Listening to and learning from the voices of adults with dyscalculia

Listening to and learning from the voices of adults with dyscalculia

The UCL team will first share the results of their NEW interview research into dyscalculic adults for the first time! This was a collaborative HEIF project between UCL University and the Dyscalculia Network. The project involved cognitive tests and interviewing children, young people and adults with a diagnosis of dyscalculia. Nineteen (19) adults were interviewed at length about their experiences. In this talk, the UCL team will share the common themes and how this evidence can help us understand how to help adults (and children) with dyscalculia moving forward. Considering SASC dyscalculia guidance, 2025, this talk shares the mathematical profiles of nineteen (19) adults formally identified with dyscalculia. The same adults were also interviewed about their lived experiences of dyscalculia, so this talk also shares what we have learnt from listening to these adult voices.

My Story - Emily

In this talk, I share my personal journey of growing up and moving through adulthood without an early diagnosis of dyscalculia. I’ll reflect on the lifelong impact of not having an official diagnosis - from masking my difficulties to protect myself, to the ways it shaped my confidence, self-worth, and experiences in education and the workplace. I’ll share how finally receiving a dyscalculia diagnosis as an adult has helped me understand myself with more compassion and begin to accept this part of who I am. The diagnosis has brought clarity and many positives, but I’m still on a journey to unlearn the shame that built up over years of masking and struggling in a world built around numbers. That includes learning to be kinder to myself while navigating the workplace, where old patterns of doubt and overcompensating can still show up. It’s a process of redefining my confidence, challenging long-held beliefs, and learning to show up as my full, authentic self.

Chat time!