What is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder that affects people’s basic math skills and everything that involves numbers. Generally, a lot of people struggle with mathematics and different number concepts. In this specific case, children and adults face challenges with number sense like subitising, ordering, or a simple symbolic and non-symbolic comparison.
What’s important to highlight is that dyscalculia affects only the mathematical skills of a person. Thus, a child with maths difficulty can perform well in all the other subjects like language arts and history. Many reports on what dyscalculia is related to a math learning disability. However, such a diagnosis does not prevent them from living a quality and prosperous life.
Most psychologists now use the term “specific learning difficulties” for people with dyscalculia, dyslexia, ADHD and similar. In a nutshell, we all have different potentials for gaining new knowledge, including math skills.
Types of Dyscalculia
There are several types of dyscalculia based on the affected cognitive domains. The type varies depending on the individual, as all our brains are differently wired.
Regarding the cognitively affected area, we can talk about:
- Verbal dyscalculia: problem with understanding and naming mathematical concepts and operations. People with this type of dyscalculia can read and write numbers but have difficulty understanding them when exhibited verbally.
- Lexical dyscalculia: maths difficulties reading and reasoning numbers, mathematical signs and symbols. A person with dyscalculia understands mathematical concepts and numbers but struggles when writing them.
- Graphical dyscalculia: Involves troubles with writing and understanding math symbols. Children may struggle with reading, writing or using operational symbols.
- Operational dyscalculia: Describes difficulty performing verbal and written math operations and calculations. More precisely, people with this dyscalculia can understand number facts and math calculations but might have trouble performing the calculation process
Before exploring further the signs and characteristics of dyscalculia, it’s essential to emphasise that a learning difficulty does not affect general intellectual ability. In other words, with dyscalculia, you might struggle with mathematics and numbers but still live an independent and integrated life.
Signs and Symptoms of Dyscalculia
Symptoms and signs of dyscalculia can be different in each person. Some call it “math dyslexia” or “number dyslexia”, but this can be misleading as dyslexia implies a reading difficulty.
Children with dyscalculia find maths more challenging than their peers, and sometimes additional support is needed. The following lines will unlock all the possible signs of dyscalculia in both children and adults.
Signs and Symptoms of Dyscalculia in Children
Many children are not keen on math and may lack interest in numbers and mathematics, especially at an early age. However, in everyday life activities, parents can observe whether their child shows analytical skills with sorting and numbers. The following checklists can help you spot the difference in your child’s math skills, suitable for their age.
Common symptoms of maths learning disorder are:
Pre-school
- Struggle with mental math
- Problem with counting
- Trouble relating numbers to objects, like connecting that the number "two" indicates two objects or people
- Difficulty spotting patterns, such as arranging from the smallest to the largest or far and close space orientations
Primary School
- Basic math difficulties like addition and subtraction, multiplication and division
- Struggle with problem-solving maths
- Feeling uncomfortable when having maths tests at school
- Lack of intuitive grasp of numbers and mathematical reasoning
- Continues using fingers when counting instead of mental multiplication
- Lack of comprehension or confusing the signs +,-, >,<, x,y and similar
- Significant difficulty understanding maths language or solving math problems
- Problem understanding the value of digits in a number and often arranging them in the wrong order
- Difficulty recognising greater than or less than when comparing two objects
Secondary School
- Trouble reading and understanding charts, graphics or tables
- Struggles finding different methods for solving simple math problems suitable for the age
- Significant difficulty understanding multi-step equations, including a mix of operations like multiplications, divisions, addition and subtraction
- Ingredient measurements in a simple recipe can be a challenge
- Feeling insecure when following speed, distance and directions, with a chance of getting lost
- Calculating the change in a store can also be a challenge and cause insecurity
Children with developmental dyscalculia are more likely to progress and improve their maths skills when timely assessed.
Signs and Symptoms of Dyscalculia in Adults
From buying the morning coffee and money transactions to simple football games with our friends, adult dyscalculia can be a challenge in many everyday life activities, including:
- Feeling anxiety when having to do number or math tasks at work
- Trouble predicting the correct timetable when performing tasks, with a possible delay
- Simple spoken math equations seem difficult to understand
- Understanding graphs or charts can be a challenge
- Trouble counting backwards
- Challenge with arithmetic facts
- Giving different answers to the same number or math task
Adults with dyscalculia may face specific challenges when acquiring higher education. Fortunately, the correct evaluation and professional support can help adults with dyscalculia achieve their life goals.
Dyscalculia Diagnosis
How is dyscalculia diagnosed?
The assessment strategy includes different tests for children and adults and other diagnostic criteria. Most schools provide free cost evaluations for children. For a second opinion, families can contact private evaluators to precise the assessment and give additional advice and support.
Accurate dyscalculia assessment is the key to maximising the potential of people.
Possible Causes of Dyscalculia
Scientists have no exact and specific explanation of what causes developmental dyscalculia. Most theories favour neurodiversity or the difference in how brains are wired and structured. However, psychologists and education experts tend to focus on the solution rather than the cause.
Based on the genesis, there are two common types of dyscalculia:
Developmental dyscalculia- appears naturally in early childhood, and it is often related to genetics. It affects the normal development of a person’s ability to gain maths skills
Acalculia – acquired dyscalculia due to a brain injury that can differ in form and range
Whether developmental dyscalculia or an acquired condition, healthcare teams provide tailored programs to improve a person’s quality of life.
Dyscalculia Treatment
The best results for treating math learning disorders lay on early assessment and intervention. Dyscalculia treatment is most effective in early childhood as the child’s brain development is not finished yet. The treatment includes cooperation between families, schools and learning specialist teams who help create individual comprehensive programs.
These programs include one-on-one learning activities that are person-centred and focused on the affected cognitive area. The sooner you start with the treatment, the better are chances for a successful outcome.
Related Conditions with Dyscalculia
Based on the diagnostic and statistical manual, dyscalculia may co-occur with other learning disorders. Identifying the related cognitive conditions may help medical professionals to assess and treat the specific learning disorder accordingly.
Conditions that often come along with dyscalculia include:
However, there is no factual evidence that dyscalculia necessarily co-occurs with other related learning disorders. Either way, the proper support and validation of an individual’s skills can help to reach their full potential and maximise their quality of life.
Living with Dyscalculia
We live in a stressful world with rapid changes and busy daily schedules. Every one of us is fighting our silent battle while trying to become the best version of ourselves.
People coping with dyscalculia or other specific learning disorder can rely on numerous treatments and exercises to reach the best progress possible. The safest way to overcome our weaknesses is to focus on our strengths and abilities and always strive for the better.
How Leaf Complex Care Support People with Dyscalculia?
Being different means that we are all part of human diversity. As neurodiversity advocates, we celebrate neurodivergence and aim for respect, equality and humanised care.
Our professional support workers take a person-centred and tailored approach to an individual’s age and pathway. We offer academic accommodation for children and students, with a one-on-one education programme.
At Leaf Complex Care, we support and encourage people to show their talent and skills that can add value to the community and make the world a better place to live.
Career in Learning Difficulties Care
Building a career in learning difficulties care can be challenging yet the most fulfilling life experience. If you are a clinician looking for a company where you can feel like a family and expand your career, Leaf Complex Care can meet your needs.
We offer our clinicians an opportunity to grow their abilities to the highest standards and pace them towards a successful career. We provide free training for all clinicians and ensure your accomplishments are praised and awarded.
We are proud to be part of the Catalyst Care Group, recognised as Great Place To Work®. Our clinicians are our heroes, and together, as a team, we can overcome every obstacle that comes our way.
