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Old 02-04-2015, 10:41 AM
 
Location: Brentwood, Tennessee
49,932 posts, read 59,552,039 times
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I have it.

I check "yes" next to most of the "symptoms."

I can't make change, so I can't work the concession stand at my kids' sporting events or leave a proper restaurant tip without writing out an equation like a 5th-grader.

When we were dating, my now-husband used to tease me about the fact that I would point instead of calling out "right or left" when navigating for him while he was driving. But I would always call out the wrong direction at first, as if it was a compulsion.

The analog clock thing always threw me, because I would almost have to count by fives to tell time. Still do.

It's nice to know what it's called, but I'm not sure what can be done about it.
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Old 02-04-2015, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Homeless
17,720 posts, read 13,417,403 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MsAnnThrope View Post
The fact that you can keep up at all, means you don't have dyscalculia.

I am 47 and to this day cannot multiply, divide, and I subtract in the most awkward way imaginable because I taught myself.

I'm also 47 & I can't do third grade math myself. I have ADHD which makes things worse I need to look into this more it would be nice to be able to do math & it would help me the a job that I have been wanting for a while now. Not to mention I could go back to school.
There are some things I can do according to the list but I fail at most of them. I HATE being late for work or anything. I can read a analog clock. I know my right from my left though. Math is a no no. It's held me back for some time now... time to go see a Dr & see if anything can be done.

Last edited by reed067; 02-04-2015 at 11:55 AM..
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Old 02-05-2015, 01:48 PM
 
Location: Back at home in western Washington!
1,490 posts, read 4,735,784 times
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I was diagnosed with "Graphic Dyslexia" while in HS (late 80's). Under this diagnosis, I was allowed to stop taking math classes in my Sophomore year. I didn't give it too much thought...went onto college, married, kids...uh oh, how hard is it when your own child exceeds your ability to help with homework by the 4th grade?! At least in math class. I've had jobs that required a certain amount of math skills...I used a lot of "cheat sheets" to get by. I also wasn't afraid to ask a co-worker to do the calculation for me...simply saying "my math skills suck" will get you the answer without it being a big deal.

There is obviously a big difference between people who just don't "get" math and people who CAN'T "get" math. I fit some of the criteria for Dyscalculia (based on your list in the original post), but not all of them. I imagine there are different variations of the severity of Dyscalculia...the same way that there are variations of the severity of Dyslexia.

Oddly enough...I attend my daughter's Algebra II math class with her once a week and have learned an amazing amount! Things I never thought I COULD learn are making sense now. Not sure why, but it is wonderful to be able to explain how to do a math equation to her. I've always felt that my two older children were mathematical geniuses because it all made sense to them (it always sounded like a foreign language to me), but I'm sure they were just normal math student .
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Old 02-06-2015, 08:53 PM
 
Location: near bears but at least no snakes
26,635 posts, read 28,427,436 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sabinerose View Post
I was diagnosed with "Graphic Dyslexia" while in HS (late 80's). Under this diagnosis, I was allowed to stop taking math classes in my Sophomore year. I didn't give it too much thought...went onto college, married, kids...uh oh, how hard is it when your own child exceeds your ability to help with homework by the 4th grade?! At least in math class. I've had jobs that required a certain amount of math skills...I used a lot of "cheat sheets" to get by. I also wasn't afraid to ask a co-worker to do the calculation for me...simply saying "my math skills suck" will get you the answer without it being a big deal.

There is obviously a big difference between people who just don't "get" math and people who CAN'T "get" math. I fit some of the criteria for Dyscalculia (based on your list in the original post), but not all of them. I imagine there are different variations of the severity of Dyscalculia...the same way that there are variations of the severity of Dyslexia.

Oddly enough...I attend my daughter's Algebra II math class with her once a week and have learned an amazing amount! Things I never thought I COULD learn are making sense now. Not sure why, but it is wonderful to be able to explain how to do a math equation to her. I've always felt that my two older children were mathematical geniuses because it all made sense to them (it always sounded like a foreign language to me), but I'm sure they were just normal math student .
You were really lucky to get diagnosed. You didn't have to take math in high school! Oh, I am so jealous.

I couldn't do algebra and when science demanded math skills I could no longer do science either. No chemistry and no physics (although physics interested me and I could understand it verbally.) I was a straight A student in geometry but when it turned into trig--nope, just hopeless. Could.not.do.it.

I know what you mean, feeling that your kids were math geniuses--my sister was a math genius. As adults, she would balance my checkbook for me and find my errors. Usually simple addition or subtraction.

