It refers to lifelong learning disabilities involving maths. It varies from one person to other person and affects the people differently in school and throughout life.

Early childhood:

Young children with this disorder have difficulty in learning the meaning of numbers, trouble with tasks like sorting objects by shape, size or color, recognizing groups and patterns and comparing and contrasting using concepts like smaller/bigger or taller/shorter. Learning to count, recognizing numbers and matching numbers with amounts can also be difficult in these children.

Warning signs of dyscalculia:

The child will be

• Good at speaking, reading and writing, but slow to develop counting and math solving problem.
• Good memory for printed words, but difficulty in reading numbers or recalling numbers in sequence.
• Good with general math concepts but frustrated when specific computation and organization skills need to be used.
• Trouble with the concept of time-chronically late, difficulty remembering schedules, trouble with approximating how long something will take.
• Poor sense of direction early disoriented and easily confused by changes in routine.
• Poor long term memory of concepts-can do math functions one day, but unable to prepare them the next day.
• Poor mental ability-trouble estimating grocery costs or counting days until vacation.
• Difficulty playing strategy games like chess, bridge or role-playing video games.
• Difficulty keeping score when playing board and card games.

Treatment of dyscalculia:

• Use graph paper for students who have difficulty organizing ideas on paper.
• Work on finding different ways to approach math facts; i.e., instead of just memorizing the multiplication tables, explain that 8 x 2 = 16, so if 16 is doubled, 8 x 4 must = 32.
• Practice estimating as a way to begin solving math problems.
• Introduce new skills beginning with concrete examples and later moving to more abstract applications.
• For language difficulties, explain ideas and problems clearly and encourage students to ask questions as they work.
• Provide a place to work with few distractions and have pencils, erasers and other tools on hand as needed.