ABSTRACT
The assessment is designed to investigate the underlying factors that are contributing to Mike’s cognitive and emotional difficulties with mathematics. Working memory is correlated to maths ability in many research papers. Also it has been shown that working memory is weakened by anxiety. Short-term memory affects the ability to remember instructions and copy work from the board. Mike’s poor short-term memory will make it very unlikely that he will be able to recall classroom instructions that are even remotely complex. The score on the 15 minute screening test that places Mike below the 5th percentile tallies with a conservative average of the prevalence of dyscalculia from research done across the world. If Mike’s other scores, that is, working and short-term memories, anxiety and basic facts are taken into consideration, this would make a strong case for very severe mathematical difficulties to the extent of using the term dyscalculia.
