dysTalk Flip - Dyscalculia - Dyscalculia - Forum - dysTalk

Hi everyone. I am 44 years old. I've always found maths extremely difficult. During my school years teachers lost patience with me. I was labelled a slow learner in maths and left school with the lowest grade of CSE. However, my English language ability was absolutely fine and I passed my GCE. I kept my struggle secret for years using a calculator to get by. Most people would never know that I have this problem and most of the time I like to deny it myself. Mental arithmetic is extremely difficult for me - I have to write everyone down. The problem is embarrasing and the lack of confidence has affected me in many areas. Now I am giving maths another go by enrolling on a numeracy course. I hope that by approaching maths in a different way as an adult I might at least get a grasp of the basics.

31/03/2012 17:40:24
anna145

I am 30 years old and I have problems with simple arithmetic calculations. I also cannot distinguish between left and right and find it very very often to get lost into traffic. It is hard to me to remember numbers, even if I had to turn book to the correct page, after I look for something in index.

Funny enough, I am really good in mathematics, as I even have master degree in mathematics and computer science. I am successful software developer and I like math and logic riddles, as long as these don't need heavy calculations with numbers.

And good thing is that you can be good mathematician, even if you don't have calculation skills. Most of math problems don't require any calculation and if they do, you can always use calculator. It is important to know your limits and not to get embarrassed if you calculate 12 - 5 on calculator. It is smart not to do it in head, if you make errors often. If your child has problems with calculations, help him/her to accept himself/herself as he/she is. Don't let him/her be afraid of mathematics, as it doesn't mean that he/she cannot even be good mathematician. Even David Hilbert, had difficulties with simple calculations.

08/03/2012 00:12:29
Jakisa

I can't believe I have found this definition after all these years!I always had to have special needs help at school because of maths,& I refused to learn to tell the time until I was in my teens because it seemed like a concept I would never be able to grasp!I find it very difficult to master any sort of time keeping,I'm late for everything!,which hasn't helped me to hold down a job.I find it very difficult to picture measurements or to calculate things,even using an actual calculator can still produce the wrong answer!Surely this should have been recognised officially by now?!?!,I have no problems with English,but it's put me at a real disadvantage when it comes to education or getting a better job.Where can I go to get support?!,I REALLY need help with timekeeping & learning how to judge time correctly.I read on Wikipedia that it affects your attention span as well?!

22/02/2012 14:25:47
Sophie

Hello Everyone,

My world has just increased in size by finding this forum. I'm a 50 year old with a full time job, and I'm a part time, final year university student, studying for an Engineering (Hons) degree - and I struggle with maths!!!!

Today I underwent a thorough assessment by an Educational Psychologist, organised by my university, part funded by them. Total cost £335 for which I was required to contribute £75. I have been diagnosed with dyscalculia - a relief, I now have a label.

I am required to carry out complex mathematics, equations, formulae, algebra, quadratic equations, matrices, differentiation and calculus in order to solve problems and I really struggle! (It's all 'Greek' to me and I don't understand how I've survived this far.)

Like Darleen Wright and several other posters on this forum; I am intelligent, articulate, able to verbalise, speak and write well; I too can remember and label diagrams, recall facts etc. I do well academically apart from maths. My frustrations with my brain have caused me much upset and anguish.

My psych assessment was enlightening and worthwhile. I felt vindicated that the test results bore out all that my verbal accounts had described. But more than this, the Psychologist was able to determine when and how my brain's coping mechanisms 'kick in' and compensate for my disability. Up until now, my problems have largely been invisible because of my assignment/exam marks. I score very well on most assignments, and not so well on exams (where time to answer is restricted). I have felt stupid about crying out for extra tutorial support when I can sometimes come top of the class in written assignments, but then in the same subject I can barely scrape past the minimum exam pass mark. I empathise with all of us and am glad I am no longer alone. By the way, my assessment also showed me to be moderately dispraxic too. Phew, no wonder I need a bib to save my clothes at mealtimes! I too had a terribly miserable time at school during PE lessons, but was bubbly, confident and top of the class for most other subjects. I was even in the top set for maths even though I argued that I should be in a lower set - teachers used to tell me to work harder and apply myself like I did in other subjects. My disability has been hidden all this time.

Choen (above post), please do not give up, education still has lots to offer and extra help on tap for you. Besides which, if you are gifted in music, then you do have skills in maths, so not all maths is outside of your reach. Life is such a gift.

I'm glad to have found you all, thank you for your posts.