I stayed away from any occupation that required number skills but even working in a library, I dreaded having someone come in with an overdue book because that would mean they'd pay a fee and I might have to make change. One time someone gave me a large bill to pay their fee and specified what type of change they wanted: ones, fives, quarters, dimes--I had a really hard time and I don't remember how I got around it because I certainly was not capable of figuring it out.

It's embarrassing!
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Old 02-07-2015, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Elsewhere
87,981 posts, read 83,805,998 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by in_newengland View Post
I'm reviving this thread because I would like to bring this math learning disability to light. It would help people (like me) who have it and it would help parents and teachers to recognize it and maybe to be able to do something to help other people.

There are a lot of articles on the internet about dyscalculia. I've been reading some tonight and when you recognize yourself in the list of symptoms you hardly know whether to laugh or cry. But one thing I keep saying is, "No wonder!"

One of the symptoms I recognize in myself is the inability to do mental arithmetic. Mainly it's the inability to do just about anything that concerns numbers, like making change or dividing up a bill in a restaurant.

Some of the lists have symptoms that don't apply to me at all--like knowing your left from your right or being able to estimate distance or heights or reading analog clocks. I have no problem with these. Other symptoms mentioned are not being able to draw or not have good spatial visualization. Not for me--I was a good artist and considered going professional.

But when they mention things like being uncoordinated at sports and dancing--yes. Sadly, I have never been able to learn to dance, cannot remember the steps and also cannot participate in exercise classes. Why is that connected with not being good with numbers? I don't know.

When they mention poor musical ability--yes. I realized that in third grade piano lessons. It takes me too long to read the music and then transfer it to the keyboard. I have to think about it and that takes too long. Maybe it's some sort of memory thing. I also seem to have no concept of rhythm.

When they mention non recognition of faces and inability to connect a name with a face--yes. That's very socially limiting and embarrassing but no matter how hard I try I can't even recognize a face I have seen before. It goes way back. I can remember being seven years old, getting on a bus, and not recognizing my own grandfather! Thank goodness he recognized me.

Yeah, sounds like a real weirdo, right? Well, about 5% of people have this disability, the same number as have dyslexia, a much better known learning problem that is fairly well accepted, diagnosed and treated.

Anyone else want to admit to it? Or discuss it?
This is very interesting. I cannot learn algebra, but I can do arithmetic--add/divide/subtract/multiply, etc., in my head to a better extent than some people. I have trouble recognizing some people, but it's usually when they are the same "type". For example, I have two women in my church who are short, overweight, have freckles and straight blonde hair and are about the same age. I am always mixing them up and asking one about her grandson when she doesn't have a grandson or telling the other I loved her cake when she doesn't bake. The same with bald male engineers at work who wear glasses--they all look the same to me, and until I work with one closely enough to get to know him, I am never sure if this is Bob or Jim I'm talking to. I can't draw recognizable stick people, but I did learn to play the piano a bit, so I'm not as affected there. I have never been coordinated enough for sports, either, and I laughed when you said that about exercise classes--I can't do that, either.

I don't think I have this disorder, although I can relate to some of the elements. It sounds as if it's caused you some struggles in life.
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Old 02-07-2015, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Elsewhere
87,981 posts, read 83,805,998 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dosto View Post
I found out I had this disorder when I was over 30 y.o. I had to go though some medical related testing, part of which was an IQ test. That's when I found out that the discrepancy between my math and other skills was huge. My math was on the level of a 5th grader. That's when my psychologist told me about the disorder. I always knew math wasn't my strongest. My mom, a school teacher, spent hours with me on my math homework. I had tutors the first 3 years of school without any results. However, I never struggled in other classes. Quite the opposite, I did really well in other classes. I ended up getting a Master's in a non-math major. Never took math in college. I don't know how I passed my math test in high school. I am convinced my mom went behind my back and bribed our math teacher :-) I still can't do multiplication (I use internet/Iphone calculator for that). It's quite embarrassing, because my daughter is very good at math. I have a lot of above-mentioned symptoms of the disorder.
A few years ago (before I found out I have dyscallculia), I decided to go back into teaching. In order to get my EC teacher licence, I had to take a basic math class to "refresh" my knowledge. I have thought my math was bad because I had bad teachers or was immature/young to understand. Well, found out I still couldn't do math. Here I was, a 30 y.o. woman with a Master's degree who couldn't multiply 8x9. I adapted somewhat. I can memorize things and "keep" them in my head for a couple of days. Just enough to attempt to pass the tests. Then everything is gone like it never happened.
This, except it wouldn't stay in my head for even a couple of days. I have no degree because I could not pass basic math and failed even the remedial non-credit course. I would think, Aha! Got it! in class, and by the time I got home from school and opened my book it was gone, just GONE. Couldn't do the homework. It was like looking at Egyptian hieroglyphics to me.
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Old 02-09-2015, 11:04 PM
 
