Symptoms Of Dyscalculia

Trouble Measuring Ingredients

As with money, measuring ingredients requires applying multiple math skills, often simultaneously. It can involve understanding and adding fractions, estimating (e.g., a scant or heaping teaspoon) and comparing amounts, counting, converting measurements, and associating words with amounts. As a result, individuals with dyscalculia often have trouble measuring ingredients correctly and may struggle to follow even a simple recipe. For example, think about making rice. You need just two ingredients, water and rice, typically at a two to one ratio. But you need to know rice (a solid) and water (a liquid) are measured in different ways. You need to understand what a ratio is and be able to calculate the correct amounts based on the ratio. Depending on how much rice you are trying to make, you may need to use fractions. To decide how much rice to cook, you need to have the number sense to understand the difference between the measure of uncooked rice and that of cooked rice. A recipe that seems simple to the majority of individuals can become overwhelming to someone with dyscalculia.