← Atlas of Difficulties
S-13
The child loses the intermediate result while calculating
Type: operationalType: verbal
What the research says
Doing arithmetic operations requires a solid knowledge of the place-value structure of numbers, the ability to work out number bonds, and the ability to hold the intermediate results in memory. Subtraction with bridging through ten involves a whole series of intermediate steps — all of this demands working memory.
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, pp. 7–8 (2005)
In frontal acalculia, the main mechanism of the counting impairment is the breakdown of the programs of mental actions, which lose their selectivity and purposefulness. When solving arithmetic problems that involve several steps, the following are observed: an inability to create programs of mental actions, difficulty holding intermediate results, and a disrupted sequence of actions.
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, p. 18 (2005)
Arithmetic operations require the ability to hold the necessary intermediate results in memory and a knowledge of the place-value structure of numbers. Difficulty holding intermediate results is one of the key symptoms of operational dyscalculia.
Baryaeva L.B., Kondratyeva S.Yu. Dyscalculia in Children, p. 31 (2013)
Exercises at home — free
I count out loud — saying every step
Builds: Saying it out loud helps hold the intermediate result in memory
You need: fingers or any small objects
- Give the child a simple problem: 3 + 4.
- Ask the child to solve it out loud, saying every step: “I take three, add one more — four, one more — five, one more — six, one more — seven.”
- Make sure the child doesn't just say the answer but talks through the whole process.
- Gradually move on to problems that bridge through ten: 8 + 5.
- Once the child talks it through confidently, try the same problem in a whisper, then in their head.
Lalaeva R.I. Dyscalculia in Children, 2005, ch. 1
Without help
- Any two-step calculation becomes impossible — they forget what they have already counted
- Can't solve a two-step problem without writing down the intermediate result
- It looks like “poor memory,” but in fact working memory is overloaded
What to work with