105 Mathematics Disorder (315.1)
DSM-IV-TR criteria
- A. Considered a disorder in 1937. Formerly known as developmental arithmetic disorder, developmental acalculia, or dyscalculia. This is a learning disorder in which a person’s mathematical ability is substantially lower than the expected base for age, intelligence levels, life experiences, educational background, and physical impairments.
- B. Mathematical ability, as measured by individually administered standardized tests, is substantially below that expected given the person’s chronological age, measured intelligence, and age appropriate education.
- C. The disturbance in Criterion A significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily living that require mathematical ability.
- D. If a sensory deficit is present, the difficulties in mathematical ability are in excess of those usually associated with it.
Coding Note: If a general medical (e.g., neurological) condition or sensory deficit is present, code the condition on Axis III.
Associated Features
- The person’s mathematical ability must be substantially below the levels of peers with symptoms usually occurring simultaneously. Early difficulties with arithmetic are very noticeable through low scores in math. There are four types of symptom categories that people with Mathematics Disorder can be observed having: 1.) Language Symptoms:misunderstanding of greater than or less than or misunderstanding of word problems 2.) Recognition or Perceptual Symptoms: difficulty reading numbers, difficulty understanding plus or minus signs, or properly aligning numbers to perform calculations 3). Mathematical Symptoms: difficiencies in the ability to count, memorize basic arithmetic data as multiplication tables, or follow sequential steps in problem solving 4.) Attention Symptoms: inability to copy numbers or ignoring operational signs
- Other learning disabilities are common in comorbidity with mathematics disorders. Usually reading problems can be highly associated with mathematical disorders. For example, a child can experience difficulty when attempting to solve a math word problem if he/she cannot even understand the words he/she is reading
Child vs. Adult Presentation
This is primarily seen in children in elementary school more than in adults because of the amount of mathematical requirements that schools tend to impose on children to progress with their peers. It can also be seen in children as young as 6, but it is usually diagnosed when the child is 8 or in the third grade due to a foundation of basic math at that age. If proper diagnosis and treatment is not received early, studies show that there is higher risk of school drop out rates in children suffering from the disorder.
Gender and Cultural Differences in Presentation
Some studies have shown no significant gender difference, but it may occur with greater frequency in girls. Social constructs and state level administered tests tend to suggest that boys are better at