Dyscalculia: when numbers are hard

Dyscalculia doesn’t affect intelligence. People with it often score above average on IQ tests, and many are gifted in other areas, like the arts and problem-solving.

Dyscalculia is sometimes called a math learning disability or “math dyslexia.” In U.S. schools it falls under a “specific learning disability” in math.

In the UK, some experts describe a wider group of people with math difficulties, and use “dyscalculia” for people who unexpectedly struggle to understand numbers.

Developmental dyscalculia is present from childhood. Acquired dyscalculia can happen later in life, usually after damage to the brain that affects math skills, and may be temporary depending on the cause.

Lots of people say they’re “bad at math.” Dyscalculia is different: the struggle starts with very basic number ideas and keeps going even with good, focused teaching.

People often joke about being bad at math in a way they never would about reading. That may be one reason dyscalculia gets less attention than dyslexia.

It can look like trouble with

• Counting upward
• Matching a number to how many objects there are
• Ordering numbers, or using a number line
• Recognising numbers and math symbols
• Recognising patterns, or sorting things by shape or size

It can look like

• Counting objects one by one instead of seeing small amounts at a glance
• Not seeing that 1 + 7 and 7 + 1 are the same
• Still counting on fingers for small sums after classmates have stopped
• Trouble remembering basic math facts and times tables
• Trouble with place value and symbols like < and >

It can look like

• Adding up costs at a store
• Reading an analog clock
• Reading charts and graphs
• Struggling in algebra
• Word problems and problems with several steps

Many young adults with dyscalculia steer away from further study or jobs that involve math.

It can look like

• Counting backward
• Handling money, tips, discounts or making change
• Measuring in cooking or DIY
• Remembering PINs and phone numbers
• Working with fractions

Adults with dyscalculia can find money tasks hard, like working out a tip, a discount, interest or a bank statement.

Ideas that can help

• A calculator app you keep on your home screen
• Automatic bill payments, so fewer dates to track
• Paying by card or phone, so you don’t have to count change
• Rounding prices to the nearest dollar for a rough total

Reading analog clocks, managing time, and remembering dates and deadlines can all be affected.

Ideas that can help

• Digital clocks and phone alarms
• Reminders set the moment you hear a date
• Timers for tasks, so you can see time passing
• Writing the start and end time on a sticky note

Some people with dyscalculia find navigation, estimating speed and distance, or driving harder.

Measuring things, like ingredients in cooking, can be tricky for teens and adults with dyscalculia.

Tools people use

• Counting and measuring aids
• Scales with a clear or talking display
• Talking tape measures

People with dyscalculia can feel anxious or panicky in math situations, including during tests. Young children may have tantrums. Some fear going to school, or feel sick, sweaty or get stomachaches.

Calming ideas before math

• A slow breath out, longer than the breath in
• Doing one problem at a time, with the others covered
• Reminding yourself: “I can use tools. Tools are allowed.”
• Starting with a problem you know you can do

For some people, anxiety is the main thing getting in the way of math. When someone has struggled with very basic number ideas since they were young, dyscalculia is the more likely cause.

Children with dyscalculia benefit from patience, encouragement and support. This helps prevent low self-esteem and anxiety. Early support can also prevent long-term self-esteem problems.

Ideas that help

• Find the parts of math they enjoy or do well, and build from there
• Name strengths outside math out loud
• Praise effort and smart use of tools
• Share stories of people who learn differently

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help children and adults with the emotional effects of dyscalculia.

Dyscalculia is linked to differences in how the brain represents and processes numbers. This can make it hard to estimate an amount without counting, or to do mental math.

Dyscalculia often appears with

• ADHD
• Autism
• Dysgraphia (writing)
• Dyslexia (reading)
• Sensory processing differences

When more than one is present, each needs its own support. See Dyslexia & learning differences, ADHD: understanding it and Dysgraphia: when writing is hard.

People with dyscalculia have a higher risk of anxiety and depression. It isn’t known whether dyscalculia causes these. Either way, they need care of their own.

Dyscalculia tends to run in families. More research is still needed on exactly how.

No lab or brain scan can diagnose dyscalculia. Evaluators use a set of tests for math skills, and also look at reading, writing, working memory and processing speed.

A good evaluation looks for strengths too, not only struggles.

Part of the process is ruling out other causes, such as vision or hearing problems, or other brain or mental health conditions.

In U.S. public schools, dyscalculia can qualify as a specific learning disability in math under IDEA, the special education law. A child who qualifies can get an IEP with teaching designed for them.

Some adults have dyscalculia without knowing it. Your clinical provider can point you to a psychologist or specialist who assesses learning differences in adults.

A common approach starts with real objects, like blocks or coins. Next come drawings of the objects. Only then do students move to numbers and symbols.

Using several senses at once, like seeing, touching and saying, helps understanding stick.

Helpful teaching moves

• Check in often to make sure it makes sense
• Connect math to real life, like coins or recipes
• Have the student talk through their steps out loud
• Revisit old skills before adding new ones
• Show the task, and leave a model to look back at

Examples

• Breaking big assignments into smaller parts
• Checklists for multi-step problems
• Graph paper to keep numbers lined up
• Highlighting key words and numbers in word problems
• Reference sheets of facts and formulas

Examples

• A quiet room with few distractions
• Calculators when the test isn’t about calculating
• Extra time
• Fewer problems on each page, with space to work

Ideas to try

• Board games with dice, counting spaces out loud
• Cooking together and measuring with cups
• Counting coins into a jar
• Sorting toys or laundry into groups

Simple tools like calculators and timers help with everyday tasks. Visual aids and hands-on objects help with homework.

Try saying

• “Let’s figure this out together.”
• “Show me how you got that. I want to understand your thinking.”
• “Using your fingers or a calculator is a smart move.”
• “Your brain works differently with numbers. That’s not your fault.”

Try not to say

• “I was bad at math too, so you’ll never get it.”
• “It’s easy, just try harder.”
• “Why can’t you be more like your sister?”
• “You’re just being lazy.”

Dyscalculia isn’t caused by laziness. Words like these can add shame to a struggle that is already hard.

Ideas from the Job Accommodation Network

• Counting and measuring aids
• Large-display or talking calculators
• Math software and apps
• Talking tape measures, scales and coin counters

Examples

• A daily schedule
• A mentor
• Extra time for number-heavy tasks
• Information in more than one format
• Recaps of meetings, including recordings
• Swapping some number tasks with a coworker

To ask for changes under U.S. law, you usually need to tell your employer about your disability. You choose whether and when to do that.

JAN gives free, confidential advice about job accommodations and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Visit askjan.org or call (800) 526-7234.

Many young adults with dyscalculia avoid study or jobs with math in them. With tools and the right changes, many of those paths can still be open.

• Center for Parent Information and Resources: parentcenterhub.org (find your free state Parent Center)
• Learning Disabilities Association of America: ldaamerica.org
• Understood (from the National Center for Learning Disabilities): understood.org

In many countries, the school and your family doctor are the first stop. In the UK, the British Dyslexia Association has information on dyscalculia.