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Dyscalculia is a learning disability in math. People with dyscalculia have trouble with math at many levels. They often struggle with key concepts like bigger vs. smaller. And they can have a hard time doing basic math problems and more abstract math.

Snapshot: What dyscalculia is

Dyscalculia is a condition that makes it hard to do math and tasks that involve math. It's not as well known or as understood as dyslexia. But some experts believe it's just as common. That means an estimated 5 to 10 percent of people might have dyscalculia.

There are different terms for dyscalculia. Mathematics learning disability is one. Mathematics learning disorder is another. Some people call it math dyslexia or number dyslexia. This can be misleading. Dyslexia is a challenge with reading. Dyscalculia is a challenge with math.

People don't outgrow dyscalculia. Kids who have a hard time with math may continue to struggle with it as adults. But there are strategies that can help them improve math skills and manage the challenges.

Difficulty with math happens at all levels. It can be as hard to learn addition as it is to learn algebra. Basic concepts like quantities can also be a challenge.

That's why dyscalculia can make it hard to do everyday tasks. Cooking, grocery shopping, and getting places on time all involve these basic math skills, which are known as number sense.

Dyscalculia signs and symptoms

People with dyscalculia can have trouble with math in different ways. Signs may vary from person to person. And they can look different at different ages.

Problems with number sense may show up as early as preschool in some people. In other people, the challenges become clear as math gets more complex in school.

Common signs of dyscalculia include trouble:

Grasping the meaning of quantities or concepts like biggest vs. smallest

Understanding that the numeral 5 is the same as the word five, and that these both mean five items

Remembering math facts in school, like times tables

Counting money or making change

Estimating time

Judging speed or distance

Understanding the logic behind math

Holding numbers in their head while solving problems

Some people overlook dyscalculia as just being "bad at math." But it's a real challenge that's based in biology, just like dyslexia is.

Possible causes of dyscalculia

Researchers don't know exactly what causes dyscalculia. But they believe it's at least partly due to differences in how the brain is structured and how it functions.

Here are two possible causes of dyscalculia:

Genes and heredity: Dyscalculia tends to run in families. Research shows that genetics may also play a part in problems with math.

Brain development: Brain imaging studies have shown some differences between people with and without dyscalculia. The differences have to do with how the brain is structured and how it functions in areas that are linked to learning skills.

Researchers aren't just looking into what causes dyscalculia. They're also trying to learn if there are strategies that can help "rewire" the brain to make math easier.

How dyscalculia is diagnosed

The only way to get a diagnosis is through an evaluation. This can happen at any age. Evaluators use different tests for adults than for kids.

Kids can get an evaluation for free at school. There are also specialists who do private evaluations of kids and adults. Private evaluations can be costly. But there are local resources that offer free or low-cost evaluations.

Evaluators use a set of tests just for dyscalculia. But evaluations also involve testing for other challenges. That's partly because people with dyscalculia often also struggle in other areas, like reading or working memory. But evaluations don't just point out challenges. They also show strengths.

A diagnosis (schools use the word identification) lets kids get supports and services at school. For example, kids might get special instruction in math. The school might also give accommodations to make learning math easier.

Adults with dyscalculia may get accommodations at work. The law requires employers to give supports to people with disabilities. That includes people with learning disabilities.

A diagnosis of dyscalculia can sound scary. But many people find it a relief to know that their challenges with math are real. Plus, getting the right supports can help them thrive in school, work, and everyday life.

Educators: Do you have a student who's struggling with math or who has an IEP for dyscalculia?

About the author

About the author

The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers and editors. Many of them have kids who learn and think differently.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Daniel Ansari, PhD is a professor in developmental cognitive neuroscience at Western University, Canada.

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Dyscalculia is a math learning disability that makes it hard to make sense of and work with numbers. Read about what dyscalculia means, symptoms, and how to help.

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Find the right classroom accommodations for your student.

