Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers, which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics.

It affects the ability to acquire mathematical skills, including working with numbers, learning number facts and procedures, and understanding mathematical concepts.

It is not linked to overall intelligence, but can lead to significant everyday problems, such as difficulties with finances, time management, and remembering sequences of numbers.

Is dyscalculia a learning disability?

Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty and is considered a disability from the perspective that individuals with dyscalculia are entitled to reasonable accommodations in educational and workplace settings to help them succeed and reach their potential.

Dyscalculia specifically affects a person's ability to understand and work with numbers and mathematical concepts, but it does not impact their overall intelligence or capacity to excel in other subjects.

Is dyscalculia the same as maths anxiety?

While maths anxiety and dyscalculia can look similar, they are different in nature. Maths anxiety is more about the emotional response to maths, whereas dyscalculia is a cognitive issue.

However, they can coexist, making it even more challenging for individuals to cope with maths-related tasks.

Are all maths-based learning differences a sign of dyscalculia?

Not all maths-based learning differences are a sign of dyscalculia. While dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty that affects a person's ability to understand and work with numbers, there are other maths-related learning difficulties that may not be classified as dyscalculia, including (but not limited to):

• Maths anxiety, where there is an emotional response that causes intense fear or worry about maths, which can interfere with performance. It is not a cognitive issue like dyscalculia but can still significantly impact a person's ability to complete maths related tasks.
• Dyslexia can impact a person’s ability to process language, which may also affect maths skills.
• Broader learning difficulties that influence multiple areas, including maths. These difficulties might not meet the specific criteria for dyscalculia but can still impact maths performance.
• ADHD may cause a person to struggle with maths due to attention, focus, and executive functioning differences, which are crucial for solving maths problems.

A specific learning difficulty assessment aims to identify the areas of challenge and how a person processes information so that a diagnosis for dyscalculia can be made or ruled out.

What are common signs of dyscalculia?

Everyone is unique, but there are common signs of dyscalculia dependent on stage of development, such as:

• Difficulty learning to count.
• Connecting numbers to their symbol – i.e. knowing that ‘8’ means eight.
• Trouble remembering simple maths facts like addition and subtraction.
• Using fingers for counting beyond early primary age.
• Problems with understanding place value, leading to errors in calculations.
• Persistent difficulty grasping concepts like fractions, decimals, and percentages.
• Managing money, like value of coins, working out change, or budgeting.
• Time management in adults, such as difficulty understanding and managing time, reading clocks or estimating time intervals.

If you observe these signs in yourself or your child, we recommend pursuing a specific learning difficulties assessment.

What about strengths?

Individuals with dyscalculia have strengths in other areas, such as:

• Creativity, excelling in fields, such as art, music, and design.
• Problem-solving abilities; approaching problems from different angles and finding effective solutions.
• Strong verbal and interpersonal skills.
• Seeing the bigger picture and understanding complex concepts in a non-linear way.
• Ability to think strategically and see situations holistically.

How ProblemShared can help

ProblemShared is a CQC-registered online mind health service, offering the highest quality mental health and neurodevelopmental care, assessments for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.

All of our SpLD clinicians are regulated by SASC (SpLD Assessment Standards Committee) and follow best practice guidelines and a strict code of conduct to ensure you receive high quality assessment, written evaluation, and recommendations.

If you believe you or your child may be dyscalculic, please visit our neurodevelopmental assessment page for more information on our service.

_{*This article was written and reviewed by Anne Cowley, SpLD Clinical Lead at ProblemShared.}

Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties that primarily affect the acquisition of reading and spelling skills, but can also impact other areas, such as mathematics. Challenges with processing and remembering information can make learning and everyday tasks more difficult.

The most common cognitive issue is with phonological processing, but other aspects contribute to the impact, such as working memory, processing speed, and orthographic skills.

Dyslexia varies in severity, and often co-occurs with other developmental conditions, such as ADHD, autism, dyscalculia, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), and Developmental Coordination Disorder (also known as dyspraxia).

Is dyslexia a learning disability?

Dyslexia is considered a disability from the perspective that individuals with dyslexia are entitled to reasonable accommodations in educational and workplace settings to help them succeed and reach their potential.

