14 Common Signs & Symptoms of Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a genetic disorder that prevents a person from understanding numbers. There are different levels of severity, and some people are able to recognize and understand some numbers or make sense of them after spending a long time thinking about them. 

Some people are unable to remember numbers in certain settings too. They may not understand how to count money or time, but be able to do a math problem on paper. Others can’t remember numbers at all or make any sense of them. Most people are born with the condition but are not diagnosed with it until they are in school or even later on in life. It’s often confused for other learning disorders. 

Since children fail to learn numbers at a young age, it may take some time to get proper diagnoses. There is no cure, but there are some treatments that can help people retain number knowledge better or learn ways to avoid using numbers. 

1.Unable To Recognize Printed Numbers

Before children understand the value of numbers or even basic math, they learn to recognize numbers. They know that the number two is called the number two even before they realize it’s worth two. Children with dyscalculia can’t recognize numbers when they are printed. 

They may not struggle to remember their shapes, letters, or colors, but be unable to learn or recognize numbers.  They may understand the numbers if they are spoken better than if they are seeing them. This happens because their brains do not see numbers the same as someone who doesn’t have the condition. Even if they are shown the number over and over, they are not likely to identify them when they are shown them again or asked to recall them.  

Children with this condition also have a hard time making a number line and putting numbers in order. This can occur at a very young age and is a symptom that is easily dismissed until the child reaches a certain age.