--- title: 5 self-advocacy sentence starters for middle-schoolers with dyscalculia description: Middle-schoolers with dyscalculia may hesitate to self-advocate at school when they need help. Here are self-advocacy scripts and situations you can practice with your tween. slug: dyscalculia-self-advocacy-sentence-starters-middle-school author: Amanda Morin reviewer: Mark J. Griffin, PhD published: '2019-10-01T19:45:50.399Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/4bs9v5qkgGsSsya15cuK7H/0a051245428173f0acb8f24ca3fb928a/G1214950054.png source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/dyscalculia-self-advocacy-sentence-starters-middle-school lang: en --- # 5 self-advocacy sentence starters for middle-schoolers with dyscalculia It’s important for middle-schoolers with [dyscalculia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-dyscalculia) to learn how to [self-advocate](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-self-advocacy) and ask for help. But kids this age may be self-conscious about speaking up. They also may not know what to say. Practicing common situations like these with your child can help. ## 1. “I have an accommodation in place for that.” **The situation:** A substitute teacher doesn’t know your child uses a multiplication chart during math class. The substitute takes it away and warns your child about cheating. **Your child can go up to the substitute and say:** “I have a math learning disability and have trouble remembering the times tables. Using the multiplication chart is part of my learning plan.” **Your child can talk to the regular teacher or IEP team later and say:** “The substitute didn’t know that I use a multiplication chart and I didn’t like feeling that I was doing something wrong. Can you help make sure substitutes know my [accommodations](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/classroom-accommodations-for-dyscalculia)?” ## 2. “Can I skip being scorekeeper?” **Situation:** In gym class, all the students take turns being scorekeeper during ball games. Your child has a hard time tallying the points, especially during games in which different plays may score different numbers of points. **Your child can talk to the gym teacher before class and say:** “I know we’re playing basketball this month. It’s hard for me to tally scores quickly. Can I skip being scorekeeper or have someone else do it with me?” ## 3. “Can we talk about when it’s OK to use a basic calculator?” **Situation:** Your child struggles to remember basic math facts. It’s getting in the way of the ability to complete other types of math work, even though your child gets the concepts. **Your child can speak to the teacher and say:** “I know how to use this formula. But I get the answers wrong because I’m having trouble with the computation. Can I [use a basic calculator](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/will-using-a-calculator-prevent-my-child-from-getting-better-at-math) for homework that requires me to show how to use the formulas?” ## 4. “Can I please not have to explain my work in front of the class?” **The situation:** Your child’s science class is practicing for the science fair. The experiment poster and work are done, but it took a long time to work through understanding the mathematical language and concepts. Your child isn’t confident about explaining it to the class. **Your child can say to the teacher before class:** “Is it OK if I just hand out copies of my poster? The charts I created tell the whole story. I worked hard on them, and I’m proud, but I’m just not sure I can explain it out loud.” ## 5. “Can I keep my phone with me to know what time it is?” **The situation:** Your child has trouble reading the analog clocks in the classroom and struggles to keep track of how much time is left to get classwork done. **Your child can say to the teacher:** “Is it OK if I keep my phone with me just to be able to read the time? I’ll turn the ringer and notification sounds off.” **Your child can say to you or the IEP team:** “I know there’s a ‘no cell phones in class’ policy. If I can’t keep mine with me, is there another way to make sure there’s a digital clock available for me in class?” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/dyscalculia-self-advocacy-sentence-starters-middle-school#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/dyscalculia-self-advocacy-sentence-starters-middle-school","description":"Middle-schoolers with dyscalculia may hesitate to self-advocate at school when they need help. 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