What is Dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia affects an individual’s ability to acquire numeracy and mathematical skills despite appropriate learning opportunities. Learners with dyscalculia may have difficulty understanding basic number concepts, number facts and procedures.

These learners will lack an intuitive number sense, described as the ability to manipulate or compare quantities or numbers. Learners may also have difficulties with sequencing, aspects of algebra, geometry and other areas of the mathematics curriculum including using money and time.

Dyscalculia occurs across ability levels and socio-economic groups. Dyscalculia often co-exists with other specific learning difficulties, particularly dyslexia and ADHD.

Dyscalculia is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category (Steve Chinn, 2010).
Learners with dyscalculia commonly have difficulty subitising (making a quick and accurate visual estimate) and with memory for arithmetical facts and often rely on counting strategies (Dowker,
2009 and Moeller, et al. 2009).
They may often have difficulty with short- term and working memory, affecting ability to ‘do maths in their head’ or see patterns in number work. Poor short-term memory can also make copying
from a text book or the board difficult creating organisational problems in jotter work (Mabbott and Bisanz, 2008).
They may be described as not having a feel for numbers, evident in their need to ‘count all’ even small amounts starting from one. They continue to use this approach when their peers may have
progressed to the ‘counting on’ strategy e.g. 5 +3 start at 5 as opposed to starting at 1.
Mental and written work can often take longer than expected. Even when they answer correctly or use an appropriate method, they may do so taking more time than their peers, by working mechanically and having little confidence, being unable to explain or generalise to other aspects of their tasks.
Pupils may display anxiety when asked to complete maths work, not only in maths lessons but also in other curricular areas where mathematical applications are required such as technologies
and sciences – this may be evidenced in avoidance to engage with the work. Anxiety and stress are further barriers to learning. Pupils who experience difficulty with learning may have low self-worth, self- concept and may feel ‘stupid’ or frustrated.

*Definition taken from Fife Council Intranet ‘Schools and Education: Neurodiversity – Dyscalculia’ 2025

What Support Might Look Like

• Use concrete and visual materials
• Subitising is the ability to enumerate a random array of objects at a glance without counting. Provide dot patterns to aid number recognition and counting skills.
• Present numeracy within meaningful contexts
• Decompose numbers, breaking them down into more easily manageable parts e.g. 16 becomes 10 and 6
• Model processes when teaching. Encourage the pupil to verbalise them
• Recap prior learning (over-learning) and build new learning in a cumulative manner.
• Record thinking to support weak working memory (paper or whiteboards)
• Teach bridging through ten as a strategy using bead strings and ten frames
• Teach inverse relationships of concepts (e.g. addition and subtraction alongside multiplication and division) at the same time in order to stress connections
• Teach multiplication and division in a variety of different ways – repeated addition, arrays, area model etc.
• Use of the Triad method to link both addition to subtraction and multiplication and division. This provides a visual representation of number bonds and multiplication and division in triangular formation
• Use number lines following a structured progression from pictorial, to numbered to empty number lines
• Remember when introducing new concepts initially use small numbers so that the focus is on the methodology

Resources

Further information

Dyscalculia | Neurodiversity | Resources | Education Scotland