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Students with dyscalculia experience difficulty in mathematics and number-based learning. These students can have trouble grasping meanings of numerical symbols or understanding spatial processing such as the rotation(旋转) of an object in their mind.

Nationwide, about 15 percent of students have been screened for the disability, yet many more seem to be struggling. According to a nationally representative survey in April 2023, about 40 percent of math teachers nationwide say that their students are performing below grade level in math.

While the term “dyscalculia” was coined in the 1940s, it did not become more widely known until the 1970s. Research on the disorder picked up in the 1990s with the widespread use of MRI technology, but it’s still not widely understood, according to advocates.

Some adults with dyscalculia spoke about what it was like to struggle in K-12 schools with a disability that was largely unrecognized and how they had to learn to accept their disability and get the help they need.

Navigating growing up alongside academic demands is a difficult phase of life for anyone. “The hardest part of having dyscalculia in my K-12 experience was dealing with a disability on top of the normal aspects of growing up,” Cladek said. “Growing up with dyscalculia greatly affected myself-worth and not feeling like I am enough,” said Cladek, who is now a college student. “If l could only be able to fit in with the rest of the kids and not have this anxiety and frustration every time I look at a math problem on my worksheet, then I’ll be enough, which was a common thought I had.”

While receiving the diagnosis can be scary, it is actually helpful. Some said the diagnosis can bring a sense of relief after struggling for so long. “I literally broke down in tears, because my entire life I was telling myself, ‘I’m stupid,’”Hadbah said. Pikula, who was diagnosed dyscalculia in her K-12 career and now is a social media manager, offered words of encouragement to students who may be going through similar experiences. “People with dyscalculia can become engineers, and they can become scientists.”