It is often said that mathematics is the most abstract and misunderstood scientific discipline. But what happens when this misunderstanding translates, for example, into a difficulty learning to add, subtract, multiply, and divide? could be the neurodevelopmental disorder known as dyscalculia.
To explain the matter, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, dand American Psychological Association (DSM-5), specifically refers to “a learning disorder in the area of mathematics”. In other words, a difficulty that translates into a change in different aspects of learning numbers: the sense of numbers, memorization of arithmetic operations, correct calculation and fluid mathematical reasoning.
Based on this, in dialogue with the UNQ science news agency, Inés Zerboni, educational psychologist and specialist in neuropsychology This is how he describes it: “The person with dyscalculia has greater difficulty than the rest in acquiring and learning new topics, specifically in the area of arithmetic, that is, in the branch of mathematics that studies the value of numbers and the operations between them. For example, has great difficulty understanding the four basic operations, such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, and being able to perform these operations correctly”. As detailed by Zerboni, the pattern that repeats itself in all people with dyscalculia is that they have great difficulty with mental calculations, to automate simple calculations. For example, they find it difficult to automate 5+2. And even at 40, they still use their fingers to do this.
The most frequent causes
Dyscalculia is common inherit from parents. However, there are other causes or factors that can affect the evolutionary development of the brain. Some studies, still under discussion, claim that alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy can have a negative impact in this regard. But what is scientifically proven is that dyscalculia has a neuroanatomical basis, i.e. the brain of a person with dyscalculia is different from the brain of a person who does not have a learning disability.
“They have less volume in the intraparietal sulcus. The intraparietal sulcus of the two hemispheres, both the right and the left, is an area that is in the parietal lobe, which is what is activated when we make a mental calculation”, explains the specialist. And exemplifies: “In MRI studies, where the brain and people with and without dyscalculia were evaluated, it was seen that these people diagnosed with dyscalculia have a smaller volume in the gray matter of the intraparietal sulcus and, also, less activation “.
In addition, he adds that when it is evaluated with a functional MRI, that is, when the brain is active, you also see less activation. This means that dyscalculia has a neuroanatomic basis and the difficulty is due to the fact that the brains of people who suffer from it are different and are present from birth. In that regard, “It is not a difficulty in learning mathematics that appeared, for example, during the pandemic: it is a disorder that we are born with.”
Impact on daily life
This learning disorder has a huge impact on people’s daily lives and not just academic performance. Zerboni says that “there are children who don’t want to play cards because they can’t add up. But there are also adults who, when choosing a university degree, avoid all those in which there is a math subject.. There are people who won’t buy because they can’t calculate the change, or if they’re eating with friends and have to share, they can’t”.
According to the specialist, when it is not known that the difficulty is due to dyscalculia, and explanations and adequate diagnosis are not received, “those who suffer from it think that they are not intelligent, that they are foolish, dumb”. This creates a lot of frustration and a lot of math anxiety, which is getting overly nervous in situations where they have to work with numbers. “The same thing is seen in teenagers and adults with dyscalculia,” says Zerboni. And add an example: “In math classes, children often feel distressed because they think they are not smart. Many of those who suffer from it may be in the fourth or fifth grade and still counting on their fingers.
Prevention is better than cure
There are not different types of dyscalculia, but the disorder takes on color and shape in each person, that is, not all people with dyscalculia are the same and have the same difficulties. In this sense, it is very important early diagnosis which can be done through a complete neuropsychological assessment, where all cognitive functions are evaluated, such as intelligence, memory, attention, executive functions, language, math and literacy skills. “To try to understand where these difficulties come from, all people’s cognitive functions are evaluated. An analysis of the evolutionary history is made, the parents are asked about the evolutionary development of this person, and if they have a family history. That is, many sources of information are combined”, develops the specialist in neuropsychology.
Early diagnosis can compensate for the difficulties and prevent dyscalculia from having an impact on people’s daily lives. For Zerboni, this is extremely important because when “you are young, the brain is much more vulnerable and open to receiving intervention and improving, being easier to intervene at 10 years of age than at 15”.
What can teachers and families do?
Of psychopedagogy they say that the teachers They should be educated about this disorder to identify warning signs in children who may have it and refer for a full neuropsychological evaluation early, not wait until third or fourth grade to refer. Because the sooner they realize they can refer, the better for the child.
Beside the familiesif there is anything that your children are interested in in the way they learn arithmetic, they should quickly consult an educational psychologist for an evaluation.
The truth is that, for some specialists, this neurodevelopmental disorder, which has no cure, but is compensated with a psychopedagogical treatment (which can improve the learning of arithmetic), is the forgotten chapter of neuropsychology because, unlike dyslexia, dyscalculia has not been well researched. In this sense, it is essential that teachers and educational psychologists continue to be trained to provide tools that can improve all arithmetic deficits and that no longer have an impact on the daily lives of those who suffer from them.