Dyscalculia

Brian Butterworth has been a pioneering researcher whose contributions to the field of dyscalculia over many years have been transformative. His work has been instrumental in highlighting the prevalence and impact of dyscalculia – a specific learning difficulty that affects an individual’s ability to understand numbers and mathematical concepts. Butterworth’s advocacy for better training and resources for educators, psychologists and policymakers has been widely recognized. However, disappointingly, as this second edition reinforces, little action or appropriate funding has been forthcoming, despite dyscalculia having similar prevalence and impact as dyslexia.

The second edition extends Butterworth’s previous research findings, shedding more light on the cognitive processes involved in numerical comprehension, which are crucial for identifying and assessing dyscalculia. The book is structured to provide actionable strategies for assisting dyscalculic individuals, ensuring that they remain the focus of intervention efforts. I would highly recommend this text for its practical approach and readability, even going so far as to suggest that it would be an indispensable resource for educators, parents, practitioners and policymakers alike.

- Judi Humberstone, University of Melbourne, Australia.

A remarkable sum! This highly accessible textbook manages to summarize, in a concise and entertaining manner, an enormous wealth of information on the cognitive, cerebral, genetic, familial and educational aspects of dyscalculia. This revised edition, fully up to date and enhanced with several case studies, should be indispensable reading for any concerned educator, researcher, or parent.

- StanislasDehaene,Collège de France.

This is the most comprehensive book on dyscalculia. Butterworth’s extraordinary work sheds light and understanding on this disability which impacts at least 5% of the population. I am eternally grateful for his work, which has positively transformed our family’s personal experience with dyscalculia.

- Laura Jackson, author.

Brian Butterworth has transformed lives all over the world by identifying the brain deficit that causes dyscalculia and then devising ways to overcome it. He has inspired teachers to help pupils use all their senses to discover the joy in understanding numbers and using them.

- Patricia Babtie, dyscalculia teacher.

This new second edition of the invaluable Dyscalculia: From Science to Education has added even more significant information, with more sections on new resources and centres, such as the Dyscalculia Network who have worked tirelessly to train and connect specialist assessors and tutors with pupils experiencing difficulties. Ideal for those wanting to connect Neuroscience finding with interventions.

- Jane Emerson, founder of Emerson House.

Brian described me in this book as 'out and proud' as I had previously hidden my chronic dyscalculia for most of my life. Until he diagnosed me and changed my life. I thank him from the bottom of my heart. Brian has improved so many lives and not just sufferers like me. He (Brian Butterworth) has been an inspiration to the academic and scientific worlds not least with this updated edition of his bible on dyscalculia, a hidden plague, especially among children.

- Paul Moorcraft, author.

I read Butterworth’s Dyscalculia: From Science to Education (2nd Ed.) with great interest. For those of us who work at the intersection of basic science and education, Butterworth has long provided insights linking the science of dyscalculia and educational practice: the 2nd edition of his book (Dyscalculia) is outstanding in this regard. Not only does it synthesise a large volume of recent research on dyscalculia, it describes how this research could be, should be, or is, applied in educational settings. I have no hesitation in recommending the 2nd edition of Butterworth’s book. It should be compulsory reading for those who wish to understand contemporary perspectives on dyscalculia, and its relevance for educational practice and assessment.

- Robert Reeve, University of Melbourne, Australia.

This is an important book as it explicitly links current scientific research to education. A rapid increase in interest in dyscalculia means there is a need to train more specialists. This book helps that ambition greatly.

- Peter Jarrett, Neurodiversity Assessment Tech Training and Coaching.