Understanding dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty that affects how a person understands and works with numbers. For some people, numbers make very little sense, no matter how much practice they do. Many students with dyscalculia will also have one or more other learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, ADHD or Autism.

At Dyscalculia Pathway, we help parents understand more about dyscalculia and how to support their child with their maths through practical and multi-sensory approaches that make maths more meaningful.

Alongside this, Dyscalculia Pathway provides support for parents to advocate for their child in school.

What is dyscalculia?

The word dyscalculia comes from the Greek dys (‘difficulty’) and the Latin calculare (‘to calculate’).

It describes persistent difficulties in understanding numbers and mathematical concepts that are unexpected for a person’s age, ability and experience.

Dyscalculia affects everyone differently – not all people struggle in the same way or to the same degree as it exists on a continuum. Some people struggle all their lives to add or subtract numbers together but are able to solve complex geometrical problems.

Dyscalculia often co-occurs with other learning differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD.

Our Story

Learn why we created Dyscalculia Pathway to support these learners

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What dyscalculia feels like

How children experience dyscalculia in everyday life

Dyscalculia affects your child more than just with their maths in the classroom. It affects many aspects of everyday life, from telling the time and using money to getting confused with following directions. For many children with dyscalculia it can feel confusing and frustrating and these experiences often affect their confidence and self-esteem.

Money

Counting coins, calculating change and keeping to a budget can all be aspected that your child finds tricky to understand and work out.

Time

Reading clocks, estimating how long something takes, and arriving on time can all be difficult for your child/

Direction

Frequently confuses left and write, struggles to read maps and follow routes

Games and Sport

Difficulties understanding scoring systems, counting steps or moves

Common Signs of Dyscalculia

Every child is unique, but the signs below are some of the most common indicators that your child may show if they have dyscalculia or a different maths learning difficulty,

Started counting later than their peers.

Finds it hard to remember number symbols and/or writes symbols backwards.

Often miscounts or loses track when they count, especially when counting backwards.

Struggles to recall basic maths facts or times tables, even with lots of practise.

Counts items one-by-one instead of in groups and often has to recheck.

Forgets concepts from one day to the next – it’s like they haven’t ever seen it before.

Helping at Home – See some simple ways to strengthen number sense through hands-on-practice.

Dyscalculia vs Maths Anxiety

Is it dyscalculia or maths anxiety or both?

Many people who appear to really struggle with maths don’t actually have dyscalculia but suffer from maths anxiety. It is often difficult to distinguish between the two, especially as many people who have dyscalculia also have maths anxiety.

Maths Anxiety causes worry or panic that can completely overwhelm a person’s working memory. Surprisingly, many people who are very capable in maths can also have maths anxiety, not just people who find maths difficult.

Dyscalculia causes genuine difficulty understanding numerical concepts and is a learning difficulty.

It is important to address both maths anxiety and the underlying learning difficulty for any progress to be made. What this means is that, initially, any focus on maths needs to be something short, fun and achievable, that builds confidence.

How to Support Children with Dyscalculia

Children with dyscalculia learn best when they can see and touch the maths. Giving your child, no matter how old they are, visual, hands-on experiences builds understanding that rote learning cannot.

Key strategies

Start Small

focus on the numbers 1 - 10 using objects and dot patterns. Encourage your child to immediately see the numbers on a dice through playing different board games.

Use Manipulatives

Cuisenaire rods, counters, rekenreks and other maths equipment will really help your child develop an understanding of number and how the numbers are related to each other.

Play Games

Rather than practise number facts using worksheets, turn it into a game. Use board games such as snakes and ladders to help by rolling 10-sided dice, etc

Make Connections

People with dyscalculia do not see how different aspects of number link together. They need to be shown many many times, using different equipment before this makes sense to them.

Encourage Growth Mindset

Celebrate effort and small wins - any progress that your child makes, deserves to be celebrated. Perhaps keep a record of what your child has done so that they can see that they are improving.

Helping at Home

See our favourite multi-sensory games and activities for different ages

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Free Guides

Download hands-on resources to use with your child

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Further Support and Resources

You’re not along – more parents and teachers are recognising dyscalculia than ever before.

Depending on which part of Australia you are in, these organisations have more information about assessing your child for dyscalculia as well as a wealth of other information.

Looking for parent support? Join our community of parents who share ideas and encouragement!

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All children deserve to feel confident with numbers. With the right teaching and strategies, children with dyscalculia can understand maths and dyscalculia doesn’t need to hold theback.