The Learning People

Maths can be difficult for some children or adults who use dyslexic thought patterns. These difficulties can take many forms. They are recognised under the name, “dyscalculia”. (Click on the word for a link to a YouTube dvd which explains more.)

Because each dyslexic person is different, so is the pattern of his or her dyslexia. Some have difficulties with words, others may have no problem with words but find numbers a nightmare, still others may have problems with both while some may not demonstrate any difficulties at all—only advantages. Some days it will be almost impossible to do simple arithmetic, while the next day/hour/moment it may prove to be much easier.

The difficulties will vary to a greater or lesser degree depending on many changing circumstances.

Although we at The Learning People are uncomfortable with the notion of regarding this amazing thought pattern as a disability, we certainly are aware of how many people are handicapped by society’s lack of understanding of the need for a different approach to a different learning style.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 recognises dyslexia as a disability. Dyslexia includes dyscalculia. In 2000 the Act was extended to education, with effect from 2002, and to employment legislation with effect from 2004.

If you look in our information pages you will find more about the legislation.

At The Learning People we understand that the difficulties encountered in maths arise out of a lack of understanding of certain key concepts. The Davis® methods show the student how to connect the conceptual aspects of maths with reality, how to understand the language of maths and how to visualise maths concepts.

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The Learning People's view

Traditionally dyslexia is viewed as a disability and many remedial approaches focus on coping strategies involving drill and repetition.

We recognise that dyslexia is a form of intelligence, not a disability. Our approach treats dyslexic intelligence with dignity and harnesses it to the process of correcting learning problems.

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Richard Branson knows that he is dyslexic but recent research estimates there could be as many as 2 million undiagnosed adult dyslexics; a lost generation.

In October 2004 changes were made to the Disability Discrimination Act so that dyslexia was accepted to be a disability that employers could not discriminate against.

Check out our pages: "Changes to the Disability Discrimination Act" and "Making life easier for your dyslexic employee" on this blog, or the article, "An insight into Dyslexia in the Workplace" on the TLP website for more information. An insight into Dyslexia in the workplace.

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School is usually the place where dyslexic problems start.

Many bright, potentially dyslexic, toddlers, using their dyslexic thinking style to relate to the world around them, have ideas, language and opinions beyond their years.

Parents relax in the belief that everything is going to be plain sailing for these little ones. They are often eager to have them start school, believing that they are so ready; that they are wasting precious time at home when they could be making headway in the field of education.

For many, the child who comes home from school is almost a changeling: not making the progress expected, lagging behind in terms of reading and writing and, perhaps, arithmetic, possibly acting up in class: the ‘naughty’ one who disrupts the others, the class clown, frequently unhappy, disinterested or angry, changeable in mood.

Parental hopes and expectations are dashed; anxiety sets in.

The Learning People understands why this seemingly bright toddler is failing so much as a schoolchild. When you understand How Dyslexia Happens you can see why it is that all the phonic instruction in the world is unlikely to turn a dyslexic child into a fluent reader, who understands the text.

The aim of The Learning People is to give these children conscious control of the talent at the root of their thinking style; so that they need no longer be handicapped by the bias of the academic curriculum to tend to teach exclusively to the strengths of the left-brain thinker.

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