Research has shown that dyslexia affects language processing skills, but it does not impact overall intelligence. Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) that brings both strengths and challenges. Often those strengths are in verbal and non-verbal ability.

It is important to understand that dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that requires tailored support, but it does not reflect a person's intelligence and is not a global learning difficulty.

What are common signs of dyslexia?

Everyone is unique, but there are common signs of dyslexia which individuals may experience to some degree. These can include, but are not limited to:

• Difficulty learning to read and persistent challenges with reading fluency and accuracy, despite adequate teaching and intervention.
• Ongoing spelling issues, often spelling words incorrectly or inconsistently.
• Confusing sounds in words.
• Difficulty sequencing information, such as the alphabet, days of the week, or when organising written work.
• Holding information in memory for a short time whilst doing a task, such as following instructions or working out a problem.
• Struggling to recall names, dates, and lists.
• Slower processing speed, making it difficult to quickly and accurately process written and/or spoken information.

Adults may have developed effective compensatory strategies and can present differently to children.

What about strengths?

There are strengths often associated with dyslexia that can be beneficial to dyslexic individuals, such as:

• Creative thinking, bringing an ability to think outside the box and come up with innovative ideas.
• Problem-solving abilities; approaching problems from different angles and finding effective solutions.
• Strong visual-spatial reasoning skills which lead to successful design or STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) careers.
• Creative expression for art, design, and creative writing and storytelling.
• Interpersonal skills.

Are there different types of dyslexia?

Some researchers refer to different forms of dyslexia, such as surface, phonological, or visual dyslexia; however, this categorisation is not usual in a diagnostic report.

At ProblemShared, a highly qualified assessor will look at the strengths and challenges identified through background information, standardised assessments, and observation, and these will be set out alongside a diagnosis of specific learning difficulty, if applicable.

How ProblemShared can help

ProblemShared is a CQC-registered online mind health service, offering the highest quality mental health and neurodevelopmental care, and assessments for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.

All of our SpLD clinicians are regulated by SASC (SpLD Assessment Standards Committee) and follow best practice guidelines and a strict code of conduct to ensure you receive high quality assessment, written evaluation, and recommendations.

If you believe you or your child may be dyslexic, please visit our neurodevelopmental assessment page for more information on our service.

^{*This article was written and reviewed by Anne Cowley, SpLD Clinical Lead at ProblemShared.}

Why does post-diagnostic care matter?

Receiving a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism can be an incredibly validating and empowering experience, but it’s normal for clients and their families to also feel a bit overwhelmed. This is why we offer post-diagnostic care, to help you navigate life beyond assessment.

We are the only healthcare provider to provide this unique ongoing care. It includes psychoeducation workshops led by our clinical team, where you can learn more about your diagnosis, and where appropriate, the prescribing and titration of ADHD medication.  

This is all in line with our standards of excellence. By providing expert guidance, educational resources, and emotional support, we ensure that our clients can build on their strengths and access tailored recommendations about how they can make positive changes to their lives.

Post-diagnostic support with ProblemShared

One of the primary goals of our ongoing support at ProblemShared is to equip individuals and their families with knowledge about how neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism can affect their experience of the world around them.

Psychoeducation workshops

Our psychoeducation workshops are facilitated by our expert post-diagnostic intervention (PDI) practitioners. They are virtual group sessions and combine the offering of information with opportunities to learn from and support each other. While participation is encouraged, it's your choice as to how much or little you would like to contribute. Our practitioners provide a safe, structured environment to allow opportunities for discussion, reflection and collaboration.

Over 4 sessions, we aim to help you understand your diagnosis and how it affects you, as well as how you can overcome any challenges you might face and build on your strengths. You will have the opportunity to listen to the lived experiences of others with the same diagnosis and share your own thoughts and feelings about neurodiversity.

ADHD medication: prescribing and titration

If you receive an ADHD diagnosis, our specialist ADHD nurse practitioners can prescribe medication where appropriate, which can then be dispensed by your online pharmacy. Note that this will only be possible if your GP has pre-agreed to accept shared care at the point of your referral (there is a section on shared care later in this article). We will also work with you to alter the dosage of your medications based on how you respond to the medication – a process known as titration.

