5 Inaccurate Assumptions Parents Can Make
Parents want to support their dyscalculic students in the best possible ways. Yet even with the best intentions, most of us can make inaccurate assumptions about our student and what they need.
I assumed many inaccurate things about my daughter and her learning disability. As parent, we may not fully understand dyscalculia and the impact it has on learning and life. These inaccurate beliefs can have a negative impact over time.
Now, 9+ years into our dyscalculia exploration, I can see how inaccurate and unhelpful these assumptions were and how a better understanding of dyscalculia has helped our family support our dyscalculic daughter in life-changing ways.
Here are 5 common, and inaccurate, assumptions parents can make about their dyscalculic children.
Inaccurate Assumption #1: My student would be fine if they would just apply themselves and focus.
I remember being frustrated when my daughter would struggle to focus on flashcards or get her homework done efficiently. The tasks didn’t seem too complicated to me. I wished she would just apply herself and get it done.
But more focus and applying herself were not what was required for her to grasp concepts or complete the work. My encouragement of “try harder” and “focus” only caused exhaustion, stress, and shut down her brain’s capacity to learn.
Inaccurate Assumption #2: The school will know how to support my student.
This is one that most parents make, including myself.
After surviving the school evaluation process and enrolling in special education, I assumed my daughter would receive the support she needed from trained math specialists and special education teachers.
I was wrong. This inaccurate assumption led us to waiting 2+ years before starting the right supports and intervention.
We tried two public schools in two districts, interviewed several private schools, signed up for every extra after-school math support available, had an IEP for 2+ years, and still my daughter did not make any progress in math comprehension.
This is a common experience I hear from many families. Families assume the school will know how to support a student with dyscalculia and so they rely on the school to set up appropriate education and accommodations. But what they don’t know is that teachers are not trained on how to identify students with dyscalculia, nor how to provide the necessary math intervention required for student success. Even most special education teachers in the US do not receive training on dyscalculia.
It is understandable that we parents would assume the school will know how to help, but sadly this is an inaccurate assumption.
Inaccurate Assumption #3: Repetition of concepts such as drills, flashcards, worksheets, and memorization will help them learn.
While these are common methods for neurotypical students, these methods are unsuccessful for dyscalculic students. Math comprehension and recall of math facts does not happen for dyscalculics through rote, drills, or constant repetition. An understanding of dyscalculia is needed to help parents know to how to help dyscalculic students successfully grasp math concepts. Support must also be in place for the memory issues that accompany dyscalculia.
Inaccurate Assumption #4: Any math tutor or math program is better than none.
Almost all evaluation reports from psychologists encourage parents to get a math tutor. Most parents I consult with have already tried math tutors or have enrolled their students in math support programs. I tried this as well in the beginning with my own daughter,
While this seems reasonable, hiring just any math tutor can cause more harm than good. Even if the tutor is warm and patient, if they do not understand the unique difficulties of dyscalculia or have not received adequate training on how to help dyscalculic students, the work can set a student back even further. When a student is receiving tutoring support, and still struggling, they begin to lose confidence in their abilities and become more discouraged, believing that even with help they are hopeless at math. They don’t realize that the “help” they are receiving is not the specific support their dyscalculic mind’s needs to succeed at math.
Inaccurate Assumption #5: My student just needs to make it through math in school and they will be fine.
I too thought, “We just need to get my daughter through elementary and middle school math class. Then she can use a calculator.” That was before I understood all the areas of everyday life that dyscalculia impacts.
Simply getting our students through school is not a helpful goal. Dyscalculics need help building numeracy skills and a foundational sense for number they can successfully apply to everyday life. If not, they will feel limited in their life choices and may experience significant anxiety as a result. They need understanding of how their mind works, self-advocacy skills, and practical tools to navigate jobs, money, time, and anything in life involving numbers.
(Spend a few minutes reading any Reddit posts on dyscalculia and you will see the difficult impact of those who did not receive adequate supports growing up).
Becoming better informed about dyscalculia helps us see the areas we need to provide supports and creative out-of-the-box solutions. I can’t say this enough: dyscalculia does not only impact math class, it impacts anything in life involving numbers, quantities, and amounts.
Question for Further Thought
Do any of these assumptions sound familiar to you? If so, which ones?
This article was published in the Discovering Dyscalculia Substack on July 10, 2026. Check out the article, leave comments, engage with the community on Substack.