What Is Dyscalculia? - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 13-29, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

What is dyscalculia?

When you look at the morning newspaper or check a news webpage, numbers are everywhere: the date is 12th September; it's 16°C in London; England lose 2-1 at football; the time is 12.30. But for people with dyscalculia, dealing with numbers presents a particular everyday difficulty. Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty in mathematics. It was originally uncovered by Kosc - a Czech researcher - after research into damage to parts of the brain involved in mathematical cognition. Dyscalculia can have two causes: brain damage or 'acquired dyscalculia' and developmental dyscalculia - or dyscalculia from birth. Whichever the cause, dyscalculia has three features: problems with mathematics; problems with mathematics only, not other areas of learning; and the assumption that these problems are rooted in brain activity.

Unlike dyslexia - difficulties with words - dyscalculia has been relatively little studied until recently. Very little is known about its causes, prevalence or how to treat it. Estimates indicate that between 3% and 6% of the population could be affected. The figures refer to children who only have difficulties with maths but have good or excellent performance in other areas of learning. People with dyscalculia have difficulty with the most basic aspects of numbers and mathematics, but this does not mean that the person affected has difficulty with higher mathematical reasoning or arithmetic. In fact, the evidence from brain-damaged dyscalculic people shows that an individual might suffer dyscalculia but can even show great ability in abstract mathematical reasoning.

Dyscalculia appears to be related to an ability shared between humans and many other animals. This is called 'subitizing' and is the capacity to count the number of objects by briefly looking at them. Subitizing seems to be an innate skill present in humans from birth and is a useful survival skill for humans and animals: there is a big advantage in being able to count how many predators or prey there are. Experiments with babies show that we are able to count at a very early age: if a baby sees a doll put behind a screen then another doll is also put behind the screen, the baby expects to see two dolls when the screen is removed. Babies will look longer at things they didn't expect to see, so if the screen is removed and the baby sees only one doll or three dolls, they stare at this unexpected sight longer, proving our ability to count from infancy. Dyscalculia could be explained by the lack of this innate capability. Genetic causes could include known genetic disorders such as Fragile X syndrome. However, as well as genetic factors, there could also be environmental causes such as drinking alcohol during pregnancy, which can result in underdevelopment of the brain.

There are many signs of dyscalculia including some well established and some less well researched. There are a number of symptoms that we are relatively certain of. Firstly, counting: whilst discalculic children can learn the sequence of numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc - they have difficulty counting backwards or forwards, particularly in twos or threes. Secondly, they find learning and remembering number facts difficult and often lack confidence even when they have the right answer. They can't use rules correctly either; for instance they may know that 4 + 2 = 6 but not be able to see that 2 + 4 = 6 or understand the concept of addition. Thirdly, they have problems with numbers with zeros and don't understand that the numerals 10, 100 and 1,000 are the same as the words ten, one hundred and one thousand. Fourthly, dyscalculic children may not be good at using money or telling the time. Concepts of speed or temperature may be difficult for them to fully understand. Finally, they may have problems in understanding directions or in following a map.

Diagnosing and treating dyscalculia is not straightforward as there are many reasons for being bad at maths including poor teaching, lack of motivation and inability to concentrate for long periods of time. An important result of present research will be to improve our methods for identifying children with dyscalculia. The treatment of the problem, however, is a different matter. Many people think that, because the cause of dyscalculia is in the brain, it can't be treated. But this is a misunderstanding. Every time we learn a new fact or skill, our brain changes. Furthermore, if we practise a new skill extensively the brain changes considerably. This is related to a property of the brain called 'plasticity', which simply means the ability of the brain to develop and change, particularly during childhood. Dyscalculia could be treated by experiences at home, providing an environment that encourages children to count. Schools could pay more attention to making sure children understand basic mathematical concepts before dealing with more advanced ideas; they should, for example, avoid teaching the division of fractions before ensuring children have understood the concept of division. Teaching maths through a multi-sensory approach using speech, sound, writing and reading simultaneously has been shown to be a good approach. Finally, maths should be taught in short blocks of time and lessons should build on what was taught previously.