title: The diagnosis and management of dyscalculia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dyscalculia is defined as difficulty acquiring basic arithmetic skills that is not explained by low intelligence or inadequate schooling. About 5% of children in primary schools are affected. Dyscalculia does not improve without treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this article, we selectively review publications on dyscalculia from multiple disciplines (medicine, psychology, neuroscience, education/special education).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many children and adolescents with dyscalculia have associated cognitive dysfunction (e.g., impairment of working memory and visuospatial skills), and 20% to 60% of those affected have comorbid disorders such as dyslexia or attention deficit disorder. The few interventional studies that have been published to date document the efficacy of pedagogic-therapeutic interventions directed toward specific problem areas. The treatment is tailored to the individual patient's cognitive functional profile and severity of manifestations. Psychotherapy and/or medication are sometimes necessary as well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The early identification and treatment of dyscalculia are very important in view of its frequent association with mental disorders. Sufferers need a thorough, neuropsychologically oriented diagnostic evaluation that takes account of the complexity of dyscalculia and its multiple phenotypes and can thus provide a basis for the planning of effective treatment.
authors.affiliation: UMIT-Private University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Institute for Applied Psychology Hall in Tyrol, Austria. liane.kaufmann@ymail.com
authors.forename: Liane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Aster
mesh_terms: D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D060705:Dyscalculia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*