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Groups > Math-atheists - people with dyscalculia > Discussions > Topic: "Hi, my name is ..., and I'm dyscalculic..."
Topic: "Hi, my name is ..., and I'm dyscalculic..."

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Ketutar J.	"Hi, my name is ..., and I'm dyscalculic..." December 06, 2004 3:07 AM Hi, my name is Ketutar, and I am not dyscalculic - but the love of my life, the light of my eyes and the warmth of my heart is... I live with this disability every day of my life, and I can see how it hurts my beloved to have it. I wanted to start this group to support him, and to tell him in every possible way, that he is NOT stupid, dumb, crazy or a bad person, just because there are some concepts he has difficulties in grasping, just because he can't learn to dance or read notes, just because he forgets the rules of division when he turns the page... And I want to tell all the other dyscalculics out there, that you are not alone either, and you are not stupid either. And that IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT, AND NEVER WAS. Hugs, and be welcomed, all of you Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Hi, my name is Shadow Bear, and I am dyscaculic - the problem December 06, 2004 4:59 AM When I finished 6th grade I was still struggling with the math books I was given in 3rd grade. I spent my school years in special observation class doing math, because I just couldn't get it. I failed every math test I ever took in school, because my brain "broke down" with stress every time I was in a math test situation. I always felt stupid when it came to maths. I have missed out on promised rewards countless times, because I never could get it, and my teachers thought I was just lazy, unwilling and uninterested, and tried to motivate me by rewarding me for good results - results I could never achieve. My mother tried to beat it into me - I still failed. Until I was 39 I was convinced that I was just plain stupid when it came to maths. Some one said: There's a condition called dyscaculia - similar to dyslexia, only it's about numbers. I read about it - and realized it was me. I don't fit the entire profile - I have very little problem with addition, subtraction or multiplication - it all starts with DIVISION and FRACTIONS. I don't do tables very well. Or maps. I have trouble calculating time. I could not remember from one page to another what I just learned on the previous page. So everything took for ever to do, when it came to maths. I took piano lessons, but could never learn to read the notes and play them simultaneously. It's like there is no connection between my eyes and my hands. I have no problem reading the notes or play the piano separately, I just cannot put them together. Dancesteps are beyond me, not because I am not musical or lack a sense of rhythm - I am and have in anboundance, but dancesteps and coordination of movements in sequence are something I cannot do. I have difficulties reading long sequences of numbers, such as phonenumbers, my social security number, serial numbers etc. My cleaning skills are low, because I never seem to know where to begin - it all seems to be just out of my league - as if I was confronting Mount Everest. It's no problem if some one tells me to take this and that thing and do this or that with it, but to actually 'see' what needs to be done to achieve a clean room is something I can't. When presented with multiple solutions to a problem, or multiple choices I lose track of my thoughts and get confused. The self-hate and the constant nagging feeling that I am stupid, that I still have, has always been a great pain. I hope that any one who come here will feel some acceptance from this group. Shadow Bear [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Johanna S.	FINALLY!!!! December 06, 2004 6:25 AM Someone else then me having the same problem!!! I have always felt like I was completly stupid when it comes to math, and not so seldom been told the same thing from teachers... I never had any problems with languages, music etc but math...sigh... I´m SOOOO happy you guys started this group! Lots of hugs JOhanna [ send green star] [ accepted]
