What is dyscalculia? Difference from dyslexia explained as U2's Larry Mullen Jr. opens up on struggles of his diagnosis

Well-known musician and U2 member Larry Mullen Jr. recently opened up on his dyscalculia diagnosis while speaking to Times Radio on December 12, 2024. Dyscalculia refers to a learning disorder that impacts an individual's brain, leading to problems in reading and handling number skills.

During his conversation, Larry stated that he had always discovered a problem with himself while trying to "deal with numbers." He described himself as a "numerically challenged" person and continued:

"I realized recently that I have dyscalculia, which is a sub-version of dyslexia. So I can't count [and] I can't add."

He addressed how the problem affected his facial expression while performing and said:

"When people watch me play sometimes, they say 'you look pained.' I am pained because I'm trying to count the bars. I had to find ways of doing this – and counting bars is like climbing Everest."

According to People magazine, Mullen is a father of three children and one of them has been already dealing with dyslexia.

Notably, Mullen's documentary film Left Behind also focused on five mothers working to form the first state school for children battling dyslexia in New York City.

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Dyscalculia is completely a different condition compared to dyslexia

As per The Ed Psych Practice, dyscalculia and dyslexia are problems associated with the brain but they still have a lot of differences. While the former can create issues in terms of numbers and maths, dyslexia is a condition where children start facing trouble while reading from an early age.

Individuals suffering from dyslexia might face problems with time and time management.

Dyslexia is also dependent on cognitive alterations and it shares a commonality with dyscalculia, which is intervention in the learning process. However, the presence of dyslexia does not mean the person has the other disorder, as stated by Your Brain Health.

Apart from creating errors in calculations and mathematics, dyscalculia additionally affects a child's relationship with peers and they might maintain a distance from sports and games where calculations play an important role.

On the other hand, adults might avoid driving if they are diagnosed with the disorder.

Common symptoms of dyslexia include problems in reading, avoiding reading aloud, difficulty in pronunciation, confusion in letters, difficulty memorizing familiar words, grammar deficiencies, and writing the same word in different ways.

On the other hand, individuals suffering from dyscalculia would have problems while counting. Apart from that, they would also have trouble understanding charts and graphs, memorizing mathematical details, and using mathematics every day.

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Larry Mullen Jr. speaks on the upcoming plans of his band

As mentioned, the 63-year-old is a drummer of the Dublin, Ireland-based rock band U2. Apart from opening up on his diagnosis, Larry also told Times Radio in his recent interview that his band was working on a new project and they would go on tour in 2026.

Larry said that the band's new material will not be like what they have done over the years and added:

"I would hope it would be something different. But I'm excited to get back in some capacity."

Apart from this, Larry's film Left Behind is scheduled to arrive on the big screen on February 7, 2025.

U2's last major release was Songs of Surrender, which featured the band's re-recorded singles in the soundtrack, and it came out in March last year.