22/02/2012 01:57:54
Karen Pretty

im also 30 and i think i might also have this dyscalculia, i can relate to all you guys too, im so glad im not the only one, i went through elementary school and had a terrifying experience, i remember i was five at the time, i was asked to stay behind while the other kids went out to play, the head teacher came in and shouted at me ' Why did'nt you do it right? The head Teacher bent me over her lap and spanked me. After this she got fired! Ever since elementary, I've never been able to do simple maths. Of course when GCSE's came up in secondary school, I was terrified, i got a huge U in maths! ( No supprise there then). After GCSE's i dropped out of education completely, due to lack of sef confidence, I ended up hating myself, even to this day i still hate that i cant do proper maths. I know that my maths problem has hindered my academic potentail and in essence living a better life. Many relatives say that im very articulate and gifted in other areas especialy music, but since there's no help for adults like myself and indeed many others like me, whats the point in living anymore if this is all that liffe has to offer?

19/02/2012 20:53:31
Choen

I completely sympathise with the other adults on thes page I went through the same at school and still face the same problems at work I work in retail and have been practically bullied into going on a checkout and it was like trying to read a foreign language. Also I am really defensive and after 32 years of not being able to count someone only has to make a small rude comment and it is like a red rag to a bull and I tear strips off people. I dom't think there is much in the way of support networks for adults unfortunately. When I was in school in the 80's and 90's you were just branded stupid and sat in a corner and ignored. But it is comforting to know there are others like me.

18/02/2012 15:40:33
Vicky Rushton

I am 51 years old and have been thick at Maths all my life. Thankfully, I excelled at English and Spelling. I just don't get numbers. The hardest thing for me is that it has made me a source of frustration for many people all my life. I was the only annoying one recently on the cruise ship that couldn't learn the cha cha. Ninety year olds whizzed gracefully by us as my husband gritted his teeth and hissed 'count, count - no left, not right!' Someone once asked me if I was dyslexic because I couldn't work out change properly, which made me worse because then I was concentrating on trying not to cry. My teachers rolled their eyes at my perceived laziness and I often had to stay in at lunch time to complete tasks that I just couldn't understand. It seems to me that high literacy skills were almost a curse because they became a barometer for my teachers to measure my laziness in Maths. As an adult fearing numbers isn't my primary concern - I'm more fearful of exposing myself as that annoying child I never seem able to shake.

22/01/2012 23:38:41
Gaynor

I am 52 years old and have always stuggled with math. I remember my mom and sister trying to teach me and I could never figure it out. I check and double check any calculations that I do and if I am put on the spot with a math question, I freeze. I remeber having to go up to the board when I was a kid and being told to do a math problem. I just couldn't do it. People labeled me stupid even though I excelled at reading and spelling. In college, I could never remember the formulas and got terrible math anxiety. I can't believe there is a name for what I have experienced.

21/01/2012 22:00:43
Lisa Kayton

Where do we get help as adults? Im 29. There seems to be all this help for children. I have dyscalculia and at school and felt like maths was some alien language. I want to learn properly how to do maths, because i want to go to University, and most courses I want to do have maths elements to them.

29/10/2011 23:02:32
Cassie

I am 69 years old.i have never been able to do anything but basic maths. I still write numbers back to front(132 instead of 123) and cannot copy numbers from 1 sheet of paper to another without a lot of mistakes.This is the only subject i where i have problems.Is this Dyscalculia?

17/10/2011 19:56:49
mrs margaret rawlinson

im 37 years old and am certain that i suffer from discalculia. I was inable to grasp any kind of maths in school leading to horrible anxiety as i couldnt understand why i couldnt understand! when i got to secondary school the problem was worse and my teachers response to ''i dont understand'' was ''get on with it'' she soon realised i wasnt capable and rather than address the problem, she simlpy let me sit in class doodling and never asked for my work. i was maked as absent for my maths gcse..basically my problem was ignored and i have had to deal with it all my life.i have learned to double check everything i do with numbers fairly quickly so i know its right, but i still write any numbers over 3 digits down back to front and have no concept of fractions, algebra etc.looking at a page of equations just makes my brain freeze up.i cant even begin to process what im looking at. even to this day these things cause me anxiety and its a constant problem trying to hide it from employers.makes life really hard particularly as im looking for anew job now and know i cant do so many of the available jobs..just wish this problem could have been recognised while i was at school.

14/10/2011 00:17:17
jeremy

I am 31 yrs old and have struggled all my life.I feel like an idiot.Cant figure out how much change i should receive at the store.Or if something is 20 or 40% off,I cant calculate it.very hard time with mental math.My mind goes blank.I need serious help!

