A new study from the Munich-based Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet, between three and six per cent of young school children suffer from an arithmetic-related learning difficulty known as dyscalculia. The problem manifests as a highly specific problem for children, who have difficulty understanding concepts such as number, magnitude, and quantity, and struggle to grasp the notion of relative amounts.
The difficulty typically affects school children aged eight to ten, and seems to have little effect on other areas of learning. However, the study has found that children affected by dyscalculia have more difficulty with spelling and reading than previously thought.
Researchers have noted that children who have these difficulties need specialized help, lest they fall behind their peers. The study can be read in full here, and was first reported by ScienceDaily.
