March 3rd is World Dyscalculia Day. Celebrate by learning about this disorder, and helping to get the word out!
Dyscalculia is a math disability, similar to dyslexia. A lot of people joke about having “math dyslexia” without realizing that it’s quite real. In addition to effecting a person’s number sense and ability to work with math concepts, dyscalculia can cause difficulty telling time, reading a map, learning the rules to games, remembering dance steps, or dealing with formal music education. Also called “math disability” or “math disorder”, dyscalculia is recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (315) as well as by the World Health Organization.
There are plenty of places to learn about dyscalculia on the web. To meet other folks with dyscalculia, check out the Dyscalculia Forum. For a basic introduction to the disorder, the wikipedia article is pretty thorough. LD Online has a description of the presentation of dyscalculia in different developmental stages, from early childhood through adulthood. Last but not least, there’s my own article at Squidoo, What The Heck Is Dyscalculia?, which is a humorous look at life as an adult with math disorder.
Happy World Dyscalculia Day!
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