Seeing numbers backwards and copying them wrong?

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I am unsure as to what is causing this, but I have had a great deal of difficulty in math classes over the past 2 semesters. It is becoming exceptionally frustrating, because I will perform a problem perfectly and get the right answer, and write the wrong number down on my test. I have absolutely no clue what is causing this, but I'm hitting a road block.

This semester, we have this thing called Modumath. It is a computer program that has tests set up for us. We must get an 80% on the test before we can actually take the real test, and so far I'm sitting at a steady 70% due to seeing the numbers backwards. I would say that it *could* just be careless mistakes, but it is just happening too often. Every single test I take, when I hit the answer button and see that I've gotten the problem wrong, I beat myself up for a good 10 minutes over it because I was looking at the RIGHT answer and still entered the wrong one. It isn't a constant problem, as I am only missing 3 each time, but that 3 is preventing me from moving on. My teacher keeps on saying "you know what you are doing! I watched you do the problem! What is going on?" lol.

We cannot figure out why this is going on, but it seems to happen towards the end of the test each time. I start getting numbers mixed up, seeing them as different things (9s flipped to be 6s, 9s looking like 4s, 3s looking like 5s), etc., and it goes unrecognized until I see the end test results.

Does anybody know what could be causing this? Does anybody else experience this at all?

My therapist now wants to assess me for ADHD-would that cause this type of problem?

I think what you are dealing with is what I deal with. I get extra anxious during tests. Sometimes I am more prone of mixing up left and right direction during this time and even though I know the right answers, I also have doubt issues. So all of that stimulation inside of the brain while focusing on coordination and getting the right answers out is difficult. Very difficult. I'm still trying to work on this. Not everyone is the same but try to take deep breaths while working on problems. Focusing on your breathing and try not to over complicate. It's much easier said than done and I'm still working on these issues but over time with inner discipline and awareness, you should find it becoming easier and less foggy if that makes sense.

Thank you for responding Yes, I get left and right mixed up as well. I was at first curious if it was just an anxiety issue, but it doesn't seem to be so. This Modumath is in a different building which I am unfamiliar with, but I have this difficulty in class too. The teacher set up tests so that I can attach my scratch paper to the test answer sheet now, and she can double check to make sure I didn't get the answer right anywhere. She apologized to me a lot for this computer set up, but cannot change the rules of course, since these scores calculate into our actual grade.

The other day was really noisy, and my class acts like a bunch of... well, they lack maturity to put it nicely. They change the clock times regularly because the teacher won't notice and will speed through each lesson to get us out "on time". They also always yank out cell phones and use them as calculators. I often find myself extremely focused on this behavior because it bothers me greatly, and the class test scores reflect their behavior, lol. I don't know why they don't just stop so that they can pass the class.

At first I thought this was the problem-I was just so focused on the behavior that it was almost unbearable to actually get to concentrate. But I remembered last semester having the same problem, and our class at that time was very decent.

Need to find mental excersizes that will work for you. When you aren't testing and just general homework, do you feel that you do better?

I think you might be overstimulated both outside and inside but it's hard to catch or realize it's happening once it's going on because you are probably used to having alot of thoughts all at once and think it's no big deal.

I often do something similar to this.
For example when reading numbers I will read them in the wrong order...
Just say the number 145 was written in a test I will read it as 154 or 541 or something like that.
I end up failing things because of this.
It's the same with words aswell but I don't know what causes this.

same here Brittany. Do it often with phone numbers. License plate numbers not that often though. What I'd like to know is, have the two of you ever noticed that your first guess or second guess is spot on? I've found my first guess is usually the right answer but then I go ahead and go with the second and go DOH!

Mine doesn't seem to be a common problem. Well, not one I'm always aware of, because at the time, it really is the right number... from MY point of view, lol. So it's kind of hard to say about second guessing, as I often just put in the first number I see.

Oh, forgot to respond. It seems it happens all of the time, with homework too. But this is easy for me to catch because I can look at the answer key and see where I messed up. This effects how I add and multiply and such as well. I've often said 6 + 9=12, or similar, due to this, lol.

...and yeah, the overstimulation thing of course factors in, but as you said, I don't really notice it until reflecting on the situation or venting to my boyfriend about it. That's when I realize how distracted I actually was. Unfortunately, it does nothing for me at the time, because I'm oblivious to it until I am told that I'm wrong.

