Math Learning Disability as Common as Dyslexia
Research has found that dyscalculia, a learning disability focused around number and math concepts, is as common as dyslexia. Christie Nicholson reports
SUBSCRIBE TO 60-Second Mind
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
The quadratic equation may have instilled horror in many of us. But for some 5 to 7 percent of the population even basic math—like the concept of the numbers 5 and 7—causes anxiety. You may never have heard of the disorder called dyscalculia, yet it’s as common as dyslexia, according to research in the journal Science.
Dyscalculia means “counting badly” which is ironic since those who suffer from it need to count often. Here’s what I mean: They can only tell that a playing card is a number eight by counting the number of objects on the card. If asked to count down from 10 they count up from 1 to 10, then 1 to 9, then 1 to 8, etcetera. Paying with cash is a nightmare. Estimates are hard, too. Asked the height of a room, they might guess 200 feet.
According to researchers dyscalculia is inherited, and specific abnormalities in the brain might be a cause. Despite their challenge, many become proficient at geometry, stats and computer programming. With the right teaching—that focuses for example on using beads to improve the processing of numbers—they can count themselves among the math literate.
—Christie Nicholson
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
