Maths Skills

Poor maths skills can be caused by several factors. Poor working memory or short term memory occurring in ADHD or dyslexia will make it very difficult to perform mental maths or learn, for example times tables. Some people with learning difficulties can muddle up the orientation of numbers as well as letters and make easy mistakes when writing down numbers in the correct order or sequence.

Even poor literacy can affect the ability to understand the meaning of maths questions, which can lead to further confusion and poor performance. Others struggle greatly with concepts such as decimals or fractions which is often the result of poor visual and spatial skills.

These problems can occur in conjunction with conditions like dyslexia or dyspraxia. When poor maths skills occur alone without any other learning difficulty this is usually referred to as dyscalculia (meaning difficulty (dys) with calculations (calculia). Around 50% of people with poor cerebellar function have poor maths skills.

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