What Is Dyscalculia and How to Spot It

Dyscalculia is a learning disorder or disability that renders an individual unable to learn and apply basic mathematics or arithmetic concepts. The condition, also known as number blindness, affects at least 6 to 7 percent of the school age population.

The life-long developmental disorder goes beyond the normal challenges most children experience with math homework from time to time. Instead, dyscalculic children find it extremely challenging to process mathematics compared to their agemates.

You'll find that these kids do well in all other subjects, but they continually get very low math scores. They may also be unable to process math-related tasks, such as counting and calculating.

Additionally, they fail to understand different quantities like big and small and can't comprehend the relationship between numerical digits and words. As a result, kids with dyscalculia find math overwhelming, frustrating, and confusing.

What Causes Dyscalculia?

According to numerous neuroimaging investigations, dyscalculia is caused by deficient neural connections in the frontal lobe and parietal lobe areas of the brain. These two areas are respectively responsible for working memory and calculating and processing numbers.

Genetics also plays a key role in the development of dyscalculia. A study shows that there's a 50 percent average likelihood for first-degree family members of a dyscalculic to also suffer from the condition. There's also a 44 percent chance that it may affect second-degree family members.

Dyscalculia may coexist with other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. In fact, 30 to 60 percent of people with dyscalculia also have dyslexia, and 10 to 20 percent have ADHD.

These conditions either cause dyscalculia or aggravate it by making it very difficult to focus on math formulas or solve complex arithmetic problems that require a strong working memory.

Other causes of dyscalculia include:

• Developmental conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome, low birth weight, or premature birth

• Traumatic learning experiences and math anxiety

• Comorbidity with Asperger's syndrome and autism

• Neurological maturation failures, brain injury, or other cognitive impairments

• Psychomotor alterations

Signs of Dyscalculia

As a specific learning disorder, dyscalculia only affects how children learn math. So, it will generally begin to show when they start school and begin learning mathematics.

Early identification allows dyscalculic children to access support and appropriate services while at school. Support can come in the form of special instructions during math lessons and other accommodations that make learning math easier.

The signs of dyscalculia can vary depending on a child's developmental stage. Here's how dyscalculia may show up at different grade levels.

Signs in Preschool Kids

• Difficulty learning how to count in the correct order. The child often forgets or skips numbers in a sequence

• Trouble recognizing number patterns, such as small and large or short and tall

• Struggle connecting numbers to objects, such that they can't count a group of things (for example, "3 cats")

• Difficulty grasping basic number concepts like the fact that the numeral “7” is the same as the word "seven"

Signs in Primary School Kids

• Trouble learning and differentiating between basic math symbols, like plus and minus

• Difficulty understanding basic math functions, like addition, subtraction, and division

• When a child keeps counting with their fingers past the acceptable age

• Struggle to understand word problems like "less than" or "more than"

• Trouble keeping up with scores during games and sports

• Difficulty memorizing time tables or reading time on an analog clock

Signs in Secondary School Kids

• A poor sense of numbers and estimation

• Trouble understanding multi-step calculation procedures and finding different approaches to math problems

• Trouble following simple recipe instructions that involve measuring ingredients

• Lack of confidence in activities that require an understanding of directions, speed, or distance

• Difficulty calculating the total cost of items and the exact change

• Increased anxiety when math tests approach or at the mention of math-related games

• Trouble keeping track of time and staying on schedule

• Difficulty comprehending information on charts or graphs

The Long-term Impact of Dyscalculia

Math skills are applicable to almost every area of a person's life. From the kitchen to the playground, at home, on the road, and later on in the workplace, basic math skills will always be necessary.

Thus, dyscalculia affects more than the child's ability to ace math tests. Without treatment, dyscalculia can incapacitate a child.

The table below shows some of the long-term effects of dyscalculia and its manifestations.

• Long-Term Effect

• Poor social skills

• Daily Manifestation

• Difficulty reading social cues

• Unwillingness to make new friends

• Unwillingness to take part in math-related after school activities

• Unwillingness to play games and sports that involve keeping scores

• Long-Term Effect

• Disrupted spatial awareness and reasoning

• Daily Manifestation

• Bumping into things because they can’t tell how far or close objects are

• Difficulty telling big and small objects apart

• Inability to remember important numbers like zip codes or phone numbers

• Incorrect judgment of the size and speed of approaching objects

• Long-Term Effect

• Poor money management skills

• Daily Manifestation

• Dyscalculic individuals find it difficult to:

• Budget

• Count bills

• Estimate costs

• Split a check

• Calculate tips

• Calculate exact change

• Long-Term Effect

• Poor time management skills

• Daily Manifestation

• Difficulty scheduling activities

• Always late or too early for appointments

• Difficulty keeping track of how much time they spend on an activity

• Difficulty reading clocks

• Long-Term Effect

• Poor sense of direction

• Daily Manifestation

• Inability to estimate the speed of another car when driving

• Inability to understand directions

• Difficulty reading and interpreting a map

• Get lost easily

Children With Dyscalculia Can Still Learn Math

Although dyscalculia will affect an individual throughout their lives, it can only be spotted once a child starts going to school.

After diagnosis, educators can put targeted learning and personalized accommodations in place to make learning math easier. These include assistive technologies and strategies that make learning math a positive, successful, and fun experience for the child.

Unfortunately, general education standards do not address or accommodate learning disorders. So, to cater to the special needs of a child struggling with dyscalculia, you’ll need to adopt a special needs program.

At Positive Action, we offer a research-backed special needs program that helps students improve their test scores in math assessments. The curriculum integrates seamlessly with core education programs to help dyscalculic students fit in and excel while in mainstream classrooms.

“Positive Action teaches children to problem-solve when situations are difficult. They learn that they can manipulate a negative situation into a positive one.” - Suzee Fujihara, Teacher at Lihikai Elementary (Lihikai, Hawaii)

The special needs program equips educators with the skills to:

• Assess special education student's needs

• Create individualized education plans (IEPs)

• Plan strategies to meet the students with the individualized education programs

• Develop intrinsic motivation

• Reduce classroom disruptions by keeping the students engaged and organized

Adopting the Positive Action special needs program makes dyscalculic children more teachable. Reach out to us for more information on the special needs program and how it can help dyscalculic children in your institution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is dyscalculia math dyslexia?

No. However, dyscalculia is sometimes mistakenly referred to as math dyslexia. The inaccurate nickname may be said to stem from the fact that dyslexia is more widely known compared to dyscalculia.

What’s the difference between dyscalculia and dyslexia?

Dyscalculia is a math-based learning disability, while dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. While dyslexia affects a child’s ability to read and write, dyscalculia affects their ability to make sense of numbers and math concepts.

Does dyscalculia affect performance in other subjects?

No, dyscalculia does not affect performance in non-mathematical subjects unless the child experiences comorbid dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Can children with dyscalculia excel at math?

Children with dyscalculia may have a hard time being on par with their peers in math class. However, a curriculum that addresses their unique needs can help them understand math and improve their test scores.