Developmental dyscalculia: Cognitive, emotional and behavioral manifestations

Developmental dyscalculia is a cognitive disorder of childhood impairing the ability of an otherwise normal child to learn arithmetic. The arithmetic impairment is more marked in the areas of number facts and complex calculation, with relative sparing of function in the domains of number production and comprehension. In addition to the cognitive disability in arithmetic, children with developmental dyscalculia have certain types of frequently encountered behavioral symptoms. Attentional problems are encountered in approximately 25% of cases and anxiety is often seen in these cases. Children with dyscalculia who also suffer from dyslexia exhibit more severe psychopathology, particularly externalizing types of problems, than do children without comorbid reading disabilities. Developmental dyscalculia, mood and behavioral symptoms are often part of the clinical picture in the spectrum of developmental disorders attributed to right hemisphere dysfunction, such as the syndrome of nonverbal learning disabilities.