children encounter when learning mathematics stem from their struggle to learn and remember words, numbers, and formulas. They often find a multi-step problem overwhelming and will have trouble following a set of instructions.
It can be difficult for dyslexic children to process a math problem quickly. Indeed, upon becoming aware of the length of the problem, the child may try to speed up, fearing they are falling behind. This can then hurt the accuracy of the result, which in turn can create a loss of self-confidence.
Using an abacus has now become a valuable aid for dyslexic children in math. In the United Kingdom, many private schools use the abacus in learning along with Finger Theory (counting on fingers) and mental theory to facilitate math learning for dyslexic students.
Most people know the abacus, but few have truly learned how to use it, despite the fact that the abacus can be a very powerful educational tool.
In terms of math aid for dyslexic children, the abacus is growing in popularity.
In our context, the abacus is a brain-training tool that can help dyslexic children learn to calculate. It aids in the development of logic and comprehension skills, while the use of the physical tool helps children visualize problems to solve them.
Having a physical artifact to aid visualization is also a huge boost for their self-confidence.
Through this newfound ability to approach math problems with confidence, dyslexic children become more accurate and faster.
This creates a virtuous cycle.
Finger Theory (Dactylonomy)
Finger theory is considered the first step in learning to use the physical abacus tool. Finger theory mimics an abacus and is not limited to learning to count with the ten fingers.
Through this system, children can learn to solve complex calculations.
Once dyslexic/dyscalculic children have mastered using the abacus and finger theory, they can move on to mental math, which is often the most difficult stage.
Nevertheless, visualizing the physical abacus in their mind will help them solve mathematical calculations without any tool.
Giving Your Child the Opportunity to Improve
The abacus is a peerless tool:
Not only does it help them learn to perform mathematical calculations, but it can also improve their motor skills and memory, giving them the opportunity to broadly improve their learning and development.
Why not check out our collection of abacuses for your child?
