Thedyscalculiais the mathematical equivalent of dyslexia: adisorder that makes it difficult to understand and perform arithmetic and mathematical calculationsby the people who suffer from it. Affects around6% of the world population, and is produced by abnormalities in the brain connections that are responsible for this type of learning. Neuroscientists believe that the region of the brain responsible for this ability is the parietal lobe, and that several genetic and developmental factors could contribute to its appearance.
Scientists from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of the University of London (United Kingdom) publish inScience a study that proposes a program to improve the education of students suffering from this disorder. The researchers note thatdyscalculia is the “poor cousin” of dyslexia. It affects individuals with normal intelligence and memory. Recent neuroscientific studies show that people with dyscalculia have difficulty understanding the value of numbers, or how to manipulate them to carry out operations and calculations. Neither canunderstand abstract concepts like time and directionor the concepts of distance, size, formulas and sequences. This causes severe problems to carry out daily activities that involve managing time or money.
According to study co-author Diana Laurillard, using game-like programs focused on making numbers understandable can help students with dyscalculia “practice beyond the classroom and develop a foundation for handling arithmetic.” For example, the program developed by Laurillard and his team helps you first master the basics of numbers before moving on to symbols.
