Dyscalculia - British Dyslexia Association (2024)

FAQs

Is dyscalculia a disability in the UK? ›

Specific learning differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia are all classified as a disability under the terms of this Act. It is unlawful to discriminate against anyone on the basis of their disability. Individuals are entitled to receive reasonable adjustments to help them overcome their difficulties.

Dyscalculia and dyslexia often share underlying problems with attention, visual and working memory, and studies estimate a third to 75 percent of students with dyscalculia also have dyslexia, dysgraphia, or attention deficits.

The only way to be absolutely certain about whether a person has dyscalculia or not, is to have a one-to-one session with a psychologist who specialises in dyscalculia.

An estimated 25% of people have maths learning difficulties which can be caused either by other neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia or external issues such as a traumatic learning experience related to maths or school absence etc. 60% of individuals with dyslexia will have difficulties with maths.

Love of words – people with dyscalculia are often exceptional at reading writing and spelling. Intuitive thinking – people with dyscalculia are good at interpreting reality and processing knowledge experiences and signs around them.

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder, which means it only affects how children learn math. A child with dyscalculia may do well in other subjects — like English or history — and still struggle in classes that use math.

Costs. Full diagnostic assessment (no prior screening): £550.00, which increases to £750 if there also needs to be more of a focus on literacy, so a joint dyslexia and dyscalculia diagnostic assessment. This will be dependent on background information provided.

Unfortunately, although dyscalculia is a recognised medical condition, it does not readily come under the ambit of GPs or the NHS, not least because it is genetic in origin and therefore (as already noted) there is no cure that can be offered. However this does not mean that dyscalculic people cannot be helped.

Researchers now sometimes use the terms "math dyslexia" or "math learning disability" when they mention the condition.

Dyscalculia and autism

Individuals with autism may also struggle with maths concepts, and dyscalculia is more prevalent in individuals with autism than in the general population. However, autism does not cause dyscalculia, and individuals with dyscalculia do not necessarily have autism.

Does dyscalculia have a spectrum? ›

Dyscalculia falls at one end of the spectrum and will be distinguishable from other maths issues due to the severity of difficulties with number sense, including subitising, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, and ordering.

Some adults with severe dyscalculia can even be very good at geometry and using statistical packages, and capable of doing college-level computer programming. So it doesn't affect all mathematical abilities or skills.

This is similar to the term 'dyslexia' that can be translated as 'badly reading. ' Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability with an impairment in mathematics, which can affect calculations, problem solving, or both.

Around 1.5 million people in England have a learning disability. The Government and NHS England are working to reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability and have established national programmes to improve care and outcomes.

The Equality Act says you have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial, adverse, and long-term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Because the Equality Act 2010 classifies dyslexia as a disability, all employers are duty-bound to make reasonable adjustments for candidates and employees. The types of reasonable adjustments may include giving extra time for tasks and providing assistive technology like captioning and note-taking software.