Laurie speaks with math tutor Heide Putt, founder of Mathtastic, about the three main categories of math struggle she sees in students: knowledge gaps, dyscalculia (a true math learning disability), and math anxiety.

Heide shares how her background education shaped her approach, and how specialized dyscalculia training transformed the way she teaches.

Laurie revisits her conversation with Dr. Sandra Elliott of Touch Math, a multi-sensory math program using touch points to help struggling learners connect abstract numbers to physical objects.

She explains the science behind dyscalculia and how Touch Math's structured approach bridges concrete and abstract thinking for students who find math challenging.

Laurie and Abbey chat with Cindy Palmer from STEM Tutoring, a specialist in dyscalculia.

Cindy shares her journey from high school biology teacher to one-on-one therapist, focusing on helping adolescents with math-related learning challenges.

Laurie and Abbey welcome Dr. Sandra Elliott from Touch Math to discuss her work with dyscalculia and the origins of the Touch Math program. Dr. Elliott shares how the program was developed in 1975 to help students with autism understand math through concrete objects and visual aids.