Experts shed light on ‘dyslexia for maths’
Many Australians suffer a learning disability that disrupts an area of the brain related to numbers.
You probably haven’t heard of dyscalculia, but odds are that somebody you know has this condition – whether they know about it or not.
Dyscalculia, which is related to dyslexia, is a learning disability that relates to numbers and mathematical equations, and it can manifest in various forms and degrees of severity.
It affects a person’s ability to perform basic arithmetic tasks, understand number sequences, and grasp mathematical symbols.
Experts estimate it affects up to one in seven Australians.
Among them is Tasmanian artist, Alfie Barker, who says it affects his social life, because people “find it odd” that he can’t, for example, visualise two centimetres.
Australian Dyslexia Association (ADA) president, Jodi Clements, told the ABC that unidentified dyscalculia and other learning conditions can have long-lasting consequences from childhood through to older age.
Ms Clements said her own unidentified dyscalculia knocked around her confidence at school, and even today there are no clear guidelines for screening and a dearth of information that is publicly available.
Chris Long, from Queensland, shared his experiences in 2022, saying, “I’ll be looking at the number four, but it doesn’t read as a four. I’ll remember it as a six.
“I’ll sometimes struggle to interpret a table or graph, to assign that value to that number.”
Neuroscientist Brian Butterworth, who has studied dyscalculia for 20 years, said there were a few myths surrounding it.
“It’s quite a distinct condition from being bad at maths in the same way dyslexia is different from just being bad at reading,” he said. “Even very basic number tasks will be difficult for dyscalculics. For example, if you show them four dots on a display and ask how many there are, they'll have to stop and count them.”
Dysclaculia is a lifelong condition, typically first identified in childhood but it can go unnoticed for years, particularly in cases where individuals develop coping mechanisms or avoid situations that involve mathematics.
Therefore, people in their senior years may have the condition without knowing it.
People with dyscalculia may have difficulty:
- Understanding numbers and their relationships
- Performing simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division
- Estimating quantities or understanding time and money concepts
- Following sequences or steps in solving problems
- Remembering mathematical facts, such as multiplication tables or number formulas.
While research is ongoing, possible causes of dyscalculia include genetics (it tends to run in families), atypical brain development, and environmental factors, such as prenatal exposure to toxins or malnutrition.
Children who suffer brain injuries or neurological problems may also be more susceptible to dyscalculia.
While it is increasingly being identified among school children, it is by no means limited to the young.
Author, academic, and documentary maker Paul Moorcraft hid his dyscalculia until he was 50.
Among his work is the book, It Just Doesn’t Add Up, in which he coined the phrase, “Just because you can’t count doesn’t mean you don’t count.”
“Maths teachers threw board dusters at me. I was in detention every night for being late or playing the clown,” he said of his school years.
“Being asked to do mental arithmetic in class was like being put in front of a firing squad. As an adult, I’d count on my fingers under the table. “But you can succeed. I’ve written 50 books.”
Related reading: ABC, ABC2, dyscalculia.org
