Maths Difficulties for Adults
Whether your dyscalculia was detected when you were a child or it’s never been formally ‘diagnosed’, the Dyscalculia Network is here to help you on your journey to better understand your needs around maths and to access the support you need.
We are a volunteer-led organisation and our approach is guided by our volunteers on the ‘Adults with Dyscalculia Advisory Board’. This group share their experiences and insights with us in regularly-held meetings and offer advice on all our work. The chair of the Adults with Dyscalculia Board also sits on our general board ensuring that the voices of those with dyscalculia are heard and understood.
We speak with the dyscalculia community, rather than for the dyscalculia community.
There are many indicators of dyscalculia in adults. While there are many common features and traits, each person is unique and so experiences dyscalculia differently. Please bear in mind that not all of the indicators may apply to you or describe your experiences.
It is important to note that dyscalculia is not the only cause of difficulties with maths. Maths difficulties can be caused by many other factors including, but not limited to:
- missed schooling
- Ineffective teaching
- maths anxiety
- other specific learning differences, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia (DCD)
- medical conditions
You may struggle with maths but it may not be due to dyscalculia. However, the more we talk and research dyscalculia, then the more we understand about the ways we learn and process maths.
If you would like to know more about potential indicators of dyscalculia you may have, you can complete a Dyscalculia Checklist. It is important to remember that a checklist is NOT a diagnostic tool, but it does help gather evidence and highlight any indicators of dyscalculia that you may experience.
What are the indicators of Dyscalculia in Adults?
Dyscalculia can occur on its own or it can co-occur with something else. As one of our adults with dyscalculia put it, ‘dyscalculia often comes with a friend’.
These friends can include Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia (Development Coordination Disorder- DCD), dyslexia, or dysgraphia, to name a few.
You can find out more about co-occurrence with dyscalculia here
Strengths of Adults with Dyscalculia
It is crucial to understand that dyscalculia is part of you and the unique way you think about, process and interpret the world around you. It can be a hard journey but we are always here to help you make sense of your dyscalculia.
The bad news is that research into dyscalculia is very under-developed, especially compared to some other neurodivergences. However, the good news is that research is growing and we are here to help and disseminate any relevant or impactful work that leads us to better understand dyscalculia.
You may have seen movements like ‘positive dyslexia’ that highlights all the unique skills that people with dyslexia have and how they can shape the world around them. While we are not in the position (yet) to make research-informed claims, we can speak anecdotely and with some authority that many people with dyscalculia have strengths.
If you look at our Adults with Dyscalculia advisory board you will see skills in communication, writing, performance, singing, acting, empathy, advocacy work, and strategic thinking to name a few.
Read about our Adults with Dyscalculia Advisory Board.
We believe that research into this area is one of the most important future directions for understanding dyscalculia. There are many, many talents and way you can make your mark on the world and you are not defined by your struggles with maths.
What are your strengths?
Our most frequently asked questions is: ‘Can an adult get a diagnosis of dyscalculia?’
The answer is YES!
A full dyscalculia diagnostic assessment can be completed for children and adults although the tests used vary slightly according to the age of the person. There is no age limit!
It is important to note that from February 2024 diagnostic assessments in England can only be conducted face to face (not online) so some travel may be required.
Diagnostic assessments are currently not available on the NHS. To get a full diagnostic assessment you must pay privately – approximately £450 – £900 (from four hundred and fifty pounds up to nine hundred pounds) depending on the area, qualifications, and experience of the assessor.
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