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dyscalculia

File:Gray726_parietal_lobe.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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dyscalculia

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Also known as disorder of arithmetical skills, mathematics disorder

Dyscalculia is a learning disability resulting in difficulty learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, numeracy, learning how to manipulate numbers, performing mathematical calculations, and learning facts in mathematics. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "math dyslexia", though this analogy can be misleading as they are distinct syndromes.

Key facts

Medical condition.name
Dyscalculia
Medical condition.synonyms
Specific learning disorder with impairment in mathematics
Medical condition.image_size
300px
Medical condition.caption
An arithmetic worksheet filled in by a dyscalculic child with teachers grading marks obscuring the child penmanship
Medical condition.field
Neurology, psychiatry
Medical condition.symptoms
Difficulty learning or comprehending mathematics
Medical condition.complications
Difficulty with daily tasks
Medical condition.duration
Lifelong

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

834 papers

via PubMed

~21 min read

Encyclopedic overview

17 sections
Contents
  • Signs and symptoms
  • Persistence in children
  • Persistence in adults
  • College students or other adult learners
  • Causes
  • Magnitude representation deficit
  • Access deficit hypothesis
  • Diagnosis
  • Types
  • Treatment
  • Epidemiology
  • History
  • Etymology
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

Dyscalculia is a learning disability resulting in difficulty learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, numeracy, learning how to manipulate numbers, performing mathematical calculations, and learning facts in mathematics. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "math dyslexia", though this analogy can be misleading as they are distinct syndromes.

Dyscalculia is associated with dysfunction in the region around the intraparietal sulcus and potentially also the frontal lobe. Dyscalculia does not reflect a general deficit in cognitive abilities or difficulties with time, measurement, and spatial reasoning. Estimates of the prevalence of dyscalculia range between three and six percent of the population. In 2015, it was established that 11% of children with dyscalculia also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dyscalculia has also been associated with Turner syndrome, Down syndrome and people who have spina bifida.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “dyscalculia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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