Dyscalculia in Children and Adults

Has your child had difficulty with numbers since first learning about them? Is maths homework always a fight?

Perhaps you also struggle with maths anxiety?

At The Key Clinic, we have the tools to address underlying neurodevelopmental barriers to learning, so you can access all that incredible potential you have locked inside.

What is dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a persistent difficulty understanding numbers, which creates a range of difficulties with mathematics. This difficulty persists regardless of age, intelligence, or education level.

Of course, people do have varying aptitudes for maths. However, where the problem is more extreme and there is a clear mismatch with intelligence, the cause may be Dyscalculia, which can be viewed as a type of neurodiversity.

It is estimated that approximately 6% of the population have dyscalculia. Interestingly, 60% of people with dyslexia will have difficulties with maths. 

There are 2 specific skills needed to learn Maths:

1) The ability to solve or make reasonable estimates using mental math

2) The ability to look at a small set of objects and instantly know how many there are without counting them.

For example, can you tell which picture has the most apples or tennis balls?

Can you tell how many there are just by glancing?

If you struggle to do so, then learning ‘numeracy’ will always prove challenging.

Signs of dyscalculia in children

    • Organising numbers by scale

    • Memorising multiplication tables

    • Using fingers for counting

    • Guessing a number of objects just by looking

    • Doing simple calculations by memory

    • Connecting a number to that many of an object

    • Understanding word problems or more advanced symbols

Signs of dyscalculia in adults

    • Using money and making change

    • Measuring quantities (ie in baking)

    • Solving word problems

    • Breaking down problems into multiple steps to solve them

    • Understanding and converting fractions

    • Counting backwards

Dyscalculia Support and therapies at The Key Clinic

At The Key Clinic, we investigate any underlying neurodevelopmental barriers that may be contributing to symptoms.

Understanding numbers and estimating quantities depend on good spatial awareness skills. There is some evidence that retained primitive reflexes may affect spatial awareness and eye-tracking skills, potentially making it more difficult to see, estimate, and count objects.

A study by Dr Jordan Black even showed an improvement in maths and reading skills following a reflex integration programme (McPhillips, M., & Jordan-Black, J. A.(2005) Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs)

At The Key Clinic, neurodevelopmental assessments are carried out to determine whether retained primitive reflexes are contributing to difficulty with numbers (and potentially other difficulties also being experienced.)

Retained reflexes are a type of nervous system immaturity that makes processing a formal education much harder than it should be - regardless of intelligence.

Maths is a cumulative topic, so if learning is not secured at the foundational level, it will impact later mathematical achievement/ accomplishment. This is why it is better to seek support at an early stage, before confidence begins to wane.

Neurodevelopmental Movement - NeuroMature

There are two primitive reflexes, in particular, which may interfere with maths ability:

According to the Institute of Neurodevelopmental Psychology (INPP), the TLR reflex, if retained, directly interferes with spatial awareness and prevents the eyes from converging fully (potentially making reading and counting much more difficult). The STNR reflex, if retained, may also interfere with vertical eye tracking, making it extremely difficult to read columns of numbers.

The Key Clinic’s NeuroMature Exercise Programme gives the body a second chance to develop. We use individually tailored neurodevelopmental exercises to inhibit retained primitive reflexes.

We have different programme options available, to best suit your family’s needs. These vary in duration and intensity (from 2-6 months) and can be done at home or in clinic.

Typically a child will complete 20 minutes of exercise per day, under supervision, over a 6 month period. We also have a Fast-Track programmes for those who require more support from our practitioners and who may need results more quickly.

Improvements typically last and programmes do not need to be repeated.

"The Key Clinic has been amazing throughout our experience so far. We first engaged with them during ‘Covid’ and visited their Berkshire clinic for an initial assessment with our then 10-year-old son, who has ASD, ADHD, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia. From there, we enrolled on the audio, neurodevelopmental, and biomedical pathways and were fully supported every step of the way with face-to-face and online consultations."

– Parent, Feb 2024

"Last summer, we took our son to stay near the clinic for a two-week period of neuro exercises led by Katy Lonsdale, who is an incredible practitioner. The clinic itself is in a peaceful and scenic location, which helped—along with Katy—to calm our anxious son. We attended the clinic twice a day, coupled with the audio therapy, which we conducted ourselves with the team’s support."

– Parents, June 2024

"I can’t thank The Key Clinic team enough for the differences in our son’s behaviour, and we would highly recommend The Key Clinic. The outcome of the work they’ve done with our son has made a huge difference in his behaviour, his anxiety, and his abilities. At one stage, we weren’t sure if we could keep him in mainstream school, yet a year on, he’s successfully completed Year 7 and made real advances in his subjects as well as socially and emotionally. I would go so far as to say he’s like a different child, such is the confidence the team instilled in him. A huge thank you to all of the team!"

– Mother, Nov 2024

Do I need to have an official diagnosis of Dyscalculia to receive support from The Key Clinic?

No, because The Key Clinic aims to investigate underlying contributing factors to difficulties, in order to make life easier. You do not need a diagnosis to participate in one of our therapies.

The Key Clinic can help individuals with dyscalculia to thrive

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At The Key Clinic, we don’t believe in compensating forever, when things don’t come easily.

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We work to improve overall spatial awareness and eye tracking by integrating primitive reflexes.

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This in turn, can make learning much easier.

Please call us on 020 7486 4462 or email welcome@thekeyclinic.co.uk to find out how we can support you or your child.