Problems with Numeracy Skills?
Today, dyscalculia is recognised as a neurological condition that causes number blindness, in much the same way as dyslexia causes problems with letters and words. Brian Butterworth, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology at University College London, reports that dyscalculia possibly affects more than 6% of the population.
Now this condition is recognised tools, tips and techniques have been designed to enable people with dyscalculia to better manage maths and number and improve their self esteem as a consequence.
For a dyscalculic, numbers are problematic.
As an example, someone with this condition has no understanding that 3 chairs is the same number as 3 sweets or 3 cars.
The 'three-ness' of those 3 disparate groups of objects is meaningless to them.
Other challenges faced by those with dyscalculia include problems telling the time, counting money and attributing a value to it. This in turn makes it difficult to manage time and finances.
Butterworth developed the Dyscalculia Screener for early identification of Dyscalculia. Dyscalculia and the Screener
For those who struggle with numeracy skills life can be difficult in all domains.
There are the practical challenges presented by day to day living, in addition to the self esteem issues caused by the mis-perceptions of others.
Individuals with dyscalculia have been known to develop all manner of avoidance tactics so they may live their lives, as far as possible, in the absence of numbers. But, of course, as a long term solution, this is not practical.
Jane Emerson discussing what is dyscalculia and how to help.
