← Atlas of Difficulties
S-02
The child always counts from one and can't “count on”
What the research says
In dyscalculia, automatically reproducing the number sequence is difficult. Children carry out arithmetic operations not by rules but by relying on external actions — they count everything again every time.
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, p. 23 (2005)
In children with dyscalculia, building sequences is impaired: ordinal counting, naming the days of the week and the months. Complex actions made up of a chain of operations remain unformed.
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, p. 24 (2005)
Exercises at home — free
Count on
Builds: Counting from any number, not from one
You need: a number strip 0–20
- Put your finger on the number 6 on the number strip.
- Say: “Count on from six — seven, eight...”
- The child continues without starting from one.
- Harder: remove the strip and say the starting number out loud.
- Next level: “Start at 8 and add 4 — without starting from the beginning.”
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, 2005, ch. 3
Without help
- Addition slows down sharply — every time the child has to count again from scratch
- Moving on to faster counting strategies is impossible
What to work with