Teachers 'should be given more support to deal with dyscalculia'

Teachers and learners should be given more support where dyscalculia is concerned, it has been claimed.

An article published in the journal Science called for specialised teaching and software for students to be made more widely available.

Professor Brian Butterworth of University College London co-authored the report and said: "There are only cursory references to the disorder on the Department of Education website - no indications are offered for help either for learners, teachers or parents.

"It's as if the government does not want to acknowledge its existence."

Dyscalculia is considered the mathematical equivalent of dyslexia and is thought to affect an estimated seven per cent of pupils.

In related news, the Economic and Social Research Council earlier this month called for a greater awareness of the specific language impairment disorder, which causes speech and vocabulary difficulties and affects between three and six per cent of youngsters.

Posted by Katy Kearns
 

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