Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a type of learning difficulty that can make it difficult to understand and work with numbers. Dyscalculia can impact your daily life and development. But getting support may help you improve your maths skills and manage any difficulties you have.

Dyscalculia affects around 6 in every 100 people.

It can be difficult to know you have dyscalculia because lots of people have difficulties with maths – as many as 25 in every 100 people (which is a quarter of the population). But dyscalculia is a specific and life-long difficulty that affects both adults and children. How much it affects people varies between individuals and it can vary through your life too, depending on things like your age, experience and opportunities. The environment you live in, and if you have any other learning difficulties can also affect how dyscalculia affects you.

The difficulty you have with maths from dyscalculia can be at all levels – anything from learning how to add up as a child to learning algebra. Concepts like quantities can also be a challenge so it becomes hard to do everyday tasks. Cooking, grocery shopping, and getting to places on time all involve basic maths skills. But there are strategies that can help you improve your maths skills and manage the challenges.

Conditions associated with dyscalculia

Some people with dyscalculia also have other health conditions and difficulties. These include:

• other specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia
• maths anxiety
• attention deficit disorder (ADHD)
• autism spectrum disorder

No one knows exactly what causes dyscalculia. But it’s thought to be caused by differences in brain function that affect understanding, sequencing and processing numbers.

Dyscalculia tends to run in families.

Sometimes signs of dyscalculia show up in nursery-age children but sometimes the signs only become noticeable later when maths gets more complex in school. Signs of dyscalculia may include difficulties with:

• understanding quantities such as bigger versus smaller
• understanding maths language
• remembering number facts such as times tables
• remembering how to do calculations
• reading and writing numbers, place value and decimals
• processing speed – it can take longer for your brain to process numbers
• estimating measurements or money
• telling the time, and judging time, speed or distance (these issues can lead to difficulty in planning travel or being on time)
• counting or holding numbers in your head

If you or your child has dyscalculia, you might struggle to grasp mathematical rules or concepts. For example, you may be able to perform a number task through memorising it after repeating it several times. This is known as rote learning. But you may be unable to explain what you’re doing or why.

If you’re an adult with dyscalculia, you might struggle to see relationships between numbers and appreciate their values. This can affect how you get on with everyday tasks. For example, you might:

• find it difficult to understand a restaurant bill or check if a receipt is correct
• struggle to manage a budget – for example, you may not understand that £14.99 is less than £20
• not be able to remember pin numbers or telephone numbers
• not understand nutritional health information on food packets
• find baking and cooking challenging because of the timing or measuring or if you need to alter recipes for different portion numbers

If you notice any signs of dyscalculia in your child or recognise any in yourself, it’s important to get an assessment so you can receive the support you or your child needs.

Dyscalculia can affect you throughout your childhood and adulthood, and you can be diagnosed at any age.

If you have a child showing signs of maths difficulties, they’ll receive an informal assessment to find out where they’re struggling the most. This is often done in schools by someone with experience in learning disabilities – for example, a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) assessor. If they suspect dyscalculia, the school might refer your child for formal assessment. This will be done by a psychologist or other qualified professional.

If you’re an adult and think you might have dyscalculia, there are online programmes to screen for it that you could try. But these programmes cannot diagnose dyscalculia, they can only suggest you might show characteristics similar to it. To get a formal diagnosis, you’ll need to see a qualified dyscalculia specialist assessor.

The earlier you’re diagnosed, the sooner you can learn ways to manage your learning difficulty.

Support for children

If you have a child with dyscalculia, they’ll need some extra support in school and at home when they do schoolwork with numbers. All mainstream schools must have a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO). This person may be a qualified teacher or headteacher at the school and they can coordinate this care.

Things that might help your child with dyscalculia include the following.

• A tutor. Your child may find one-to-one tutoring from a maths professional helpful. Aim to choose a tutor with experience of dyscalculia, who can understand your child’s needs and offer new ways to approach maths.
• A learning assistant in maths class. Having someone who can explain things further and answer questions can make a big difference. Ask your school if it’s an option for your child.
• Maths equipment. Certain tools and technology can help with maths learning. For example, a calculator they know how to use, graph paper with columns, and maths apps and games to help with learning.
• Extra time in tests. If your child has dyscalculia, they may need some extra time to process maths problems and work things out. They should be entitled to extra time in maths exams.

Psychological support for maths anxiety

Your child may have maths anxiety if they face the challenges of dyscalculia. This can happen if they worry and get anxious when they need to do maths-related tasks. Maths anxiety can often take over and make it hard to concentrate, which can affect learning further. This can be managed by strategies to deal with anxiety. A psychological professional can help with this.

It’s important to boost your child’s self-esteem in maths because this can also help reduce their anxiety. Ask your child what they struggle with and how best you can help. Acknowledge their strengths and let them know that their learning difficulty is nothing to be ashamed of.

Help your child to have fun with numbers too, and to see how they help us in different aspects of life.

Support for adults

If you’re an adult with dyscalculia and in employment, you may need some extra support at work.

Dyscalculia meets the criteria to be classified as a cognitive impairment. Because it can have a substantial and long-term effect on day-to-day activities, it can be recognised as a disability under the Equality Act 2010. This will provide protection for you in your job. Ask your employer for a workplace health needs assessment to get the extra support you need.

Types of support that may help you include:

• use of a calculator and digital clock
• extra time for numerical tasks
• support from colleagues for certain tasks
• assistive technology

Children

There are ways you can help support your child at home and get them comfortable with maths.

For example, with young children:

• play sports such as football to reinforce maths concepts (for example, to keep score)
• read books that have content to build maths skills
• play board games that help build maths skills, and games with dice and dominoes so they can recognise common dot patterns
• cook and bake together

For older children:

• make use of technology such as apps and games to help build skills
• set pre-set phone reminders and alarms to help them keep track of time
• always provide access to multiplication grids to reduce the stress of having to remember them
• use pencils (so mistakes can be erased)
• use mathematical language with your child so they become more familiar with it

The British Dyslexia Association has information and resources for parents on how to support your child with maths homework.

Adults

Life can be challenging with dyscalculia because we all need maths to carry out everyday tasks. But there are things you can do to help you live with the condition. These include the following.

• Use a debit card or phone to pay for shopping instead of using cash.
• Make a schedule to help combat challenges telling the time. Either write your day out on a planner or set up appointment reminders in your smartphone calendar.
• Leave early for appointments to give yourself extra time for things like traffic. This will help to reduce any travel anxiety. And use the map on your smartphone to help you go in the right direction.

Other helpful websites

• The Brain Charity

Discover other helpful health information websites.