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Mathematics is a difficult subject due to its abstract nature. For a section of the population, it is even more challenging.

With math and the use of numbers being a foundation for many everyday scenarios, it is taught as a foundation in schools all over the world.

Number dyslexia is unfortunately often misunderstood and under-prioritized in children and adults. Nearly as common as word and language dyslexia, dyscalculia, to give it its proper name, is studied far less and diagnosed inconsistently.

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A definition of dyscalculia

Number dyslexia is a term sometimes used to describe difficulties with math. The word “dyslexia” isn’t entirely correct, as that’s a problem with word reading and spelling. Dyscalculia is the proper name for trouble understanding numbers and arithmetic.

Dyscalculia has no single definition and has no specific legal classification in the US except that it is recognized as a specific learning disability by the Department of Education and under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

A comprehensive definition of dyscalculia appeared in a paper in the International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health by Soares and Patel. It helps to break this down. Dyscalculia can be described as:

  • Current academic skills in math are well below the average range in culturally and linguistically appropriate tests.
  • [The condition can] not be better explained by developmental, neurological, sensory, or motor disorders.
  • [It] Significantly interferes with academic achievement, occupational performance, or activities of daily living.

As we can see, dyscalculia or number dyslexia is considered a condition in its own right and not a symptom of some other disorder. It can be an issue that affects many areas of a person’s life.

How many people are affected by dyscalculia?

Like other learning difficulties, problems with numbers can be thought of as a spectrum. True dyscalculia is at the end. Dyscalculia affects three to six percent of school children, rising to 26 percent when factoring in weaker forms of arithmetic development. Similar numbers of the US adult population are affected.

Lots of people who have issues understanding math also have other conditions. This can include dyslexia and difficulties with attention, processing, information retrieval, and working memory. Other issues like math anxiety are often present, which causes the brain to freeze when presented with a calculation task.

These factors can be compounded by school absence, stigma, and teaching practices for children and adolescents. Similar issues affect adults with dyscalculia, such as problems gaining employment, maintaining an occupation, and managing personal finances.

Can number dyslexia be diagnosed?

Dyscalculia appears in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the categorization and diagnostic framework published by the American Psychiatric Association, as a specific learning disability. There is no associated tool for the diagnosis of dyscalculia, though, except to say that education facilities should provide assistance where a specific learning disability is present.

The lack of a national or international standard diagnostic tool for so-called number dyslexia is just one way in which those with the condition often find themselves “slipping through the cracks both at school and at the doctor’s office”. Even less is written about adults with dyscalculia.

The British Dyslexia Association says, “It is estimated that research and understanding of dyscalculia are about 30 years behind that of dyslexia.” We mention Great Britain because the University of London has been pioneering approaches to dyscalculia.

Professor Brian Butterworth of the University of London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience is one of the most preeminent academics to have studied dyscalculia. His Dyscalculia Screener is a computer-based model that can be applied to individual pupils and groups of scholars aged 6 to 14 years.

Several other tools have been developed that can be applied by health and psychiatry professionals, educators, and individuals to identify dyscalculia. A comprehensive list of these can be found at dyscalculia.org, a nonprofit educational organization for people with an SLD relating to numbers and math.

Supporting a child with dyscalculia

Aside from the additional school help and tuition required for a child or adolescent with dyscalculia, parental support can be invaluable. The application of educational and home-based learning and assistance is, of course, very different in certain aspects, but some of the core principles are:

  • Addressing anxiety and recognizing signs of depression in the child who may be struggling. Recognizing when the child struggles, offering praise and taking breaks whenever necessary.
  • Focusing on mathematical games and puzzles to disassociate the notion that math is difficult, theoretical, and dull. At home, this may mean incorporating calculation and memorizing key math facts into everyday activities such as shopping.
  • Not overloading dyscalculic students. For teachers, reducing homework volume and expectations, and for parents, dedicating a timetable to assist with tasks sent for completion outside of the school.

Support for adults with dyscalculia

Adults usually need to identify their resources for dyscalculia, but this may be in conjunction with a partner, friend, family member, or caregiver. Often these will be relatively simple and practical tools for activities of daily living but also application in the place of work as appropriate. Some examples are:

  • Developing reference points in everyday scenarios. For example, from understanding that a can of soda should not be more than a dollar through to how much monthly expenses are about a monthly paycheck.
  • Help understand and conceptualize travel distances and times, the time of day when reading a clock, adding together and estimating grocery bills when in a store, and understanding deadlines and how long is left to complete tasks.
  • Taking a calculator everywhere might be needed and making the most of technology – apps and tools for banking and financial matters but also for practicing math skills.
  • Not being afraid to tell others about the issue or build confidence. This might be making light of it with chums but also approaching a manager or HR professional to make them aware of potential difficulties.

There is a need to recognize that dyscalculia, though known for decades, has only recently begun to receive the attention it deserves. Time, understanding, and patience are required. And if that means describing dyscalculia as “number dyslexia” to help others understand the condition.