Dyscalculia Explained: The Difficulty Affecting 6% of Pupils

About this episode

This episode explores dyscalculia, its impact on learners, and how educators can better support affected pupils.

In this episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon is joined by Cat Eadle from The Dyscalculia Network and Baroness Deborah Bull to explore one of the most overlooked areas in maths education: dyscalculia. Dyscalculia affects around 6% of learners, yet many teachers will go through their entire career without hearing it mentioned in training. So what is it? How does it present in the classroom? And what can we do to better support the pupils who are struggling to make sense of number? Together, Jon, Cat and Deborah unpack what dyscalculia is and what it isn’t, including the difference between general difficulty in maths and a specific learning difficulty. They explore why dyscalculia has historically received far less attention than dyslexia, despite similar prevalence, and how cultural attitudes towards maths may be part of the problem. The conversation moves into the classroom, where Cat shares practical insights into what teachers might notice, from persistent counting in ones to difficulties with number sense, time and memory. The discussion also explores the role of maths anxiety, the importance of early identification, and why some pupils may appear to understand in the…

People in this episode

Host: Jon Cripwell

Guests: Cat Eadle, Baroness Deborah Bull

Topics covered

• dyscalculia
• maths education
• learning difficulties
• teacher training
• maths anxiety
• early identification

Keywords

• dyscalculia
• math education
• learning difficulties
• teacher training
• maths anxiety
• number sense
• early identification

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Dyscalculia Network

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