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You know about dyslexia — what about dyscalculia?

October 16, 2013
Almost everyone has heard of dyslexia, or knows someone who is dyslexic. Dyslexia literally refers to any disability that makes it difficult to read. The list of symptoms is as long as the list of testing instruments used in diagnosing the disorder. Estimates of affected people range from 6 percent to as high as 17 percent of the general population. The prevalence of the diagnosis has spawned an entire industry devoted to diagnosis, teacher training and parent support.
Few people on the street, however, would be familiar with the term dyscalculia, the parallel disorder affecting numeracy, or basic arithmetic skills, which occurs with similar frequency. Just as dyslexic students struggle with grasping the fundamental building blocks of reading, so do those with dyscalculia struggle with the fundamental relationships between numbers. While there are connections between dyslexia and dyscalculia, dyscalculia is distinguished by distinct deficiencies in numerical cognition.
A recent article by Carlin Flora described an otherwise bright, high achieving young college woman with dyscalculia who, at the age of 17, still counted on her fingers, did not know her multiplication tables, could not understand fractions and couldn't make simple change. Another interesting hallmark of the disability is the impaired ability to look at two groups of similar objects and quickly identify which is larger. Similarly, the relative placement of numbers on a number line is a challenge — identifying two numbers that are close in value, versus two that that are not, can be very difficult.
Fourteen times as many studies on reading disabilities are published as those looking at math disabilities. If Amazon titles are indicative of general book publications, nearly 20 times more books are written about reading disabilities than math disabilities. Why is this? Neuroscientist Daniel Ansari conjectures that the disparity may be partially explained by our own social norms.
In general, people are comfortable admitting that they struggle with math. How often do we hear someone cavalierly announce that they are “bad” at math? Very few people, however, publicly announce they have trouble reading. Literacy is a necessity of successful living, and a great deal of shame surrounds illiteracy. Math disabilities are not given that same status. Sadly, this lack of attention has left millions of children miserable, undiagnosed and unable to progress with their math skills. Since these children often do well in other academic areas, their math disabilities are sometimes attributed to laziness and lack of perseverance. Teachers who have worked with children with severe math disabilities know that it takes more than perseverance and a good attitude for students to cope with the limitations imposed by dyscalculia.
As neuroscientists learn more about the biological roots of dyscalculia, improved teaching strategies and a more widespread acceptance of the diagnosis should follow. As years of work with dyslexic students has shown, early intervention that patiently develops the building blocks of language and reading significantly improves outcomes, so too can dyscalculia be addressed. As the national dialogue about improving math scores continues, educators should look to this diagnosis and give it the attention it deserves. None of us should be so comfortable dismissing our math skills or those of others. Basic math skills are, like literacy, essential to an independent and productive life.
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