Dyscalculia: A Little Known Learning Disorder

In 1979, I was a second-grader attending a small, private school in Los Altos. I was a smart little girl, with many friends. I loved soccer, riding bikes and reading the Little House Books.

For me, life was fabulous and free. But then there was something different about this well-adjusted kid. While my math skills were at grade-level, my reading skills were on par with a ninth-grader. So that is good, right? Wrong. The discrepancy was an undiagnosed learning disability.   

In the '70s, most educators didn’t view a discrepancy between subjects as a learning disability. When a child was “gifted” in one subject, such as English or art, but performed at grade-level in another, no one recognized that a learning disability could be playing a role. 

Luckily, my mom, who has an LD-focused master's degree in education, had an idea of what was going on and she hired a private tutor to help me with math. The stress of knowing that I was different from everyone else, really did a number on me (ba dum-dum). 

After being told that I was smart enough to do anything I wanted in life, it was difficult to understand why all of a sudden a tutor came by after school every Wednesday.  

A few years later, I transferred to a public school and was placed in the “bonehead” math class. I was  so embarrassed—the cool kids, the smart kids, didn’t go to those classes. With the parent-teacher conferences and everyone focusing on why I wasn’t performing well in math, I started feeling bad about myself, thinking that there was something wrong with me just being me. I really WAS trying. Ok, so I didn’t do my math homework but how is an 8 year old supposed to figure out that the reason I hated math was because I had a learning disorder?

A learning disability in math is called dyscalculia. Consider it the opposite of dyslexia, instead of having trouble reading or writing, it is math that is the issue.  Wikipedia defines dyscalculia as “a math disability (that) can cause such difficulties as learning math concepts (such as quantity, place value, and time), difficulty memorizing math facts, difficulty organizing numbers, and understanding how problems are organized on the page. Dyscalculics are often referred to as having poor 'number sense.' People with dyscalculia often have trouble reading maps, figuring out tips, distinguishing left from right or other visual-spatial reasoning."

Now, this is not a sob-story, it is a note of awareness. While all kids have trouble with homework from time to time, a child who is constantly struggling may have something else going on.

If your child’s educator approaches you with concern, listen with an open mind and heed suggestions. Also, keep your ears and eyes peeled, if all of a sudden your child seems “disinterested” in school, even if it is just one subject, check it out.

Be diligent and follow up. Maybe your child has a learning disability. Hopefully they don’t, but if you notice a pattern of falling grades, having your child tested can’t hurt. Who knows, a diagnosis may bet the best thing you could ever offer. 

If it turns out that your child does have a learning disorder, imagine the power you can give them by getting them some extra help. Many children with learning disorders don’t understand that poor grades are not their fault—they assume their brains function just like the kid sitting next to them who is pulling straight As. In the case of learning disabilities, knowledge really is power.  

Luckily the tutor helped, I made it through school and am now a strong, successful woman. Receiving the diagnosis that I had a learning disability was a welcome relief, but it didn't come until I was in college. If I had been tested at a younger age, many of those childhood insecurities could have been avoided. Now I am at peace with the fact that I will always suck at math and thanks to Apple Inc., when trying to figure out a tip on a restaurant bill, there is an app for that. 

Remember, a person with a learning disability is not dumb, we are just different. My motto is that perfect is boring (and so is math).