Special Education

Many students with FAS/E have difficulty learning mathematical skills. They may have problems with computations and problem solving and with the life-skills concepts of “time” and “money.”

Progressing through the mathematics curriculum involves:

• developing a “number” concept,
• rote knowledge for facts and algorithms (how to re-group to subtract, multiply, etc.),
• moving from computations with concrete materials to mental problem solving, and
• translating word problems into the correct sequence of computations.

Vocabulary

Mathematics also has its own vocabulary. The words and their meaning need to be specifically taught as the student is unlikely to learn them incidentally.

Directionality

Some problems are worked right to left, and others left to right. The student with directional confusion may need both specific teaching to establish directionality and cues to remember directional rules for use in mathematics.

Functional Ability

Compared to other students, students with FAS/E need more practice (over-learning) to learn basic computations and continuous practice in order to make those skills automatic. Some students with FAS/E have become skilled and quick in mental arithmetic while others require a calculator for the simplest of computations, in spite of repeated practice. The student may be overwhelmed by a large number of computations on a single page, or have problems if there are several types of problems on the same page. By secondary school, the mathematics curriculum can be too abstract and complex for most students with FAS/E. An IEP that emphasizes practical/applied mathematics at a very functional level is appropriate.

Temporal Concepts

Many students with FAS/E have trouble with temporal concepts such as before/after, yesterday/tomorrow, telling time and judging the passage of time. Telling a student there are five minutes left to complete the work can be meaningless: five minutes and five hours are all the same. The vocabulary can be confusing: “quarter to...”; “half-past”; 9:45 is the same as quarter to 10; 9:59 is almost 10 o'clock. Even when a student learns how to count by fives to determine the time, the student may still read 3:20 as 3:4. The student may even be lost in the day, not knowing whether it is before lunch or after lunch. Using calendars and written schedules can reinforce time sequences. Concrete representations, such as sand timers or stop watches, and emphasizing how much time it takes to complete certain activities in the day can help the student develop a sense of time.

Money Concepts

A student with FAS/E may have problems handling money concepts such as the names and values of coins, computing the value of a pile of change, knowing how much change to get back for a purchase, and judging the value of items. The student may be at risk of being taken advantage of by others because of this problem. In secondary school, banking and budgeting are an important emphasis in the curriculum and are important skills for independent living. Many parents have reported serious problems when their young adult has access to a bank ATM or a credit card. Some young people with FAS/E may always need a degree of assistance in the management of their money.