Tara Sutaria on living with a ‘maths learning disability’: ‘Need my accounts team’

Bollywood actress Tara Sutaria shared her experiences with dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes it difficult for her to work with numbers. She credits her father for helping her manage her finances and emphasizes the importance of understanding financial literacy, especially for women. However, Sutaria also admits that her dyscalculia, or maths learning disability, often leads her to make mistakes, so she relies on her accounts team to handle everything.

Dyscalculia is a condition that affects a person's ability to understand and work with numbers, similar to how dyslexia impairs reading skills. Dr. Sharadhi C, a psychiatrist from Aster CMI Hospital, explains that people with dyscalculia may struggle with simple calculations, remembering numbers, understanding time, handling money, reading graphs, and following numerical instructions.

She notes that the condition can persist into adulthood and often goes unnoticed until it becomes apparent in daily life. Dyscalculia can impact various aspects of life, such as calculating change while shopping, budgeting, reading bills, understanding discounts, following recipes, remembering phone numbers, estimating travel times, and interpreting statistics.

While dyscalculia does not diminish a person's intelligence, it can lead to mistakes, frustration, anxiety, and reduced confidence, particularly in situations where quick calculations are required. To manage daily tasks more easily, those with dyscalculia can use tools like calculators, smartphone apps, digital reminders, calendars, and written step-by-step instructions.

Keeping a simple budget template, checking bills twice, using visual aids, and breaking down complex numerical tasks into smaller steps can also help reduce errors. Seeking professional assessments from psychologists, neuropsychologists, or qualified specialists is recommended to identify individual difficulties and develop effective strategies for everyday life.