Waya Yonega A.	Hello December 06, 2004 6:49 AM Yes I dispise math maybe because I do not always understand it and it falls on the whole thing that people do not like things they do not understand syndrome.I am glad to know that there are others that Have problems with math thanks Ket for the invite.Ket and Bear you deserve a award for creativity.I would of never thought to start a math support group. Graywolf [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Johanna and Graywolf! December 06, 2004 9:21 AM Johanna and Graywolf! I truly hope we can help each other and also find some of that self-confidence and get rid of that feeling of being less than just because we don't do maths like most people. [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Johanna S.	Thanks Shadow!!! December 06, 2004 9:29 AM I reeeeally need a boost of selfesteam and some serious help for next school semester where I have to learn how to calculate medicine...not so good to do the math wrong there... [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	have you spoken with your teacher? December 06, 2004 9:35 AM There might be help you could get. SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Johanna S.	yes December 06, 2004 9:43 AM I told her about my problem, not sure she understood, but she promised me all the help I need and guaranteed me she would help me through. I have great teachers!!! [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Ok - in case it turns out she thinks you are 'just bad at maths...' December 06, 2004 10:03 AM it might help to tell her that you are kind of dyslexic, only with numbers - it's not true, not entirely, but I have found that making that comparison gives people an idea of what it is, and that it has nothing to with my intelligens or capacity to learn other things. Also, as you live in Sweden, and you are going to be professionally active - have you tried getting this diagnosed? I would think that talking to the District Nurse or the Kurator at Vårdcentralen about having thios diagnosed, so you can get what professional help there is, and not be dependent on the good will of teachers. Shadow Bear. [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
anonymous	The professional help I am speaking of December 06, 2004 10:08 AM might not exist, but if it's out there, and it's avaiable to adults, like help is available to dyslexic adults, regardless of age, finding it and getting it could spell the difference between 'getting by' and excelling at what you do in the future. I am sure there are techniques one can learn to work around the dysfunction. Shadow Bear [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Rhiannon M.	Thank You for invitation December 06, 2004 12:54 PM I don't know what it is about math....give me a calculator and I can do it. On my own I don't have the patience to work with word problems... Yeah, I think I know why. My algebra teacher was a math wiz and thought everyone else should be as well. The only class I ever came close to a C & D in was hers. When she went on maternity leave (YES) and a new teacher came in I learned. But I still hate math. I am dyslexic and have been told that my mind will be running at a higher speed than my fingers so to speak (what liars they could be). But ppl do not understand that it has nothing to do with level of IQ, its just a thing... and if you are from the south oh boy, you must be stupid. Sorry not Stupid. I hate math and thats that. Great group for those of us with this challenge. Hugs Sandi [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Welcome Sandi, December 06, 2004 2:16 PM are you dyscalculic aswell as dyslexic? That has to be a real pain. I at least have never been told I am an idiot with words. SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Diana G.	"Hi, my name is ..., and I'm dyscalculic..." December 06, 2004 9:58 PM Hello, I was invited!!! Who knew? There's a name for being dumb in math like me. I've always said I was mathematically remedial. That I couldn't count past ten with my shoes on. And etcetera. I take heart at the fact that at least I can spell "remedial" I could read before I was two years old. I was thirteen before I could (sort of) tell time and I still have to stop and figure it out slowly. Anyways, thanks for creating this group and thanks for inviting me. BBFN. Diana Lee G. [ send green star] [ accepted]
TinyTina D.	December 06, 2004 10:53 PM Cubby and Ket Thanks Cuddy Cubby for the invite, I have problems always reading a map, I have to turn it the direction I'm going (well navigator now peter drives all the time) but only went to 4th year high school and never learned metric Metric was being taught the year I left school. Was in one school 2nd form high and moved interstate and they had the same program for 3rd form, so it was like repeating a year. So some maths I have no idea what it is. Never got to calculus whatever that is. But was a secretary so the spelling was good. I left school when I was 16 years old and finished and went on to tech college. Only people staying for uni continued the extra two years of school. Love to you both Christine and everybody else [ send green star] [ accepted]
Johanna S.	Thanks Shadow! December 06, 2004 11:21 PM I´m gonna look that up, though I dont think vårdcentralen here on "vishan" have that kind of help, lol. But anyway it´s worth a try! But what I wonder is how can they do anything about it??? I know several people with dyslexia and sure they got help and improved, but never fully. [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Diana, You are so welcome, December 07, 2004 7:51 PM Yeah, the great discrepancy between verbal capacity and mathematical skills... it almost seems typical for us. "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damn lies and [Statistics]Mathemathics..." (after Mark Twain) Shadow Bear [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