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Learning Style Survey

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EducationPlanner.org, a public service of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), offers practical and easy-to-understand advice and information on how to deal with common financial situations facing today's college students and recent graduates.

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Chapter 9

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Providing teachers with examples and free information about using Thinking Maps® and other graphic organizers in the K-12 classroom.

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Modifications for Special Education Students

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V2-1: Discussing Common Misperceptions about Accommodations

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A special education teacher and math teacher discuss common misperceptions about accommodations. The special education teacher explains how accommodations "level the playing field" for students with disabilities rather than giving them an unfair advantage. The teachers then discuss which accommodations may be useful for the student.

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Disability Types and Characteristics Part 2

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Disability Types and Characteristics Part 2

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Songs that Teach Advanced Math Facts and Concepts: Upper-Level Math and Algebra

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Children's Songs and Educational Music for preschool, elementary, middle and high school. Lyrics, mp3 downloads, DVDs and CDs.

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Disability Types and Characteristics Part 1

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Disability Types and Characteristics Part 1

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Each day, the millions of children with learning disabilities face tasks that, for reasons unknown to them, never become automatic and always seem to stand in the way of their progress as students. For parents and teachers of a struggling child, the picture is not much clearer or any less frustrating. Specific learning problems are difficult to identify; their causes are generally unknown; and the long-term effects are hard to predict.

Learn to recognize and understand different types of learning disabilities in order to thoughtfully and efficiently take the best course of action for a struggling learner.
Choose an area of difficulty:

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Each day, the millions of children with learning disabilities face tasks that, for reasons unknown to them, never become automatic and always seem to stand in the way of their progress as students. For parents and teachers of a struggling child, the picture is not much clearer or any less frustrating.

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Head Start Center for Inclusion | Head Start Center for Inclusion

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Our overarching goal is to increase the competence, confidence, and effectiveness of personnel in Head Start programs to include children with disabilities. Look here for training materials, tools for teachers and coordinators, as well as other resources.

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Using Learning Styles to Pick Accommodations

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Using Learning Styles to Pick Accommodations

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Have you ever been curious about the way your child learns best? While it's probably inaccurate to say that a given child has just one learning style, figuring out a dominant learning strength can help things like homework and school go a tad more easily. Once you know your child's style, you can help present information to him in a way that matches his style, making it easier for him to learn.

Online Learning Style Tests

An online learning test can be a helpful tool in discovering your child's learning strengths. It should never be considered an official evaluation as the online format is limited in its ability to truly assess your child's strengths. These tests typically come in one of two formats. Some tests have a child rate how much an activity appeals to them or which statement best describes them, and other tests ask children to simply check off any activities that appeal to them.

School Family offers a simple 12-question test where your child checks off his interests to determine his learning style.

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Edutopia's "What's Your Learning Style?" quiz, asks children to rate how well each of 24 statements describes them to assess learning preferences.

What Is My Learning Style offers three different tests to really hone in on your learning style.

LoveToKnow offers a quick quiz in which you can answer questions about your child based on your observations.

Other Learning Inventories and Assessments

The departments of education in many states have recognized the importance of knowing a student's learning style, and therefore, incorporate learning inventories into resource packets for parents of preschool and kindergarten aged children or incorporate learning styles inventories into state exams. Some examples include:

Iowa and Arkansas use the Qualls Early Learning Inventory to provide parents and teachers of children in grades PK-1 with an individual learning profile for each student. Teachers complete inventories while observing students.

Kidtelligent is a program that takes your child's learning style and personality and uses it to help you choose suitable activities and goals for your child. The program includes specific strategies to help your child set and reach goals based on his personality and learning style.

The 4Mat System teaches teachers and parents how to respond to a student's learning style. It contains a learning styles inventory that focuses on how students receive and process information, then offers unique teaching strategies to accommodate each student's style.

What the Results Mean

Most results focus on the three main learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic/tactile. Some tests include other learning styles or multiple intelligences along with the results.

Visual learners learn by seeing and reading. They learn best through textbooks, pictures, diagrams or demonstrations they can observe.

