Does dyslexia affect math?
5 minute read · updated October 28, 2026
13 sources: 2 government or law, 3 peer-reviewed research, 8 charity or professional body
It can. The 2025 UK Delphi panel agreed that dyslexia can affect learning other skills such as mathematics, and a 2020 meta-analysis found that students with a math disability were just over twice as likely to also have a reading disability.[1][2] Dyscalculia, a persistent difficulty with understanding numbers, is a separate condition that often occurs alongside dyslexia.[3][1]
There are two separate questions here. One is whether dyslexia can make math harder through reading, memory and language. The other is whether a person can have a specific difficulty with numbers as well. This page covers both, and cannot tell you whether either applies to you.
Where dyslexia meets math
The NHS says dyslexia mainly affects reading and writing but can also affect things like using numbers.[4] The British Dyslexia Association says many learners with dyslexia also have math learning difficulties, and lists areas where this can show, including working through word problems, learning number bonds and multiplication tables, understanding some mathematical symbols and vocabulary, and holding on to procedures that were learned earlier.[5]
The UK Rose definition from 2009 mentions difficulties with mental calculation among co-occurring difficulties, but says these are not by themselves markers of dyslexia.[1] In a 2012 study of 100 university students with dyslexia and 100 without, the dyslexia group scored lower on arithmetic, with an effect size of about 1, smaller than the gaps in reading speed and spelling.[6]
How often reading and math disabilities occur together
A 2020 meta-analysis in Scientific Studies of Reading pooled 33 studies and found an average odds ratio of 2.12 (95% confidence interval 1.76 to 2.55): students with a math disability were just over twice as likely as other students to also have a reading disability.[2] None of the factors the authors tested explained why the size of the link varied from study to study.[2]
Dyscalculia is a separate condition
The BDA defines dyscalculia as a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers that can lead to a range of difficulties with mathematics, unexpected in relation to age, education and experience.[3] A 2025 UK definition from SASC names a pronounced and persistent difficulty with numerical magnitude processing, judging and comparing quantities, as the most common difficulty in dyscalculia.[7]
The BDA describes math difficulties as a continuum with many causes, with dyscalculia at one end, and says a broader specific learning difficulty in math is more common than dyscalculia itself.[3][8] It can occur alone, alongside other specific learning difficulties, or with math anxiety.[3] The Delphi panel lists dyscalculia among conditions that frequently co-occur with dyslexia.[1]
| Term | Where it is used | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dyscalculia | UK and US organizations such as the BDA and NCIL | A specific, persistent difficulty with understanding numbers[3][9] |
| Specific learning difficulty in mathematics | UK assessment standards (SASC, 2025) | Processing difficulties affecting arithmetic and other areas of math[7] |
| Specific learning disorder with impairment in mathematics | DSM-5, the American Psychiatric Association's manual | The clinical diagnosis covering math[10] |
Assessment
The UK list of suitable tests includes mathematics and sense-of-number sections, so an assessment can cover math as well as reading.[11] Some services assess dyscalculia separately: Dyslexia Ireland offers adult dyscalculia assessments, and the BDA lists a dyscalculia assessment with a specialist teacher.[12][13] Only a qualified professional can assess either condition. See assessment in the United Kingdom and assessment in the United States.
Quick answers
Is dyscalculia the same as dyslexia?
No. Dyscalculia is a specific difficulty with understanding numbers, while dyslexia mainly affects reading and spelling; they often occur together.[3][1]
Can dyslexia make word problems harder?
The BDA lists word problems among the parts of math that learners with dyslexia can find hard.[5]
How common is it to have both?
A 2020 meta-analysis found students with a math disability were just over twice as likely to also have a reading disability; it did not give a single percentage.[2]
Review status
Source-checked, not expert-reviewed
Drafted with AI assistance. Each factual claim was checked against the source it links to on 2026-10-28. No clinician, psychologist or dyslexia specialist has reviewed this page. See the claims register.
Sources
- [1]Toward a consensus on dyslexia: findings from a Delphi study. Carroll, Holden, Kirby, Thompson, Snowling and the Dyslexia Delphi Panel. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (doi:10.1111/jcpp.14123), 2025. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
- [2]Co-occurrence of reading disabilities and math disabilities: a meta-analysis. Joyner and Wagner. Scientific Studies of Reading 24(1): 14-22 (doi:10.1080/10888438.2019.1593420), 2020. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
- [3]Dyslexia friendly workplaces: a guide for employers. British Dyslexia Association, 2023. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
- [4]Dyslexia in adults. NHS (England). Accessed 2026-10-28. Government or law
- [5]How does dyslexia affect maths learning?. British Dyslexia Association. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
- [6]Cognitive profile of students who enter higher education with an indication of dyslexia. Callens, Tops and Brysbaert. PLoS ONE 7(6): e38081 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038081), 2012. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
- [7]SASC definition of a specific learning difficulty in mathematics (2025). SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC), published on the British Dyslexia Association website, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
- [8]Dyscalculia. British Dyslexia Association. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
- [9]Literacy glossary. National Center on Improving Literacy (US Department of Education funded). Accessed 2026-10-28. Government or law
- [10]What are specific learning disorders?. American Psychiatric Association, 2024. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
- [11]List of Suitable Tests for the Assessment of Specific Learning Difficulties (revised June 2024). SpLD Test Evaluation Committee (STEC) of SASC, 2024. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
- [12]Assessment. Dyslexia Ireland. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
- [13]Types of assessments. British Dyslexia Association. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
Related reading
- Dyslexia and ADHD in adultsDyslexia and ADHD are separate conditions that often occur together. Published overlap figures, who assesses each in the UK and US, and why it matters.
- What is dysgraphia?Dysgraphia is a US term for a learning disability affecting handwriting. It is not a DSM-5 label, and UK bodies prefer "handwriting difficulties".
- How common is dyslexia?Published estimates range from about 5% to 20%, depending on the definition and cut-off used. The figures major organizations give, and what each counts.
- Reading tools and accessibility features: what is built in and what the research saysWhere to find text-to-speech, reader views, dictation and text settings on Apple, Microsoft and Google devices, and what research says about special fonts.