anonymous	Christine, Hi sweetie, welcome:-) December 07, 2004 7:53 PM I hope you'll feel at home here. Cubby [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
TinyTina D.	December 07, 2004 8:28 PM I'm sure I will feel at home. I join groups to join in. Not sit on the fence being just another number. Using a tape measure was easy making clothes and making my own patterns but I didn't have to work out sums at all. Love Christine [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	December 14, 2004 7:18 PM [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Kat R.	YAY! December 15, 2004 8:23 PM Maybe I shouldn't be so ecstatic about this... However, it's nice to know that one is not alone (well, one IS alone...but two..errr...math..) Anyway...math pretty much pushed me into my field of study! Hah..or repelled me from others. I always told people "I AM AN ARTIST! NO NUMBERS!" right...now I am a philosophy major facing a semester of gulp logic... Now, I can handle ethics, metaphysics, phenomenology, epistemology, aesthetics, religious thought, even the IDEAS of quantum physics & fractal geometry (not the science...)etc...But logic...I CURSE LOGIC! lol... Thanks for the group...I look forward to some insight! [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Kat R. December 15, 2004 8:34 PM I hope you'll find strength and love here. Shadow Bear [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Dirty F.	December 17, 2004 2:45 PM Hey everybody! I'm mildly dyslexic and dyscalculic. Early math was easy for me till word problems. When a teacher read them out loud I was fine. Reading them drove me crazy. I knew I was in trouble with Algebra. It all looked like number and letters in a bad bowl of soup. For some reason I found Geometry very easy but after that...never passed another math class. It's weird but I can do addition and multiplication better in my head or on paper than on a calculator. I get confuse with a calculator. I still transpose numbers no matter what. [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	You are heartly welcome :-) December 17, 2004 3:11 PM There are some things SB calculates faster than I do - in his head. Like addition and multiplication. I hope you find interesting things here Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
FireStarter J.	Hi, my name is James, January 31, 2005 8:41 AM and although I'm not dyscalculic, I'm often aphasic. Sometimes I just lose all my words. I can tell that the sounds coming out of my mouth are not the words I'm trying to say. These web pages are a great blessing to me! Math and Logic have been my refuge when I can't do anything else. People can't fool me with numbers, even when they're trying to with percentages and ratios and the like. For instance, it's perfectly obvious to me that if someone adds 10% to my bank account, and then subtracts 10%, then I have 1% less than I started with. So, If anyone in this group needs a little math help, up to integral calculus, I'm your Sherlock Holmes. I think it's only a fair return for getting to speak. The game is afoot! After the x! Absolute Love and Light, Fire-Starter James P.S. I have rarely found a math book that was easy to read, and if I find something hard to read, it usually is hard to read. I think math professors generally don't make good writers. [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	You are welcome, James :-) January 31, 2005 2:51 PM And I appreciate your offer to help I'm sorry to hear that you have sometimes problem with words And I agree with you There are few people who are good both in math and words I was blessed to meet two of them, my father and one of my math-teachers Hugs, Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
Harmony K.	Thank you, Ketutar and Shadow Bear! February 01, 2005 6:57 AM It is such a relief to find this group! And it all started with discussing with ShadowBear how we both have problems with knowing where to begin cleaning up. I am utterly drawn to a halt by "clutter". I can, and do, wash clothes, dishes, the floor, the bathroom- but when it comes to finding a place for a huge pile of very stupid, unrelated material objects I am stopped in my tracks. I wind up thinking "Oh, just give me kerosene and a lighted match- that'll solve it!" Just joking, folks- I am not really an arsonist. But being frustrated and feeling like a failure brings thoughts like that to mind. RE MATH- I, too, had problems with Algebra and word problems. You want to know how word problems come across to me? Here's how: "There are two trains- one