04/10/2011 21:22:24
mathmoron

my little girl 8 yrs old cant understand number bonds tell the time tables. she faked illness to come home coz of maths test on friday and at bedtime she said she wanted to kill herself because of maths!! what can i do to help her

11/09/2011 00:25:52
christine hayward

I am 38 yrs. old and though i have not been diagnosed i strongly believe that i suffer from this condition.I never knew there was a name for it until recently.I have struggled with math and the whole concept of it my entire life!Ironically i have had jobs in payroll departments and now i am a substitute teachers aide.I try to stick with the elementary/preschool age.As this is where i can actually help and i am not challenged myself.I work with children who have learning disabilities because i know how they feel.How they struggle to learn something so easy for others that is so hard for them.I am embarassed to let anyone know of my challenges.All my life i have been laughed at,or called lazy or ditzy or even just plain stupid.It hurts so much when i try so hard,and others do not understand why simple things like counting change in my head are very difficult for me.''I don't know why'', i would tell them.''I wish i was smarter''!I do not have any problems with anything else except math!What really hurts me is my 13 yr. old son helps mom with math when i should be helping him.I must have done something right as far as his concern because he has always been a straight A student,in the honor society and such!I am so glad that math or anything else is not a sruggle for him.So i will continue to learn as much as i can as slow or difficult as it may be for me.I will continue to work with children as much as i can who have learning disabilities because there is hope and help out there for them they so desperately need.

26/07/2011 19:21:14
Melissa

I am a student and I am interested in knowing more about dyscalculia. I want to know if culture affects dyscalculia. According to me Asians drill their kids a lot when it come to maths were as western parent leave their kids independent

08/06/2011 15:50:57
Sona

I am almost 50 and always had above average ability in reading and writing at school. I was good at art and language but failed miserably at maths, geography and history (dates etc). I have recently become aware of dyscalculia and having done an online test am fairly sure this is the reason for years of number-related anxieties! Have read great articles on-line by Tony Attwood published in SEN magazine and thinking of getting his book.

13/01/2011 09:57:56
Rachel

I have never heard of dyscalculia before, I have such a panic if I even have to do any math and I mean simple, like division, fractions and percentages, I am 57 years old and have kept it a secret for so long, I don't understand numbers, very boring and foreign to me, I can name off everyone of the bones, muscles nerves of the body and am an excellent speller, I can remember all medical terminology, but, I feel totally inadequate with math and it has kept me from going to college, I do not want to be labeled slow or retarded. I am afraid to get help for my math phobia, I feel like it is too late for me.

07/01/2011 07:56:09
Darleen wright

Does having the difficulty to comprehend mathematical problems and solutions can be considered as dyscalculia? I'm not really good in analyzing mathematical problems I have to read it a few times before I can think of the solution. I also have the difficulty of computing mentally not like other people. I have to use the calculator in my cellphone just to make sure I got the right answer.

27/12/2010 10:19:26
judyhanning (Member)

I was diagnosed with dyscalculia at age 14 so I have only been known to have dyscalculia for a year and it is really hard because it is so unknown no one really knows what to do?

15/12/2010 23:56:47
Pixie (Member)

I am 26 and I am certain I have dyscalculia but no idea where to go for support. I have always found numbers extremely hard and I just don't understand them. I can't work out how much change to give, I can't add, divide etc in my head or by writing it down as I just don't understand the processes, I can't visulise numbers or distances, weights etc so for example 300 yards means nothing to me, I have to turn a map the way I'm travelling etc.

Nothing makes sense

28/09/2010 14:17:11
welshgirl21

My daughter has always struggled with math..never retaining from test to test..year to year. All of your symptoms are what I see in her. She's terrified of cashier jobs. No confidence in counting money...time...etc. Its now holding her back in college as she must take 4 math courses to earn her AA..she's struggling with the first one. NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO HELP, not past nor current educators. I am so disheartened with her talk now of dropping out.

22/09/2010 13:18:20
Momslove (Member)

I'm 53 years young and have had problems with numbers since I was a child. Not one teacher at school was prepared to help. I've struggled all these years, and can only complete the most simple of maths calculations. To me numbers are like a foreign language that I don't (and can't) speak. I have been assessed recently and my result was very poor (I scored 0.5%). I'd love to be able to understand maths but suspect I'm too late and will be saddled with this all my life. I was labelled ''thick'' at school, and have had many embarrasing situations over the years. Oh, for someone to help me now.

