Podcast
Dyscalculia Blog for Parents by Alice Earnshaw
Listen to Alice Earnshaw latest podcast episodes for parents, with practical advice, support and lived experiences around dyscalculia and maths anxiety.
Does your child struggle with maths? Are you starting to wonder if something more is going on? Whether you have answers yet or not, this podcast is for you.
Safety in Numbers is a podcast for parents of children with maths difficulties, hosted by Dr Alice Earnshaw, a maths education consultant and Specific Learning Difficulties assessor based in the Northwest of England. Each episode takes a concern that parents commonly bring (such as why maths facts won’t stick, why homework becomes a battle, why nothing seems to make it click) and works through it properly: what’s happening, why it’s happening, what it means for your child, and what you can do about it today. The practical suggestions are realistic. They don’t require specialist knowledge or hours you don’t have.
The podcast aims to cover the full range of questions parents face: what maths difficulties and dyscalculia actually are (and aren’t), why the school system often misses them, what support you can reasonably expect, and how to help your child at home with least resistance. Episodes stand alone, so you can start wherever feels most relevant to you right now.
The episodes draw on current research and assessment guidance, translated into language that makes sense.
“What does this mean for my child’s future?” is one of the first questions parents ask once dyscalculia is properly on their radar.
In this episode, Iwork through the five questions parents ask most often about secondary school, GCSEs and adult life, and looks honestly at what can be known now, and what genuinely can’t.
I cover:
- Why “what does this mean for the future?” is such a common response to a dyscalculia diagnosis, and why nobody can answer it with certainty
- The difference between a difficulty being lifelong and being fixed — and what actually changes for a child over time
- Choosing a secondary school: what to look for beyond the maths department, and what to know about access arrangements at the 11+
- What a GCSE grade does and doesn’t determine, including alternative routes like Functional Skills Maths
- Practical support available in adulthood, including the Disabled Students’ Allowance and Access to Work
- Why helping your child find the words to advocate for themselves matters more than any single piece of information in this episode
Free companion guide: This episode’s free PDF guide brings together the questions worth asking when choosing a secondary school, along with the self-advocacy phrases from the episode. Download it at aedds.co.uk/podcast.
References mentioned in this episode:
- Department for Education. 16 to 19 funding: maths and English condition of funding
- Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
- Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition
Next time: That’s a wrap on Season 1 of Safety in Numbers. Follow and subscribe so you don’t miss the start of the next season, and if you’d like updates and resources in the meantime, there’s a sign-up link for Alice’s weekly email at aedds.co.uk/contact-email
About the podcast:Safety in Numbers is hosted by Dr Alice Earnshaw, a maths education consultant and Specific Learning Difficulties assessor. Each episode addresses a question parents commonly face when their child struggles with maths whether or not they have a formal diagnosis. Find more episodes and resources at aedds.co.uk/podcast.
Website: aedds.co.uk
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551091072526
Blogs for Parents
Case Studies
