← Atlas of Difficulties
S-03
The child skips numbers when counting or says them out of order
What the research says
Difficulty determining a number's place in the sequence and its relationship to neighboring numbers is one of the symptoms of dyscalculia. The ability to build sequences (successive analysis) is a necessary foundation for mastering counting forwards and backwards.
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, pp. 23–25 (2005)
Exercises at home — free
Who are the neighbors?
Builds: Finding your way along the number line, understanding how neighboring numbers relate
You need: number cards 1–20
- Lay the cards out in a row. Point to any number: “Who lives next to seven?”
- The child names the neighbors: 6 and 8.
- Remove the card and ask again — this time without anything to look at.
- Harder: “Name the number whose neighbors are 11 and 13.”
- Counting backwards: “Name the neighbors of ten if we count backwards.”
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, 2005, ch. 3
Find them and say them in order
Builds: Finding numbers in a sequence and keeping the order in mind
You need: sticky notes or slips of paper, a marker
- Write the numbers from 1 to 20 on separate sticky notes — one on each.
- Scatter them on the table, numbers facing up.
- Task: find 1 and set it aside, then 2, then 3 — in order up to 20.
- The child looks for each next number among the scattered notes.
- Harder: turn the notes face down — flip them over one at a time and build the row.
- Goal: the child says the next number even before finding the right note.
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, 2005, ch. 4
Without help
- Can't compare numbers: doesn't know that 8 comes after 7, so 8 is bigger
- Mistakes when bridging through ten — can't keep track of the order
- Counting backwards is hard: loses the sequence