Location: near bears but at least no snakes
26,635 posts, read 28,427,436 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801 View Post
This, except it wouldn't stay in my head for even a couple of days. I have no degree because I could not pass basic math and failed even the remedial non-credit course. I would think, Aha! Got it! in class, and by the time I got home from school and opened my book it was gone, just GONE. Couldn't do the homework. It was like looking at Egyptian hieroglyphics to me.
From what I have read, it does have something to do with short term memory--we can't keep it in our heads long enough to figure it out, if that makes any sense. To me it also translates into why I can read music but not fast enough to play an instrument. I used to be able to find the right strings on a guitar to play by notes instead of just chords, but not fast enough. By the time I remembered the right string, it was too late!

Great musicians are usually good at math. I've found that medical doctors are often good musicians and are also good at math. Then there's the ordinary people, and lastly, there's us. Our brains fail us when it comes to anything numerical.
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Old 02-09-2015, 11:15 PM
 
Location: near bears but at least no snakes
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https://cohenkadosh.psy.ox.ac.uk/tes...ou-dyscalculic

This is an interesting test. I took it and most of the questions do not apply yet some apply quite strongly and they definitely would NOT apply to someone who didn't have this learning disability.

I have trouble with No. 6,7,8, 9, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23.


No. 23 is --During my math class there were problems such as “If it takes a man 5 minutes to drive 10 miles, how long does it take him to drive 12 miles?”, but I never had any idea how to solve them even though other people in my class could.


For No. 23 I would say HOW THE H*** should I know? I would have absolutely no idea and I would think it would be impossible for anyone to know. I don't even WANT to know how to solve that problem. I hate it.

Yet they are also asking if we have problems with words --no. Or remembering what a triangle is--no, that's simple.

So I have to wonder about this test and how valid it is and how much they really understand about us. But I answered their questions and submitted it just in case they really are studying this disability and that maybe my answers could help.
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Old 02-10-2015, 05:40 AM
 
Location: USA
6,230 posts, read 6,886,708 times
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I dropped out of community college almost 20 yrs ago because of math and have worked menial low-wage jobs ever since.
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Old 02-10-2015, 12:52 PM
 
Location: New York NY
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Dyscalculia often presents with giftedness in other areas making for the Twice-exceptional (2e) kid, one who is very smart but with learning-disabilities. the tragedy is that so many of these kids fall through the cracks because most schools have no way to identify them and few ways to educate them.

My son has dyscalculia and it made life a living hell for him in school. We knew he had problems early on -- always counting on his fingers, inability to memorize multiplication tables, inability to do any mental math at all -- and insisted on having him tested. Turned out he was just ABOVE the line for disability and never received an IEP or became eligible for any special help, despite his obvious difficulties with numbers.

It dogged him mercilessly, as he was very high-testing and achieving in history, English, and loved non-mathematical logic puzzles. His friends were always the other smart kids in class. But he never received an appropriate education because the gifted kids here must test well both in math AND verbal. His friends did, and went to the better, selective middle and high schools, while he languished in mediocre schools and became increasingly disengaged with school, despite a later testing that his IQ was in the low 130s. He needed to be around other smart kids, but he never could because the schools didn't work that way. He always called himself "the smartest dumb kid ever" because he couldn't do math and struggled with it. He ended up dropping out, but later getting his GED, and is now in college.

The selective high schools here now MUST accept a certain share of students with LDs, though it's too late for my kid. It would have helped tremendously, both academically and emotionally. In general, schools everywhere are HORRIBLE when it comes to dealing with the 2e kids. They just don't get that someone can have a learning disability like dyscalculia AND be really smart too.

It also doesn't help that so much educational emphasis in the past few years has been on STEM subject. It's almost as if the measure of "smart" means that you're good at math and the academic subjects you need a lot of math for. that is incredibly discouraging to kids with dyscalculia. They pick up quickly on the STEM emphasis and figure that they have only a limited future, or no future at all, no matter how smart they may be, if they're not good at math. So they disengage from school and the problems can begin. They don't see anyone valuing the verbal side that they're good at and begin to devalue their own skills.

Don't know what the solutions are for all this, but I hope the awareness and research of dyscalculia gets to be as big as it is for dyslexia.
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