Numeracy for adults with learning disabilities: A focus on concepts of time

Being numerate is a vital skill for participating in the community and helps individuals to become active and informed citizens. Understanding concepts of time supports adults to organise and participate in crucial tasks, both at home and at work. This research explored how two adults with learning disabilities used concepts of time in their workplaces. Data were collected using observations and interviews to establish participants’ current understandings and applications of concepts of time in their workplaces, and the numeracy demands of their work tasks. Results demonstrated that participants required deep understandings of duration and succession concepts of time to be more actively involved in their workplace tasks. The findings demonstrate the need for individuals with learning disabilities to develop abstract concepts of time throughout their learning and highlight the scant attention paid to these concepts in the school curriculum. Recommendations for how to support an understanding of these important concepts within the school curriculum are made.