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Dyslexia and Stress: Symptoms, Numbers and Learning Differences

Rasika Karkare Rasika Karkare (Counseling Psychologist) | May 22, 2026
Clinically Reviewed Evidence Based
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    Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects reading, spelling, and writing abilities. People with dyslexia typically experience trouble reading fluently. Thus, they often tend to read slowly. It may also cause difficulties in other tasks, such as writing or remembering spellings, reading long sentences or paragraphs, etc. Dyslexia can also cause difficulties in overall information processing.

    Dyslexia is a complex condition influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics and neurological development. Another important factor influencing dyslexia is stress. Stress and dyslexia share a complicated relationship, as daily life stressors can aggravate the symptoms of dyslexia, while dyslexia in itself can lead to increased stress.

    Dyslexia and Stress: How are they linked?

    As mentioned earlier, the relationship between dyslexia and stress is a tricky one. While stress doesn't directly cause dyslexia, regular exposure to stress can certainly worsen the symptoms of dyslexia. Here are a few ways in which stress can affect dyslexia

    Increased Difficulty In Tasks

    Stress activates the body's fight or flight response, leading to difficulty in tasks such as information retention and attention, which are both necessary for processing languages. This may further contribute to difficulty in reading fluently, writing, spelling, etc making the process of learning even more difficult for individuals with dyslexia. Research also suggests that stress can impact learning negatively

    Reduced Motivation

    When stressed, individuals may lose motivation to put in the extra effort needed to manage their dyslexia. This can lead to a decline in reading practice, homework completion, and other important tasks.

    Concentration Issues

    Individuals with dyslexia are often required to put more effort into tasks involving language, which already makes these tasks difficult for them. Stress can often cause high levels of distraction, making it harder to concentrate.

    Emotional Toll

    The secondary symptoms of dyslexia, such as frustration, behavioural issues, aggression, low self-esteem, etc., can be aggravated by prolonged stress. Not only that, but prolonged exposure to stress without intervention also puts individuals with dyslexia at a high risk of developing an anxiety disorder.

    Decreased Coping

    Individuals with dyslexia often develop coping strategies to manage their symptoms. However, stress can make these strategies less effective, further impacting their ability to function in academic and social environments.

    Neuropsychologist Jerome Schultz developed the DE-STRESS method to help individuals with learning disabilities. The method is as follows

    • Define: Professionals working with individuals with dyslexia must analyze and grasp how dyslexia manifests uniquely in the person that they are working with
    • Educate: Professionals should educate individuals with dyslexia on how dyslexia influences their performance in various settings like school, work, or social situations.
    • Speculate: This step involves prompting individuals with dyslexia to look forward and predict challenges they might face due to their condition when encountering new situations.
    • Teach: It is essential to provide age-appropriate strategies and techniques to individuals with dyslexia so that they can minimize frustration and maximize success. Teaching stress recognition, honest self-evaluation, and the ability to learn from mistakes is essential.
    • Reduce Threats: This involves creating more environments that are safe for individuals with dyslexia Environments should be structured in a way that reduces stress.
    • Exercise: Regular exercise contributes to stress reduction
    • Success: Individuals with dyslexia need ample chances to showcase mastery and experience success. Providing these opportunities helps replace self-doubt with a sense of achievement.
    • Strategize: Encourage individuals to use their knowledge about stress management and dyslexia to plan for the future.

    Can You Be Dyslexic with Numbers And Not Letters?

    Dyslexia is commonly associated with difficulties in reading and interpreting letters and words. Some people might struggle with understanding numbers and be confused if they have dyslexia. However, they might be suffering from a condition called dyscalculia. Dyscalculia, primarily, involves challenges in understanding numbers and mathematical concepts.

    Understanding the Difference Between Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

    Dyslexia affects an individual's ability to understand words and language, while dyscalculia affects the ability to understand mathematics and numerical concepts. Thus, both conditions might share a lot of similarities, but they also have a few key differences that can have completely different impacts on the lives of people suffering from them Understanding these differences is crucial to making the right diagnosis and getting the right treatment. However, dyslexia and dyscalculia can co-occur as well, almost half the children with dyscalculia have dyslexia as well, leading to difficulties in diagnosis and treatment.

    Understanding Dyscalculia

    Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that affects a person's ability to understand and deal with numbers. So people with dyscalculia might struggle with any tasks that require them to deal with numbers, like counting, doing mental calculations, recognizing numeric patterns, or recalling mathematical facts. Some common symptoms of dyscalculia in adults include:

    1. Feelings of anxiety when dealing with mathematical problems at work.
    2. Difficulty understanding simple mathematical calculations
    3. Difficulty in counting backwards
    4. Difficulty understanding figures, graphs and charts
    5. Giving different answers to the same mathematical task
    6. Troubles in keeping track of finances or handling financial transactions
    7. Frequently misjudging the time to complete a task or reach a destination when driving

    What Causes Dyscalculia?

    The exact cause of dyscalculia is unknown as of now, but research suggests that it might be due to differences in the brain's structure and also in the way it functions. Some potential causes of dyscalculia are:

    Genetics and Hereditary

    Dyscalculia often runs in families, suggesting that it can be passed down through our genes. For instance, if one twin has dyscalculia, there's a 58% chance that their identical twin and a 39% chance that a non-identical twin will also have dyscalculia. This link isn't just between twins. Parents and siblings of individuals with dyscalculia are also more likely to have it. Thus, genetics seems to play an important role in the development of dyscalculia

    Brain Development

    Researchers have found key differences in the brains of people with dyscalculia and those without it. These differences are in how the brain is shaped and how it works in areas related to learning skills. Researchers have also found that people can develop dyscalculia in adulthood or later parts of their lives as a result of traumatic injuries to certain parts of their brains. This condition is known as acquired dyscalculia.

    Treating Dyscalculia

    Dyscalculia can be managed and treated with the help of various strategies. A special educator may be required for the same. A few ways to treat dyscalculia in children are:

    • Repeated practice with mathematical problems
    • Breaking down difficult mathematical concepts into small parts
    • Studying with a small group of children

    Treating dyscalculia in adults can be challenging, but there are ways in which it can be managed. Some of them are:

    • Practice mental exercises that can help strengthen mathematical skills
    • Rely on the calculator and other technology if calculations seem overwhelming
    • Have math tables and conversion tables pasted in your workspace if your job involves calculations

    Conclusion

    While stress doesn't cause dyslexia, its impact on the challenges associated with dyslexia is undeniable. Recognizing the link between stress and dyslexia is crucial to designing interventions to manage both stress and the symptoms of dyslexia.

    It's also important to note that dyscalculia can coexist with other learning difficulties or conditions, and its impact can vary among individuals. Diagnosis and support from special educators and psychologists can help adults with dyscalculia develop strategies to manage their challenges and succeed in both academic and work tasks. If you see yourself or anyone around you with symptoms of dyscalculia, it is advisable to consult a qualified professional.

    References

    Rasika Karkare

    I am a certified therapist and have an experience of working with various psychological vulnerabilities for more than 4.5 years. I have been working with adults in the age range 18-40 years who present a wide range of emotional/mental health concerns. In my practice, I strictly adhere to therapies based on scientific evidence and value ethical guidelines provided by APA (American Psychological Association).

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