Developmental dyscalculia persists into adulthood when untreated, affecting 5–7% of the general population¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Arithmetic difficulties of children with DD tend to persist into adulthood if untreated, and DD affects 5–7% of the general population. → Liane Kaufmann 2020

Evidence¶

Liane Kaufmann 2020¶

Liane Kaufmann, Michael von Aster, Silke M. Göbel, Josef Marksteiner, and Elise Klein. (2020). Developmental Dyscalculia in Adults: Current Issues and Open Questions for Future Research. Lernen und Lernstörungen, 9(2), 126–137. https://doi.org/10.1024/2235-0977/a000294

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review reporting prevalence and persistence figures from prior studies. The review states DD affects "5 – 7 % of the general population" and that affected children do not grow out of it, with arithmetic difficulties persisting into adulthood if untreated.

"The prevalence of DD is rather high, affecting 5 – 7 % of the general population (Gross-Tsur, Manor & Shalev, 1996; Rubisten & Henik, 2009; Schulz et al., 2018). Notably, affected children do not ‘grow out’ of DD. Rather, arithmetic difficulties tend to persist into adulthood if untreated"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Serial order short-term memory deficits in dyscalculia persist into adulthood despite typical math achievement history — related
• DCD prevalence estimates range from 1.8% to 6.9% with a male predominance of 2:1 to 3:1, and the disorder persists into adulthood for 30–70% of those diagnosed as children — related
• Adults with developmental dyscalculia score significantly lower than controls on the formal NADL test of school-acquired numerical abilities — related
• Adults with developmental dyscalculia show reduced left intraparietal activation during serial order processing relative to controls — related
• Children with congenital or neurodevelopmental motor disorders show arithmetic difficulties in some comparisons but perform similarly to peers in others — related