is coming from the North at 60 miles an hour. The other train is heading west at 300 miles per hour. How long will it take a passenger on the first train to eat a bag of peanuts, if it is mailed to her by a passenger in the second train using FedEX?" or: "There are three people dressed in blue, purple, and orange. How long will it take them to go crazy if they are divided into fifths?" Well, you get the picture. Or not. But I feel like a FUNNY STORY of what it took to transform me into a math genius: A concussion. I kid you not. I used to work as a home health aide. One day I was leaving a client's house when I slipped and fell in a patch of mud, hitting the back of my head and receiving a concussion in the process. What happened was that the force of the fall pushed my neck vertebrae right up against my brain stem. The result was insomnia, depression, mood alteration, feeling "fuzzy", and startling periods of clarity. It was during one of these "moments of clarity" that I was seized with the desire to solve magic math problems. You know magic math squares? Where they all add up to the same number whether it's horizontal, vertical, or diagonal rows? Well, I solved FROM SCRATCH a magic math square of 529 different numbers (the #23 square). I know you don't believe me- these days I can't believe I actually did this. But the blasted puzzle's on a webpage of mine, and it's here: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/7076/magicmath.html go figure... or maybe we shouldn't say that to one another in this group, LOL!! But at any rate, I certainly identify with many of the symptoms for dyscalculia! [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	Oh, damned woman! February 01, 2005 7:15 AM I love magical squares, and you just gave me the formula! Now the magic is gone! I hate you! Nah, not really Very impressive, Harmony I couldn't have done that. I have never heard of things like that with your brains! Do the moments of clarity offer any compensation for the rest? Welcome to the group If I have welcomed you once already, then feel very much welcomed LOL Hugs, Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Harmony, February 01, 2005 9:11 AM I apologize for that oaf of a math wizkid I am married to - she is quite forgetting her manners I really hope you find this group a nice and good place to be. Not even when she tells me there's a solution on the webpage do I understand...now I feel stupid again...I hate feeling stupid. I love PRIMES, because they are HONEST numbers. They cannot be done things with and they say so... SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Harmony K.	LOL, Ket :-) February 01, 2005 10:29 AM RE the magic math puzzle- it's an awful lot easier to solve odd-numbered puzzles than it is to solve an even numbered puzzle. I discovered a "formula" for some of the puzzle- with any four corners, starting with the outermost ones, and counting the one at bottom left as "A", the top left as "B", the top right as "C" and the bottom right as "D": A - B+C=D The even puzzles are a B*tch to solve! Fortunately I met a Palmer specialist chiropractor after my accident/concussion, and he was able to manipulate my neck vertebrae back into the right position and take the pressure off my spinal chord. Things have been pretty stable ever since....but I still can't understand algebra, much less the practical applications for it. [ send green star] [ accepted]
Harmony K.	Hi, Shadow Bear! February 01, 2005 10:36 AM Thanks to both you and Ket for your welcome! And I agree- PRIME numbers rule! P.S. today I got dishwashing done, and clotheswashing done..and yes, you guessed it, all the counter tops in the kitchen are cluttered. As usual. arrrggghhh!!! [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Well, February 01, 2005 11:42 AM at least you can tell BT there's a valid reason. That's a plus, instead of feeling shame and guilt over it. Besides, if the counters are a biggie to him - let him do the counters... SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
FireStarter J.	It really makes sense February 01, 2005 12:13 PM It really makes sense that y'all would like prime numbers! Those wild beasties will not subject themselves to any order or formula, and they go on forever. I think y'all will really like my favorite theorem. (Do I hear snickering? Yes, I have a favorite theorem!) It's Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem. Loosely translated into English, it says that no matter what kind of consistent math one uses, one can make it say the math equivalent of "This statement is false." Basically, Gödel proved that math can't prove everything. The clutter thing is interesting too. If I leave something out of place, it's on purpose to remind me of something. My desk may look cluttered, but don't touch it! You'll mess up my system! Real clutter I can barely stand to leave alone. If I let myself go on it, I'll start at one end and plow through to the other. I have to do it while someone else is here, and I have nothing else to do. Otherwise I'll forget to eat or something. AL&L F-S [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	LOL February 01, 2005 1:37 PM Thank you, Harmony, for giving me back some magic LOL Now, that's a puzzle to be solved Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	BTW February 01, 2005 1:38 PM I hate cleaning. [ send green star] [ accepted]
