Dyscalculia
Intro
It’s not unusual to hear people say they are “bad at maths” or “I don’t like maths”. For some this might stem from a bad experience at school to a genuine fear of numbers – arithmophobia is a very real thing. For many students and adults though, difficulties with mathematics and numeracy stem from a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), dyscalculia.
Where as Dyslexia manifests as difficulty deciphering and processing letters and words, people with dycalculia have difficulty processing numbers and developing the skills associated with numeracy. This can vary in extremity, from students who require a little bit longer to perform calculations to those whose dyscalculia inhibits their daily life.
According to the British Dyslexia Association (which helps those with dyscalculia), it “often co-occurs with other specific learning difficulties, mathematics anxiety and medical conditions” BDA/SASC (2019).
Features of Dyscalculia
Like Dyslexia, there is enormous variety in how Dyscalculia affects and presents in individuals. There are, however, some common features:
- Difficulty in grasping relationships between numbers
- Difficulty in estimating an answer before undertaking a calculation
- Difficulty counting backwards
- Lack of confidence when dealing with numbers
- Difficulty in understanding the role of zero and place value
- Inability to calculate at the same rate as their peers
- Avoidance of mathematical calculations if possible
- Increased anxiety when faced with a maths problem
(Source: BDA Biodiversity and Co-occuring differences)
What can help?
As we can see dyscalculia can pose a real problem, particularly when it is a part of a mandatory assessment, such as school entrance examinations or GCSE. The good news is that we are getting better at recognising and supporting dyscalculia than ever before. Here are some things that can help:
- A clinical diagnosis of suspected dyscalculia can help clarify what individual and specific issues a learner faces. Educational Psychologists can provide a clinical analysis of a child’s learning process and advise on the best course. An investigation usually costs about £350
- This online screener assessment from GL assessments is designed to assess children aged 6-14
- Communication with the school. Schools are getting much better at recognising dyscalculia but they often lack specialist support. Communicating your concerns with your child’s maths teacher and the school SENCO can help get the ball moving
- Specialised one-to-one support from an experienced dyscalculia tutor can help to build confidence and improve approaches to maths
Final Thoughts
We hope you have found these thoughts useful. If you suspect you have dyscalculia, or your child does, we recommend you speak with a professional clinician in the first instance. We have specialist SEN tutors, including for dyscalculia, who will be able to provide specialist, targetted support. It’s important to remember that not everyone with dyscalculia requires the same support, so the more information you have regarding the specific condition, the more targetted the support can be.
Further Reading
The Dyslexia Association – Useful information relating to Dyscalculia
The British Dyslexia Association – An informative document outlining reading useful research
Dyscalculia.me – A comprehensive, specialist website for parents by parents
