I do always twitch, of course, when people's children have trouble with word problems, because I find it hard to imagine how someone can "really" understand the maths and yet not be able to do them: trouble with word problems does seem to me like a big red flag.
I don't find it surprising at all. Math is basically a whole other language, which expresses relationships. Learning the language comes naturally to some. Translating it back and forth into English, not so much.
I expect the same mental roadblock is what causes so many to struggle with algebra.
