---
title: 10 surprising ways dyscalculia impacts kids
description: Dyscalculia can impact kids in unexpected ways. Here are 10 surprising behaviors you may see in your child with dyscalculia.
slug: 10-surprising-ways-dyscalculia-impacts-kids
author: The Understood Team
reviewer: Daniel Ansari, PhD
published: '2019-08-05T15:53:10.449Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/az7W7xLcH1zVOfONaFkJ1/78eeaa721328987be23cb1a9573c8b9f/G1486703468.png
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/10-surprising-ways-dyscalculia-impacts-kids
lang: en
---

# 10 surprising ways dyscalculia impacts kids

When kids have [dyscalculia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-dyscalculia), it impacts how well they learn and do math in school. But having poor [number sense](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/number-sense-what-you-need-to-know) and other math skills can also lead to all sorts of challenges in daily life.

For example, kids with dyscalculia may have trouble with amounts, time, distance, speed, counting, [mental math](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-mental-math), and remembering numbers. Those difficulties can show up in ways you might not expect or recognize as being related to math.

Here are 10 surprising ways dyscalculia can impact kids.

**1. Never has the right amount.** If you say, “Can you bring out ice cream sandwiches for everyone,” your child is always one or two short.

**2. Avoids paying at the register.** Your child picks out candy to buy at the store, but always has a friend or sibling make the actual purchase.

**3. Won’t share with a group.** When only one friend is over, your child brings out cookies to share. With a group, the cookies stay in the pantry.

**4. Is constantly late.** Your child is excited to be in the school play but is always late for rehearsal. The drama coach isn’t happy.

**5. Tries to avoid family game night.** The minute a game like Yahtzee or Uno comes out, your child runs in the other direction.

**6. Is slow to enter phone numbers.** Even when your child is calling a familiar number, it takes forever to make the call.

**7. Doesn’t understand the score.** When you watch a game on TV, your child can’t tell by the score which team is winning and which one is losing.

**8. Gets lost easily.** You’ve walked together to the store a million times. But every time you leave the store, your child is confused about how to get home.

**9. Is still afraid to cross the street.** Your 12-year-old still grabs your hand to cross the street, or darts across even when no cars are coming.

**10. Puts off learning to drive.** Everyone else has gotten their permit and is busy practicing parallel parking. Your child has no interest.

Dyscalculia isn’t always the cause of these behaviors. There are [other issues that can cause math difficulties](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-various-learning-and-thinking-differences-can-cause-trouble-with-math).

Discover [strategies you can use at home](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/dyscalculia-strategies-you-can-try-at-home) to help with math challenges. And if you’re concerned your child has dyscalculia, explore this [list of signs](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/signs-of-dyscalculia-in-children).

---

<!-- structured-data -->
```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/10-surprising-ways-dyscalculia-impacts-kids#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/10-surprising-ways-dyscalculia-impacts-kids","description":"Dyscalculia can impact kids in unexpected ways. Here are 10 surprising behaviors you may see in your child with dyscalculia."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/10-surprising-ways-dyscalculia-impacts-kids","name":"10 surprising ways dyscalculia impacts kids"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-08-05T15:53:10.449Z","description":"Dyscalculia can impact kids in unexpected ways. Here are 10 surprising behaviors you may see in your child with dyscalculia.","headline":"10 surprising ways dyscalculia impacts kids","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/10-surprising-ways-dyscalculia-impacts-kids","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}]
```