Auditory learners excel through listening and speaking. Auditory learners will do well in a lecture hall atmosphere, by listening to tapes or music.

Kinesthetic or tactile learners learn best through touching and doing. Hands-on activities work well for this type of learner, and a tactile learner tends to do well with manual dexterity tasks.

No matter which learning style a child has - visual, auditory or tactile - a combination of teaching styles can be effective since most people have a little of each style and are dominant in one area. Knowing what type of learner a child is makes teaching and learning much easier.

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Learning Style Test for Children | LoveToKnow

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Have you ever been curious about the way your child learns best? While it's probably inaccurate to say that a given child has just one learning style, figuring out a dominant learning strength can help things like homework and school go a tad more easily.

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NCEO - National Center on Educational Outcomes

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V2-2: Identifying Students' Accommodation Needs

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NCEO - National Center on Educational Outcomes

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Our Learning Disability Accommodations Finder helps students achieve the Common Core Standards while holding those students the same expectations as peers.

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By Eve Kessler, Esq. with Michele Schneider, MS

AT A GLANCE

Accommodations and modifications are tools used by your child's IEP team to help level the playing field for kids with learning difficulties * Understanding the differences-along with what the options are- can help ensure that your child's needs are met at school

The difference between success and failure for students with LD and ADHD often comes down to how effectively the curriculum is adapted to individual needs. Accommodations and modifications are the tools used by the IEP team to achieve that end.

Accommodations

Accommodations allow a student to complete the same tasks as their non-LD peers but with some variation in time, format, setting, and/or presentation. The purpose of an accommodation is to provide a student with equal access to learning and an equal opportunity to show what he knows and what he can do.

Accommodations are divided into four categories:

Variations in time: adapting the time allotted for learning, task completion, or testing

Variation of input: adapting the way instruction is delivered

Variation of output: adapting how a student can respond to instruction

Variation of size: adapting the number of items the student is expected to complete

Common examples of accommodations include extended time to complete assignments, provision of notes or outlines, untimed tests, and reduced number of test questions.

Modifications

Unlike accommodations, which do not change the instructional level, content, or performance criteria, modifications alter one or more of those elements on a given assignment. Modifications are changes in what students are expected to learn, based on their individual abilities.

Examples of modifications include use of alternate books, pass/no pass grading option, reworded questions in simpler language, daily feedback to a student.
Eve Kessler, Esq., a criminal appellate attorney with The Legal Aid Society, NYC, is co-founder of SPED*NET Wilton and a Contributing Editor of Smart Kids.
Related Smart Kids Topics

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IEP Planning: Accommodations & Modifications | Smart Kids

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By Eve Kessler, Esq. with Michele Schneider, MS Accommodations and modifications are tools used by your child's IEP team to help level the playing field for kids with learning difficulties * Understanding the differences-along with what the options are- can help ensure that your child's needs are met at school The difference between success and failure for students with LD and ADHD often comes down to how effectively the curriculum is adapted to individual needs.

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Interactive Study Guide

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Engaging techniques for effective teaching

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Engaging techniques for effective teaching For every tool you'll find: An explanation of how and when to use it A template students can use to implement the tool A place to take notes about how you use each tool We're also adding videos that will show you the strategies in action.

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Bookshare Customer Support is experiencing very high call and email volume due to a particularly complex back-to-school season. We appreciate your patience as we address your questions as quickly as possible.

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Bookshare Customer Support is experiencing very high call and email volume due to a particularly complex back-to-school season. We appreciate your patience as we address your questions as quickly as possible.

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Learning Ally solutions help struggling readers through audiobooks & support services for educators, parents, and students dealing with dyslexia. Reading accommodations

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NELIL

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Educators know that teaching children with disabilities is so much more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. State and federal laws regarding special education are complex, confusing, and worst of all, constantly changing.

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Accommodations that Support the Cognitive G's

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Accommodations that Support the Cognitive G's

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Special Education 101