Coping with Dyscalculia

See also: Real-World Maths

Our page Understanding Dyscalculia explains that dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty defined as problems relating to and understanding numbers. It is thought to affect around 6% of people, similar to the proportion affected by dyslexia. However, for a condition that is relatively common—affecting approximately one person in every 20—we seem to know surprisingly little about it.

The problems associated with dyscalculia are wide-ranging but also very specific. They include persistent problems with maths that have often been present since the first introduction of numbers. Dyscalculia is also a ‘lifelong’ condition. This means that people with dyscalculia have problems ‘learning maths’, but also experience issues throughout their lives with everyday concepts like time, budgeting and what things cost.

This page provides some strategies that people with dyscalculia may find helpful.

Strategies for Managing Dyscalculia

There are many strategies that you can try to help you to manage dyscalculia. Some of these work by bypassing the number-processing part of your brain. Others harness technology to avoid the need to process any numbers yourself.

Try it and see


Not all these strategies will work for everyone with dyscalculia. However, they are worth a try because they have worked for at least some people with the condition.

1. Accept your condition—and learn to understand it

The first and most important aspect of having any specific learning difficulty is to accept that you have it. The second is to find out more about it.

Accepting your condition is about appreciating that your brain processes information differently from many other people. There are things that you will not be able to do in the same way as others—but there will also be things that you can do better than many other people.

Understanding this means that you appreciate where you are likely to make mistakes. You can then take steps to avoid doing so.

Our page on Understanding Dyscalculia may be helpful here. You may also find it useful to read information from organisations like dyscalculia.org and understood.org.

2. Improving your basic maths skills

Unfortunately, there may not be a way round every possible requirement to use maths or numbers. However, there are several things that you can do to help you to manage.

The first is to get to grips with the basics, so that you have a relatively good understanding of the principles underpinning maths.

Areas that you should ensure that you understand are:

  • Number placement (units, tens, hundreds). Just as tip and pit are not the same word, 512 is not the same as 215, or indeed 251. Our page on Numbers may help here.

  • The basic symbols used in maths. Our page on Symbols and Terminology may be a useful reference.

  • Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division—and the relationships between them. For example, it helps to understand that multiplication is repeated addition, and division is repeated subtraction.

Second, you may find maths is easier if you use specific techniques.

For example, break tasks down into smaller subtasks to make them more manageable. Highlight ‘clue words’ to enable you to solve problems. Using squared paper or graph paper will help you to line up numbers correctly.

It is also a good idea to review your learning and knowledge regularly.

Our section on Numeracy Skills contains many pages that may be helpful to help you understand or revise different areas of maths, and make sure that your knowledge is up-to-date.


3. Bypassing strategies

One practical type of strategy involves bypassing your brain’s problem with numbers.

There are several ways that you can do this. For example:

  • Harness your brain’s verbal or visual processing power by talking through a maths problem, or drawing elements of it. This will help you to see it differently.

  • Use physical objects to help you to manage maths problems. It is much easier to understand when you can move around the right number of objects. Rulers and number ladders may also be helpful.

  • Improve your working memory. People with processing issues often have trouble with working memory. Doing exercises to improve your working memory (for example, playing games like pairs) will help to develop this area, and give you more capacity.

4. Harnessing technology

We live in an age where there is a huge amount of assistive technology available.

Some of what is routinely available may be helpful to you. However, you may also find tools and technology that solves specific problems. Technology to consider includes:

  • Satellite navigation (Satnav) systems so that you don’t have to remember road numbers or junctions. This can make driving much easier, because you can concentrate on the road, and not on worrying about whether you will make a mistake.

  • Calculators have been around for a very long time—but are still among the best tools for supporting maths learning. They can also be helpful for aspects of life like budgeting, because you can quickly add up your shopping bill as you go, or work out which offer is better value (and for more about how to do this, see our page on Real-World Maths). What’s more, nowadays, most of us have a smartphone with a calculator, so you don’t even need to carry an extra tool around.

  • Reminders and alarms on your phone can help you with timing, budgeting and much more. You can, for example, use your banking app to send an alert if you spend over a certain amount in a day, or if your bank account gets lower than a particular amount. You can use calendar notifications and alarms to get to places on time, or just to remind you that it’s coming up to lunchtime.

  • There are various apps and software that may be useful. For example, graphic organisers break down the steps for solving maths problems. Text-to-speech software will read problems out loud for you, to engage different parts of your brain. You can also get talking calculators.

  • Use a debit card rather than cash. This sounds simple but it could really help to improve your view of shopping. No more trying to find the right change!

  • An electronic diary can help with scheduling. You can incorporate meetings, lessons, personal commitments and reminders and ensure that you have everything in one place.

The technology that you choose to use will depend on your specific difficulties. However, in this day and age, you can be pretty confident that there is a tool somewhere that will help you solve most problems.

5. Ask for help

There is absolutely no shame in asking for help.

This might be a matter of asking for formal accommodations at school, college or work. For example, it is totally reasonable to ask for extra time in exams, or to be allowed to use a calculator routinely.

However, it might also be as simple as asking people to enter their phone number into your phone themselves, rather than telling you the number. You don’t even need to explain why you are asking—because lots of other people do this anyway.


A Final Thought

Dyscalculia is relatively common.

However, we know far less about it than about dyslexia, which affects similar numbers. This can make it feel harder to live with dyscalculia, because fewer people understand your issues.

The strategies described on this page are ‘tried and tested’ for people with dyscalculia. Hopefully one or more of them will help you—or will give you ideas about other strategies to try.


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