How does dyslexia affect children in math and algebra?
Children with dyslexia have difficulty using and understanding symbols and words, especially small function words of language which do not have a meaning that can be easily pictured, or which have multiple meanings depending on concepts. They can also have difficulty with understanding concepts of time, sequence and order. With mathematics, this leads to confusion both in understanding the symbols commonly used in problems and equations, and in making sense of word problems. For example, if you ask a child, “how many times does 4 go into 12?” — it is possible that the only words the dyslexic child has heard that make sense are four and twelve. The other words: how many times does go into are all words that potentially cause confusion and may be meaningless. If the child is asked to read that sentence on his own, he might additionally be confused by the numerals, especially 12, as there is a tendency to transpose numbers. That is, to a dyslexic, 12 may look the same as 21. In algebra,
