Overview

Learning disabilities are common conditions that affect how people learn and process information. They can impact various academic skills such as reading, writing, mathematics, and comprehension. Learning disabilities each affect people differently and require individualised support and intervention strategies. 

Dyscalculia is a learning disability that impacts a person's ability to understand and work with numbers.¹ In addition to dyscalculia, there are a variety of other learning disabilities and disabilities that can have similar impacts and symptoms to dyscalculia. This article will explore how dyscalculia compares to other learning disabilities, including definitions, symptoms, and diagnoses. 

What is dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects a person's ability to understand, learn, and complete mathematical-related tasks. People with dyscalculia sometimes have trouble with basic arithmetics - this includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of numbers. They may find it difficult to understand number concepts, as well as to understand the relationships between numbers, mathematical symbols and operations. Dyscalculia can also impact complex mathematical reasoning and problem-solving abilities. Someone with dyscalculia might find mathematics classes very hard and may struggle with tasks like budgeting or keeping track of time.^1,2 

With dyscalculia, a person may have trouble:

• Performing simple calculations; 
• Understanding quantities, the concept of more and less, and estimations;
• Applying mathematical concepts to real-life situations;
• Understanding geometry, and this in turn can affect their awareness of space and their surroundings (for instance, they may struggle properly visualising how far away an object is to them);
• Memorising basic maths facts such as multiplication tables^1,2 

Dyscalculia can be a mild or severe condition, and it affects people differently.^1,2 

Other learning disabilities

Learning disabilities include a variety of neurological disorders that affect the ability to learn, remember, or use information. These disabilities are separate from intellectual disabilities, and people with learning disabilities generally have average or above-average intelligence. Some common learning disabilities are:

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects a person’s reading and language-based processing skills. People with dyslexia struggle to recognise words, read fluently, and grasp the sounds in words. This can make reading slow and difficult, and can also make spelling words correctly difficult. Writing can also be hard, including bad handwriting and difficulty arranging thoughts clearly. Dyslexia can also influence comprehension and vocabulary growth since people often struggle to read and are therefore exposed to less literature.³ 

While someone with dyscalculia may struggle with maths and counting, someone with dyslexia may have difficulty reading books, spelling words correctly, and writing essays.

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects a person’s writing skills. People with dysgraphia struggle with handwriting, spelling, and organising their thoughts on paper. These challenges can make it difficult to compose written work, and effectively communicate ideas through writing. This disability can impact their academic performance and daily activities that require written expression.⁴ 

Both dysgraphia and dyscalculia can affect academic performances but in different ways - the former affecting writing skills, and the latter affecting mathematical skills.

ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. While ADHD is not technically a learning disability, it can have an impact on learning and school performance. People with ADHD may find it hard to stay focused, follow through on tasks, or sit still for long periods of time. This can lead to difficulties in organising work, completing assignments, and managing time effectively. 

Unlike ADHD, which affects attention and behaviour more broadly, dyscalculia is focused on difficulties with math. However, some symptoms, such as trouble concentrating, can appear in both conditions, making it sometimes hard to tell them apart. It’s also possible for someone to have both dyscalculia and ADHD at the same time.⁵ 

Auditory processing disorder (APD)

People with APD may have trouble following verbal instructions, distinguishing similar sounds, or understanding spoken language in noisy environments. This can affect their ability to learn phonics, follow conversations, and process verbal information quickly. Someone who has APD might have a hard time understanding spoken explanations.⁶ 

Contrastingly to APD, dyscalculia patients do not have issues with processing and engaging in spoken language.   

Visual processing disorder (VPD)

People with VPD often struggle to comprehend and utilise visual information. Patients have difficulties with visual discrimination (differentiating between letters like b and d), visual memory (recalling visual details), or spatial relationships (understanding maps or geometry). VPD can affect reading, math, and other tasks that require visual coordination. People with VPD have difficulty interpreting visual information, such as reading, recognising patterns, or comprehending visual cues.⁷

The main difference between dyscalculia and VPD is their areas of impact. Dyscalculia focuses on mathematical difficulties, while VPD affects how people process sights, which can indirectly affect mathematical learning. Someone with VPD might struggle to understand written maths instructions or picture geometric shapes in their mind.⁷

Summary table of differences between learning disabilities

Diagnosis and assessment

The earlier a diagnosis can be given, the more effective interventions will likely be. However, identifying these disabilities can be difficult because the symptoms can greatly vary between people, and sometimes the symptoms are not obvious. 

The first step is to see if the individual has any underlying health conditions that may affect their eyes or ears. If not, a person’s family and teachers will then observe to see if there is a need for an official assessment. If there is an indication of a learning disability, a referral for an assessment can be made. Each condition has an official Diagnostic Assessment that must be conducted by an educational psychologist or specialised teacher. 

For diagnosing dyscalculia, the Dyscalculia Diagnostic Assessment includes educational and psychological tests. These tests assess a person’s basic number-sensing, arithmetic abilities, and problem-solving abilities. The assessment also considers if the difficulties are unexpected for the person's age and education, if the issues are persistent, and if social or personal factors may affect their mathematical abilities.⁸ 

Similarly, other learning disabilities are diagnosed with different Diagnostic Assessments, with each disability having its own assessment. Dyslexia is diagnosed with the Dyslexia Diagnostic Assessment which evaluates one’s reading, spelling, and how well someone processes sounds.⁹ Dysgraphia is diagnosed through the Dysgraphia Diagnostic Assessment which looks at writing, spelling, and handwriting abilities.⁴ ADHD is identified by observing patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity by your GP and a psychiatrist.⁵ Finally, auditory and visual processing disorders are diagnosed through tests that evaluate how well sound or visual information is processed.^6,7

Interventions and support

After an assessment occurs, the final report will outline the person’s strengths and weaknesses, and there will then be recommendations of what steps can be taken to help support the person with the areas that they struggle with. Depending on the severity, the learning disability can often be managed with special education needs teaching that schools offer. This may include using visual aids, hands-on activities, extra timing for assessment, or the use of equipment like calculators or text-to-speech software.^3-7 Learning disabilities cannot be treated with medicine. Contrastingly, ADHD can also be treated with medication such as methylphenidate which can help with focus.⁵ 

Summary

Learning disabilities are common conditions that affect how people learn and process information. Dyscalculia is a learning disability that impacts a person's ability to understand and work with numbers. Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects reading and language-based processing. Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing. Auditory processing disorder and visual processing disorder are conditions where people struggle to process auditory and visual information. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The diagnosis process for these conditions is similar, with an official assessment conducted by an educational psychologist or a psychiatrist, and then interventions and support are tailored to each person.