First step is self awareness.
I've corrected certain problems by realizing it exists and catching myself in the process of doing what I thought of as a problem.

There are things though that are just apart of being you but the problems with failing over putting down the numbers backwards is keeping you from achieving your goal so it's definetly something you can work on to fix.

Try different mental excercizes using flash cards.

Put down a number on a flash card like 500, next flash card 533 and so forth. Make 8 of the cards with different numbers.

Have the cards faced down. Pick up one card, look at the number for a second or less, close your eyes, put down the card and write the number you see in your mind.

Look at the card, is it the same number you wrote down or are the numbers jumbled? Keep doing this excercise. Sometimes your own brain likes to play tricks on you so in return play tricks on your mind until it is corrected.

Tell me if this works for you.

Ugh, that class sounds terrible.

Can't really offer much solutions... I'm pretty good with math. But I make my fair share of stupid mistakes...

I have a similar problem... but with writing not math. I often think a word, and write/type the wrong thing. I never catch all my little mistakes in writing, I just don't see em. All my papers have a few marks on them.

It's good that you can give your scratch paper. Partial credit should be given if you understand what you are doing... to me this is the important part. Is this course ever offered without a computer set up? Whenever I've tutored people in math that do online or computer based math work, I'm never impressed.

What kind of math are you doing?

If you can plug the answer back into the problem some how, you might be able to check if you got it right...

I'm in Developmental Math II (one below intermediate algebra). LOL-ironically, this is the problem I had during assessment to find out what math course I should be placed in. I always check to see if the number makes sense as a solution, and sometimes plug it back in to see if it works, but for some reason I'm always off by like, 50 when I do this, lol. It's kind of funny. What we are working on right now is converting fractions to decimals, and to percents. All in different orders of course, but basically that is it. I barely got past the first part of this test, the second part is based on word problems, which makes it a bit more confusing because I have difficulty figuring out where to put the numbers at times.

I'm unsure as to whether or not the other Dev Math course offers something without computers, but I'm pretty sure they do-it is pretty standard to have these types of things in my college.

It's so pathetic to have to tell the teacher in front of the class that I need to stop for a bit due to it, and to have to keep taking the tests over and over. Teacher so far has allowed scratch paper to be attached, and has told me to bring in ear plugs on test day, and sunglasses, lol. She knows nothing about autism in any way, but notices when I start rocking and holding my ears, so she can kind of remind me about things like that. It's mostly frustrating just because she always says when I screw up "what happened? You had the right answer!"

She also tried to get somebody from the center to help me out. She wanted them to sit with me as I took the tests and make sure that the numbers entered were the same as on my paper. 'twas a great idea! But they said they didn't have anybody that could do that for me

Last edited by nobodyzdream on 24 Sep 2007, 1:29 am, edited 2 times in total.

Letters, numbers whatever I am always getting them out of sequence.

I is fusterating!

Of course the more pressure I am under the worse it gets especialy if I go back and double check I will often belive somthing I have wright and 'correct' it to somthing wrong

Ah, yeah it's a bit harder to check your work with that sort of thing. Especially word problems.

Don't go confusing the numerators for denominators...

At what stage of working on the problem do you start flipping numbers around? When copying the problem... or just right at the end?

Sometimes while copying them down, but more often than not, just at the end when it's time to give my final answer, lol. Exactly when it actually matters

Just treat everything like a variable... right before the end set your answer to X... and then just write down X. There's your answer... and if you flip an X... it looks the same...

I do this too and until recently I never have- I find am also inverting figures and letters ie 6s and 9s bs, ps qs ds etc
This sounds really strange but a couple of weeks ago I woke up with the word "seashells" in my head - I recognised the significance instantly because as a child I remember using a calculator to see how many words I could spell using numbers on the lcd screen and holding it upside down.
What was freakier still was that my son was curious as to what I was doing and took the calacualtor and held it up to amirror and added " try looking sideways as well "

I understand what you mean, nobodyz - I have trouble copying down sequences of numbers, especially if there's a line of zeros. The only way I can do it sometimes is to cover the number that I'm copying up and uncover it one number at a time, write that down, then uncover the next one, and so on.