18/09/2010 10:04:51
Mo Hooper

My 12yr old son has just been confirmed as having dyscalulia. He has been labelled stupid for so many years that his confidence is at an all time low and he is reluctant to learn or try anything new. We have always encouraged him but he finds new situations very difficult and hates drawing attention to himself. Any feedback would be appreciated.

15/04/2010 19:24:02
Christine

There is a resources called Numicon that helps all pupils to visualise numbers and as John said it may be easier for pupils with Dyscalculia to learn in this way. They also have a whole teaching tip page on telling the time too.

http://www.numicon.com/display_resources/telling-the-time.ht...

27/08/2009 15:35:17
Emma

I am 32 years old, and am pretty sure I am Dyscalculic. I have not been tested, mostly becauase I don't know of anyone who tests adults for it. I had a horrible time in school, and growing up with it, although I didn't even know there was a name for my problem until I was an adult. I am glad that children today with Dyscalculia can be identified and helped instead of falling through the cracks like myself. Is there anything I can do as an adult to help deal with my Dyscalculia? Also is there any way of getting tested to pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses within my problem? As well as discover to what extent I may have it?

21/08/2009 16:57:16
Liz Moore

If any of you want to talk to other dyscalculics, you should check out http://dyscalculiaforum.com - thousands of members from all over the world :)

16/07/2009 20:19:36
Mette

I'm dyscalculic myself, and from my own experience the thing to remember is that most people have no idea of timespan either, they're just better at telling the time. As your son does not conceptualise numbers, but probably works better visualising things, I would suggest that the analogue dial is a much more useful learning aid.

I'd get him to picture the five-minute divisions of the hour as stations on a train line. The name of the Terminus is whatever the short hand is pointing to on the hour. The station at the 1 position is called ''Five Past [the hour]'', and the next one along is called ''Ten Past [the hour]''; and he can see, from counting the marked minutes between each of the numbers, that the imaginary train keeps pace with the motion of time at increments of five minutes. This will be the basic building-block of his time-awareness.

Next I'd get him to watch something on TV that lasts, say, 15 minutes. With practice, he'll be able to ''feel'' the passage of a quarter-hour as the time it takes him to watch that TV show. Likewise, a couple of hours will be the time taken to watch a particular film.

For spans of five minutes or less, let him recall the time it takes to listen to a particular song. I once had a friend who reckoned that if he only had 4 minutes left to live, he could spend it listening to the Nirvana song ''Smells Like Teen Spirit'', because it comes in at a little under 4 minutes, with just enough time for him to select it on his iPod :)

15/06/2009 12:16:18
John Bennett

My son is 17 and dyslexic and im sure dyscalculic. He has great difficulty telling the time, would we be best to use 24 hour digital watch instead. He seems to have no idea of time span. Its not through want of trying but he just doesnt seem to be able to do it. thanks

10/03/2009 13:40:43
elizabeth jones

I don't know about your student, but in my case my dyscalculia is based on a) a difficulty with the value of numbers and b) a short term working memory problem, meaning I can't hold the digits in my head.

However, I found that the key for me to learn mathematics was ALGEBRA. It taught me that my problem is purely calculatory, and that I can actually learn the functions performed by division, multiplication, powers, factorials, etc by seeing their place algebraically.

As a result, I've been able to complete the AAT Accounting qualification with no apparent impairment whatsoever, I've even written articles online about how to construct and utilise bézier curves.

The problems I found are that, because your first experience of numbers in school is based on mental arithmetic, you develop early the concept that you and maths are not friends. This creates a barrier in later life, so that you almost cease to try, even when other more abstract areas of mathematics may be fine for you.

What I found was that algebra is more practical, more procedural, it appeals to logic rather than numeracy.

If you'd like to know any more, my email is el_bogly (at) hotmail (dot) com.

02/03/2009 11:34:20
Chris Denyer

I want to know how to teach commercial maths i.e. percentage, profit and loss and simple interest to grade 7 student.

21/02/2009 05:48:34
lakshmi madhusudan

We've had a couple of enquiries regarding dyscalculia and whether dysTalk is aware of this lesser known condition (dyslexia with numbers). We certainly are aware of it and are in touch with several experts on the subject. Jane Emerson who runs Emerson house (kindly hosting our first lecture) is extremely knowledgeable on dyscalculia and is scheduled to do a lecture covering this in December/January (exact date TBC). Many of you will also have heard of Professor Brian Butterworth and we very much hope to schedule something with him. In the meantime please use this part of the forum to discuss all things related to dyscalculia.

Josh and the dysTalk team

01/10/2008 22:06:41
Josh (Member)