Dyscalculia

Post Reply New Topic

does anyone suffer from this problem and if so how common is it ? x

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia

As for how common this problem is, I cannot speak to that, as I'm not an expert, but I do know that I'm one of those people who suffers from it.

I'm a pretty smart human being, except when it comes to math. From elementary school all the way through university, I've had to have assistance with math. My brain simply does not work like that.

Recently, I was studying to re-take the GRE so that I can return to graduate school, and there was a quantitative problem that I just did not understand, even after seeing the answer. I took it to my boyfriend, who's pretty good with math, and asked him to explain it to me. He did, and it still made no sense. None. Zip. Zilch. He couldn't understand why it was so difficult, because to him the answer was very apparent. I never did understand that problem, and even got it wrong (again) later on the actual exam.

I used to get very upset when it came to math - I have actually cried whilst sitting in class because I could not understand what was going on. Now, though, now I just accept that my brain works differently and I don't give myself such a hard time about it.

_________________
Diagnosed with High Functioning Autism well into adulthood.
It's never too late to get a diagnosis.
Hell, I thought I was just weird.

i can (obviously) come off as really abrupt and my tone can sound sharpish, so feel free to ask me to clarify

I always had issues with everyday math. Simple things like knowing how to calculate a tip in my head or estimate were always very difficult for me. For a long time, I couldn't understand the concept of "fractions" either.

That said, I could do some of the more complex and "abstract" math problems without much trouble. I did better with algebra than with the numbers themselves. I've even taken a few semesters of calculus. Despite that, though, my scores on standardized tests are usually low for the above-mentioned reasons.

So I dunno, I can do math, but only certain kinds of math.

To answer the question, though, I think probably quite a few people have it in some form or another.

My sister has dyscalculia, dyslexia and dyspraxia. She was only diagnosed in her mid 40s when she went back to university. I don't know how common dyscalculia is, but I imagine there are a lot of people out there in their 30s and older who haven't been diagnosed. (just googled it, and it says 3-6% estimated to have dyscalculia). http://www.aboutdyscalculia.org/dyscalculiamain.html

I was pretty bad at maths at school, and needed one on one tuition to pass my GCSE. I still find basic concepts such as fractions and negative numbers very difficult to grasp.

its good to know im not the only one out there with this problem x i really struggle with math, i can do adding numbers with o's and 5's but then it starts to get a bit complicated. i havent a clue about long division or fractions and percentage, gawd i feel really thick right now x

bethmc i used to cry to, i just couldnt understand why i couldnt GET IT ! ! now at least i know there is a name for this x

ive just turned 40 and in the process of being diagnosed, it was my gp who put me forward for assessment as it didnt even cross my mind to have aspergers, even although my nephew has it x

Extremely bad at grasping number concepts - glad to know there's a name for it.

Also extremely glad for calculators on cell phones and computers.

Oh yes. It was a huge problem for me in school when you are expected to be able to figure out math problems. Adults are also expected to be able to figure out math problems but once you are an adult, nobody calls it cheating if you use a calculator. Lucky for me I live in a time when calculators are cheap and ubiquitous.

I have all the symptoms like not remembering times tables, trouble reading clocks, having to count on my fingers, writing numbers down wrongly, etc.

I don't think I'm even that awful at mathematics but in practice even if I understand the concept just keeping track of the basic numbers seems to often give me problems, or switching around the signs. In school there were some very basic things I couldn't do like rounding numbers, and yet I was placed in advanced math at one point because of some perceived intelligence of my mine.

Since autistics have extreme skills one way or the other often I'm sure a lot of the more word-focused people have dyscalculia here.

I was diagnosed with it as a child, and they called it "severe dyscalculia" (or something like that). I was in special ed classes for it all through school. I never did learn the multiplication table, but I've got a fairly sophisticated method of counting on my fingers. College math was the worst, but after several tries, I was able to pass my college math requirements. The only time I ever suffered from it was when I had to take those stupid classes. Now I just let my computer or phone do my math for me.

As soon as I found out what it is, I suspected I may have it. Though throughout my school life so far, I have hovered between sets three and one, (there were four sets, fourth being the lowest). I managed to stay out of the lower sets and in the higher ones through intense copying. I copied most work, but for other bits of work I simply memorised what the teacher said with my eyes closed (I am not a visual learner) and tried to recall it in any test. I ended up on the verge of tears in almost every maths class, and it took me years to learn what took other people weeks.

My brain is wired for words. I am in top set English, predicted to get an A, and I learned to read at an extraordinary rate at an early age.

I'm not sure about how common it is. It probably isn't that uncommon, but many people will go undiagnosed, for lack of knowledge of the condition, or simply because people don't see it as a real condition.

_________________
Aspie 172/200 Undiagnosed, but pretty sure I have it.
'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'

I have it. Strangely, I could do basic math, but when I got to algebra I just couldn't comprehend it, and it took me YEARS to pass it, through HS and two colleges. I never got any further. The college diagnosed me with dyscalculia, but had no clue what to do about it. So I suffered. I had and have a hard time with clocks too. Most of my clocks are digital. It's just one of those things that comes with being aspie. Strangely, I'm a whiz with computers, although I flunked programming them.

i flunked school badly, i was only ever any good at art and english, but i found the exams and studying too much so never did sit the exams.
i am terrible at maths and reading clocks but am good on the computer ( so ive been told )

judging by the comments people have left it seems more common than i thought ! x

"I ended up on the verge of tears in almost every maths class"

same here or i used to just dodge the class ( i was always getting into trouble )

Pretty common.

But make sure not to mistake anything else as dyscalculia. Problems with executive function or memory can show up as dyscalculia when in reality the numbers have little to do with it.

I know this because I had what seemed to be problems with math during my first few years at school--I couldn't memorize addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. But it had nothing to do with numbers; it had everything to do with trying to memorize contextless information that had no connections to the other things I learned. It wasn't until high school, when I learned that things like 8x6 were a special case of "xy", that I was able to memorize the multiplication tables--and even then, I still picture them as geometric shapes rather than written numbers.

I know I don't have dyscalculia; the Linear Systems book sitting open on my desk says that much. (Linear systems is a branch of differential equations very useful to engineers.)

I have similar problems with memorizing names and dates in history class, and memorizing the parts of the body in anatomy class. Thankfully many of the body parts are Latin names that have meanings connected to the function, location, or appearance of the relevant structure; so anatomy was much easier than the times tables.

i have the same problem, i can usually remember the theme of the story but not the names and dates, i just put it down to me being a bit dumb x

I also have the same problem as well. I've never been good at math.