I Can't Do Math

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`I'm not good at that advanced algebra that I am taking.It's too hard. and I'm telling the disability people on campus that and the teacher and they go "Oh you can do it, if you say you cant do it, then you cant". No if I cant do it then Im going to say I cant do it. I hate NTs and their stupid self-confidence rules that they dont even follow them damn selves.

even Temple Grandin talks about some kids need to skip algebra and go straight to geometry. she wasnt good at algebra. I think NTs are sometimes unrealistic, I mean of course I can do the math, but they are telling me I can do it well if I just believe. Thats just bs. Dr. Grandin says that there are 3 types of autistic minds and they can criss dross as well. I am good at languages which means I am good at patterns, but I cant do the algebra type of patterns because my mind cannot work like that. and NTs dont understand.


do any of you guys get these types of things from NTs?

I think when they say you can, they mean you can learn how to do it. Not that you already know it.

Sometimes self-confidence is all that's needed, so don't hold it against them. Like aspies, NTs have trouble realising that what is (now) simple to them isn't as simple to someone still learning.

It could be worse. Not trying to make light of your frustration, but I've seen people who get angry, frustrated and just out right rude when you don't happen to read their minds or know exactly what they do.

Oh, by the way, people telling you they 'can't' do something is equally as frustrating to the person who's been wasting their time teaching. It comes across as the person not being 'willing' to learn. Maybe don't say 'can't' in future, but just that you're trying and still not sure.

Also, being bad at maths isn't an autistic thing; it's just a people thing. Many NTs aren't particularily fond of the subject either.

When I was in school I was terrible at math I just could'nt grasp the concept. the only math subject that I was good at was geometry. sometimes I had a rough time with the problems. most of the time I just sat around acting like I did'nt care but eventually they got through to me. I kept asking for help and working at it,and I was passing my tests and getting my work right,just don't give up. it's probably not easy for you but you can do anything you put your mind to.

Maybe you need a better teacher. Algebra is pretty easy. You'll need those basics when you get to calculus. Calculus is pretty fun, but you'll definitely need the algebra background or you'll be lost.

I am majoring in Spanish. I failed my math placement test so now I have to take the beginners math course and then afterwards college algebra and I;m done. I'm not taking calculus. I dont need it for my degree. i really dont even need math to know hwo to learn spanish. its so stupid, but anyways i just need to get out of these dumbass math classes and focus on what I like. so i need to pass them

Also I understand algebra, I just dont understand tyhat advanced algebra. The part where you get all that foiling and z squared and factor out ten numbers and all that junk.

Algebra may be pretty easy for YOU, but it isn't for everyone. The only algebra class I've passed (and not with flying colours) has been pre-algebra.

But yeah, having a different teacher can make all the difference sometimes.

Oh yeah I didnt mention Im 13 assignments behind because of my grandmas funeral and I have to have them all done by monday (the test day) and the teacher adds more assignments everyday....Does that change what you think of my predicament now?

Oh, I understand the difference between basic levels of algebra and advanced algebra. At the early levels, I inherently grasped concepts that made sense, and translated them into a "physical" structure without a second thought.

I was even on the math team, and I carried the highest grade in my advanced class (108%). My 7th grade teacher picked me as her student for the "mentor/mentee" program, and she furthered cultivated my interest in primate psychology, moving me from Francine Patterson to Jane Goodall.

But somewhere in high school, it all fell apart. I carried very low math scores, although on math team tasks, I would occasionally perform very well beyond explanation. And although in AP Calculus I carried a D average, I somehow got a 4 on the AP exam.

All this has convinced me that it is a linguistic problem. In math, I ALWAYS had the "show your work" fight, for I could not, although I could arrive at the right answer. And yet, in order to speed the relevant work in science classes, I need to be able to translate those procedures I never grasped.

I recently returned to math classes at a new community college that would not accept my AP credits, and they started me in Algebra. I sat in the back and drew my floor plans, and I felt completely lost, yet somehow I carried the high grade in class. I don't know ANY of that Algebra II level work. I don't know how I manage. Perhaps if I had failed instead of excelled, someone could have caught it?

I feel as though when I succeed at math, I am speaking in tongues . . . I am so often nearly illiterate in advanced maths, but it pours fluently from me?

There are no specialists at my current school.

I'm starting community college this fall, and I have to take a pre-algebra course, which I'm hoping will be easy-ish for me. I've always struggled in math. I remember when I took 11th grade algebra, my performance in that class would constantly fluctuate. Sometimes I'd do well in that class, and other times I'd have to struggle just to pass. I think I have basic algebra skills, but I couldn't do any of that advanced stuff.

Today I'm going to tutoring with a private tutor. HI haven't met this guy, but I hope he is patient and good at math. anyways he's probably good at math or he would take the time to tutor me.

I like the tutor. he's great, he's patient, he's smart and he makes learning math easy!! !!

Congratulations on finding a private tutor and for having fun on it!

We'll probably see a change in the title to I Can Do Math!

Yes. Instead of thinking "Well, learn the method again and keep trying", it makes me think "My gosh, what are you even doing on this website at the moment? Learn the method, then get on with your assignments ASAP and cram like you've never crammed before!".



Good. Now, assignments, mister!

You're generalizing about NTs (the self confidence thing). They are actually trying to be helpful, even if it is annoying. I love Temple Grandin too, but she's trying to explain the differences in the autistic mind...she isn't trying to say 'you're autistic so you shouldn't do math.' You could try to go on to geometry if you want, but it's the same deal...it will be easier for some and harder for others. Geometry was harder for me than algebra.

I struggled all through high school with math. I didn't take algebra I until 10th grade, lol. I had to study math in the summers to get by. I ended up doing okay because I worked, hard. I went in at 7am for tutoring with the teacher, had tutoring sessions outside of school once or twice a week. The best thing you can do is get a good teacher and be really organized. I'm now in college and I've finished college algebra (with a B) and now I'm in trigonometry. I've had to do every bit of homework, go to every study session our teacher sponsored, and meet with her privately sometimes. You can do it but you might have to work your butt off, and sometimes you won't even get an A for it. Lol.

I was good in algbra but can't do simple multiclpation to save my life. I'm going to have to fight tooth and nail to be able to use a calculator in college and on my MCAT.