Bad at Mental arithmetic.

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Is anyone else really bad at mental arithmetic?

I work part time in a supermarket and sometimes have to server customers. Usually, the checkout calculates change, etc, but sometimes i have to work it out myself and I can't do it. My mind just goes blank, so I think it's partially because I feel under pressure. I also suspect it is because of my poor short term memory, which is used for mental arithmetic.

I am really, really bad at mental arithmetic. My working memory for such things is virtually non existent.

Yes, am bad at mental arithmetic which is closely tied to the idea of having a good memory including good working/short-term memory. Am ADHD Inattentive and I was surprised that the right medicine for me increased my ability to process math slightly (not a cure) and to read slightly longer words with more comprehension (not a cure). The idea of a digit span or a letter span to me is a real thing, not an abstract concept. Pencil, paper, and calculator help a lot. Some persons with some kinds of seizures have reported things like normally they can process a seven digit phone number but after a seizure the digit processing drops to three digits. There also are people who have allergies and the allergies can temporarily and dramatically reduce their ability to process things they could normally do such as putting files in order, retrieving and storing files. It's a neurological memory thing. Good luck.

I used to have to make change and I dealt with it by counting up to the nearest dollar. If someone gave me a $5.00 for a $ 3.73 bill I would count 2 pennies to 3.75 and then a quarter to make 4 and then a dollar to equal 5.

I'm bad at arithmetic, but fairly good at math. I took a lot of math in college, and did get to the point where constantly having to perform arithmetic calculations in my mind (doing so on a calculator wasn't cool) became fairly easy. But then after I stopped taking math, chemistry and physics, I returned to my previous state of arithmetic clunkiness. So I can learn to do it, it's just not natural for me.

I used to do well with mental arithmetic, but now there are times I cannot even recall multiplication tables. As to the matter of making change, however, this is the very simplest and most accurate way:

Most of us older folks had been taught that and had it down pat after "playing store" in about third grade!

I can barely do simple addition and subtraction of single digits.

Actually i'm relatively good at mental arithmetic. I've always scored in the average or high average on the arithmetic subtest on the WAIS tests i've had. Mental arithmetic is largely dependant on working memory and alot people on the spectrum seem to have problems with working memory. Apparently i'm not one of them because my working memory index score on the WAIS is always at least in the average range and sometimes in the superior range.

But this DOES NOT mean i'm good at math in general. I'm fine with basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. I memorized the multiplication tables a long
time ago. But when it comes to any math beyond this,i'm simply awful at it. For example,
I can UNDERSTAND how to add/subtract/multiply/divide fractions, but unless I do it on a
regular basis, I never remember how to do it. I took introductory algebra twice in college
and I dropped it both times. After that, I opted for course substitutions for my math requirement
and I was eligible for them because I do have a documented learning disability (officially LD-NOS or mathematics disorder....unofficially NVLD) which largely manifests as difficulties with
higher math. I deeply regret opting for these course substitutions though. I hear countless
stories (on WP and elsewhere) about people who made far more of an effort than I did at math
(taking basic algebra three times or more, receiving all sorts of tutoring, accommodations, etc...)
and they eventually succeeded at it.

A learning disability is just that. It is not necessarily a learning INABILITY and perhaps i've been viewing it as such for far too long now. Whatever the case....there is nothing in all infinity that torments me more than any of my own cognitive/learning/intellectual shortcomings. I am unspeakably envious of people who are better at math than I am. I would give both my arms and legs to be able to ace courses like calculus and trigonometry

i can only do single digit atddition

I've known my whole life that I'd never be successful at a cash register. That seems like such a demanding skill, but I guess it's really not for most people. I'm so dependent on calculators that I'll use one even if I'm 90% sure my mental math is correct... just to be really sure.

Even though i'm good at mental arithmetic, i'm NOT good at it when i'm under pressure as you often are when using a cash register. I was very nervous and stressed when operating cash registers in the various jobs i've had that used them. It was OK when it wasn't busy, but if there were several people in line, I would become extremely anxious and I couldn't think at all.


I was fired from every job which required the operation of a cash register

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7pMYHn-1yA[/youtube]

I'm good at algebra as long as I have a simple calculator to figure out the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems in it. I always sucked at basic math and couldn't do it in my head and it drove teachers crazy becuase I had to use my fingers.

As someone who's quite apt at mental arithmatic, I still find it more difficult than writing things down, especially with complex problems. So don't worry about it too much!

Im quite good with mental calculations, my teachers use to always tell me off for not showing my work and opting to do everything in my head. I could never be a cashier though, too stressful. I don't work well with people, and misunderstand them to easily.

I often wonder how far I could accel with it if I had my "add-like" problems under control. When I think about calculations broadly I know exactly how to solve them with minimal working memory, yet staying on track during calculating is extremely difficult sometimes , my mind often wonders to thinking about a tv commercial I just saw or a noise in the background will stir a memory and so-on. Its very discouraging. But in the rare times when my mind isn't overflowing I can do exceptionally well.

Maybe a little OT, has anyone had any experience with Strattera (Atomoxetine)? My psychiatrist wants me to try it.

Same here. In college I got to be ok with mental arithmetic, but since then my brain has returned to its former state of mushiness on that. (And acquired working memory problems were the final nails in the coffin.)