In today’s diverse workforce, it’s essential for companies to recognise and accommodate the unique needs of employees with various learning differences. One such difference is dyscalculia, a learning disorder characterised by difficulty in understanding and using numerical concepts. While dyscalculia is often associated with challenges in academic settings, its impact extends into the professional realm, affecting tasks such as budgeting, scheduling, and data analysis. In this blog, we’ll explore what dyscalculia is, its implications in the workplace, and strategies that companies can implement to support individuals with dyscalculia.
We interviewed Em Ledger, Product Manager at the BBC about her experiences of interviewing, living and working with Dyscalculia and we share her insights in this article to help you become an inclusive employer where you support prospective employees and your current employees.
What is dyscalculia?
- Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects an individual’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. It can impact number sense, memorisation of math facts, and spatial reasoning skills.
- Individuals with dyscalculia may struggle with recognising numeric symbols and quantities, learning basic math tables (e.g. multiplication tables), and performing math calculations, even basic ones like addition and subtraction.
- It can also affect skills related to time telling, money management, measurement, and understanding basic concepts like odd and even numbers.
- Dyscalculia is thought to be caused by differences in how the brain processes numerical and quantitative information. The exact causes are still being researched.
- Symptoms may range from mild to severe. Someone with dyscalculia will learn and understand math concepts more slowly than their peers and may rely on alternative strategies to solve problems.
- It is considered a lifelong condition, but accommodations and assistive technologies can help manage the effects. Early identification and support are important to help develop coping strategies.
- Dyscalculia often co-occurs with other conditions like dyslexia, ADHD, and autism. It is estimated to affect between 3-6% of the population.
Emma Ledger describes Dyscalculia as “the maths version of dyslexia.” People with Dyscalculia experiences challenges with “visualising of maths, in a very kind of pure sense, like adding up on the spot.”
This posed difficulties for Emma academically, where she failed at certain key subjects “I failed maths and science GCSEs, like spectacular.” Emma reflects on being placed in the “bottom set” where “you just kind of get forgotten about.”
When facing an unexpected maths test in a job interview, Emma recalls the “freeze and cloud feeling” of not being prepared. However, their boss later understood and still offered the role. But it’s important to point out that Em,
In their current role, Em Leger says “I have a way of doing that, I’ll write it will be all words on my page.” They appreciate colleagues who “will jump straight in without me even having to ask.”
Em Leger advises employers to “ask outright” if candidates need accommodations. They suggest “calling out dyscalculia” explicitly in job postings and removing “unnecessary math tasks from interviews.”
For managers, Em Leger recommends educating yourself on supporting neurodiverse team members. Ask employees directly about their needs rather than relying on generic messages.
By embracing diverse talents, companies can create truly inclusive cultures where neurodivergent candidates and employees can thrive. Open communication is key to overcoming challenges together.
Dyscalculia and unique skills
People with Dyscalculia offer a unique set of skills that can greatly benefit employers. Their strengths in strategic thinking, holistic problem-solving, creativity, and language usage are highly valuable. It’s not just about fairness or inclusivity; there’s a compelling business case for harnessing these talents and providing the necessary support for individuals with dyscalculia to thrive in the workplace.
Dyscalculia frequently co-occurs with other neurodifferences. For example, around half of children with dyscalculia also have dyslexia (2), and dyscalculia is present in about 11% of children with ADHD (3). Although it can be diagnosed in childhood, many individuals reach adulthood before being diagnosed, which can mean that they don’t receive the additional support they need during their education.
Supporting your team
Supporting team members with dyscalculia involves embracing their strengths and collaborating to optimise their role.
- Avoid assuming what support they need; instead, engage in open dialogue and consider a workplace assessment for tailored adjustments.
- Commonly helpful adjustments include minimising on-the-spot numerical demands, using visual aids like colour-coding, and providing structured breaks during number-intensive tasks.
- Written instructions should complement verbal ones.
- Beyond individual accommodations, assess your team culture and organisational practices for inclusivity. Are neurodiverse employees encouraged to disclose their differences without fear of bias.
Here are some top tips for supporting candidates at recruitment stage:
- Ask outright if someone needs additional support by listing potential neurodiverse conditions and adding brackets to explain what each one is. This might encourage someone who isn’t diagnosed to share what they struggle with e.g. if they struggle with numbers but are not aware they have Dyscalculia this opens the dialogue.
- Consider what you write on a job advert – does the job you are recruiting for really require a degree. It’s likely you don’t. Try using terminology such as “we welcome people with these skills”/.
- Let candidates know the process for the interview – prepping and planning helps people with different requirements.
- Give people advance warning – can you provide interview material ahead of time to address key concerns. Do they need to do a task on the spot or can they prep in advance.
- Be really clear and open about the process to set them up for success.