UCL in the News: 'Number blindness' more common than dyslexia

The research found that between 3 and 6 per cent of children suffer from dyscalculia - the mathematical equivalent of dyslexia. …

Brian Butterworth, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, said the disability had nothing to do with how a child was taught, but was the result of children lacking a proper "sense of numbers", which hinders them in maths lessons.

"Increasingly, the evidence shows that dyscalculia is just as common as dyslexia and yet it is not recognised nearly as widely by teachers, parents, schools, local authorities or central government," Professor Butterworth said.

"Individuals may be unaware they have this condition. If they discover that they do, there are no dyscalculia charities to assist them as there are for dyslexia," he told the Cheltenham Science Festival yesterday. …

"Schoolchildren are made very unhappy by it and teachers often feel they are failing these children because they do not know how to help them," he said. …

 "Recognition of this condition in the UK is extremely patchy," he said. "It can be extremely debilitating for people who are affected. Maths and calculations are essential in everyday life and low numeracy can be a real handicap in the workplace." …