Shared care

Once your titration period is stable, we will move you into a shared care arrangement with your NHS GP. They will take on the role of prescribing and monitoring your medications, and provide ongoing support for any challenges you might face as a result of your ADHD.

After receiving a diagnosis, we offer guidance about working directly with your GP to ensure they continue to prescribe your medication. If you have been diagnosed by one of our clinicians, they can begin to prescribe medication, support you through frequent reviews, and liaise with your primary care team to ensure joined up expert care.

Need more information?

If you have any questions about Right to Choose, our post-diagnostic care, the referral or assessment processes in general, you can head to the support resources section of our homepage, or explore our FAQs.

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What to expect during your autism assessment with ProblemShared

After being referred to our service by your GP, getting an autism assessment with ProblemShared is simple. Here are the steps you can expect to take on your assessment journey:

1. Pre-Assessment Questionnaire

• You will receive an email confirming that your referral to our service has been accepted, and asking you to complete some pre-assessment forms.
• One of these forms is the Pre-Assessment Questionnaire. Take some time to complete it carefully, as it will help our clinical team to get to know you and understand your situation better.

2. Informant Questionnaire

• The second form is called the Informant Questionnaire. This needs to be completed by your informant.
• An informant is someone who has known you since early childhood, like a parent or carer.
• You need to download the Informant Questionnaire from your client dashboard and send it to your informant to complete. When they are finished, they can send it back to you to re-upload onto your client dashboard.

Once both your Pre-Assessment Questionnaire and Informant Questionnaire have been completed and uploaded onto your client dashboard, you will receive another email with the date and time of your autism assessment sessions.

3. First session: Informant Interview

• One of our clinicians will interview your informant in a session called an Informant Interview. The Informant Interview will take place via our secure video conferencing platform and last approximately 3 hours.  
• You can be present too, if you wish, but you don't have to be.  
• The Informant Interview helps our practitioners to get a clearer picture of the challenges you faced during childhood. This information, combined with information gathered during your observational assessment, will help our practitioners with the process of diagnosis.  

4. Second session: Observation Session  

• The Observation Session will be overseen by a different clinician to the one who completed your Informant Interview. This is because of our commitment to quality of care. It's a way to achieve a second expert opinion during your autism assessment.
• The Observation Session will take place via our secure video conferencing platform and consist of some activities and tasks that the practitioner will ask you to complete. These are not tests, and there are no right or wrong answers. Our clinicians are simply trying to discover more about your situation to ensure they can conduct a robust assessment.

5. Third session: Feedback Session

• During your Feedback Session, the practitioner who carried out your observation session will discuss the outcome of your autism assessment with you. They will tell you whether you have been diagnosed with autism or not.
• A full report of your autism assessment will be sent to you via email 4-6 weeks after your Feedback Session.

How to prepare for your autism assessment with ProblemShared

Seeking a formal assessment can be a daunting process. However, preparing for your autism assessment can help ease some of the anxiety surrounding it.

Here are some tips on how to best prepare for your assessment with ProblemShared:

• Do some research. Before embarking on an autism assessment journey, you could take some time to familiarise yourself with the common traits and behaviours associated with autism, to gain a better understanding of the condition.

• Keep a journal. It can be helpful to keep a journal or diary leading up to your assessment where you write down any observations or experiences that relate to social interactions, communication, or social sensory sensitivities. This information could be helpful during your assessment, as it provides concrete examples of how these challenges affect your daily life.

• Gather information about your childhood. As an adult seeking an autism diagnosis, providing information about your childhood is crucial in aiding professionals in making an accurate diagnosis. Try reaching out to family members or caregivers who knew you as a child and ask them about any potential developmental delays or differences they may have noticed. Our clinicians recommend looking at childhood photographs to help jog your memory of your early development.

Ongoing care and support for clients who are diagnosed with autism

If you receive an autism diagnosis following your assessment with us, we offer a range of ongoing support options to our clients. Our clinicians can prescribe medication where appropriate, and we provide psychoeducation workshops where you can learn more about your diagnosis.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about Right to Choose, referral, or the assessment process in general, you can head to the Resources section of our website, or explore our FAQs.