Parents of students who struggle in math sometimes wonder about learning disabilities. Does my child have ADHD, dyslexia or some other disability hindering their learning? A lesser known issue is dyscalculia, an obstacle to learning mathematics. The symptoms range from difficulty recalling math facts, rules and procedures, to unconsciously substituting one number for another. For a brief intro, check out this video:

On resource particularly useful is http://www.dyscalculia.org/ , a non-profit that offers a number of resources relating to this issue. A number of educational institutions research dyscalculia, including the University of Washington College of Education. Here’s a press release about some recent research.