Robert T.	I see that I am in excellent company February 04, 2005 8:29 PM In my high school we had 4 years of math: Algebra 1, Plane Geometry ( so we would forget our algebra?!), Algebra 2 and Advanced Senior Math. In Alg 1 I got a B, Geom I got a C, Alg 2 I got a D. I may be discalculic, but I can do a straight line graph; I didn't take Senior Math. At the college from which I graduated we were given a choice of a math or science each semester for 2 years, and each quarter for the final 2. Needless to say, I didn't choose math. I did wind up with a Music Education major and a Science minor though.... [ send green star] [ accepted]
Emily Z.	March 02, 2005 3:02 PM Hello, My name is Emily and I am dyscaalculic I use to love reading, I could read like three books a week (books that were about 2 grades above me) but once I hit 7th grade it became too much. Now I only read when I have to. I suck at math. I never got it. I have been doig algebra I for about three years now and its driving me mad that I can never move on. I can't help it that I don't see 21 I see 12. And I am so sick of hearing "don't make so many careless errors" I am not being careless!!!! The equation really does work if that number really was 12, its not my fault I am too stupid to tell the diffrence. I can't cook either because I get so distracted that I can never finish something I started. Can't clean either, I don't know when the last time I could see my floor in my room was, I just have no clue where to start. I also can't spell worth a darn. People get so mad at me about spelling, hey if you don't like my spelling then please, don't read my writing. Well thats all for now Em [ send green star] [ accepted]
Kelsey E.	March 02, 2005 3:48 PM Hmm. I don't know if I'm quite a full dyscalculic, but I'm definately borderline. I have always suffered with math.. especially from division on. I never fully memorized my multiplication tables and to this day I cannot recite the series for 6, 7, or 8. I attended public school from first to eighth grade, then homeschooled for the four years of high school. I have always been a top student, put in advanced classes..and I even maintained high grades in math, never below a B, mostly by luck and calculators I think. But if someone asks me to answer a simple multiplication or division problem, I break out in a cold sweat and it takes me forever to come up with the answer under the pressure. I absolutely cannot do math without using my fingers. I took Algebra 1 in an early, advanced placement class, suffered horribly..I cannot grasp the concept at all..even though I may get an answer..in most cases I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just guessing. I got an A in that class.. I cannot fathom why. But I wanted to understand, so when I started homeschooling I decided to take Algebra 1 again to be sure I had a strong base for later advanced mathematics. It was no better. I subsequently took Geometry and Algebra II, and it is the same. I do alright with the basics.. but by the time it gets to the later, more advanced lessons, I don't even know what they are asking me to do. I just get lost completely. Luckily I did not have to touch triginometry or calculus. This problem has always been embarassing for me because I have always been a good student in all other subjects , and everyone expects me to be quick with an answer to a math problem as well. I've gotten plenty looks of amazement when I'm asked a simple math question, expecting me to spit it right out and instead I sit there with my mouth open, turning a bright scarlet red as I desperately try to figure it out... [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	Robert, Emily, Kelsey, March 02, 2005 4:24 PM I'm sorry, Robert, that it took almost a month to welcome you personally, I hope you know that you are very welcome here All of you, heartly welcome, and I hope being part of this group balances out at least some of the bad feelings of the years. You are indeed in a good company Hugs, Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Emily, March 02, 2005 6:03 PM YOU ARE NOT STUPID!!!! And don't ever let any one tell you are - yourself or someone else!! You are dyscalculic - it's a neurological difference in you brain, not a lack of intelligens. and [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Mette C.	March 03, 2005 12:45 AM Hi Emily You are not stupid. Having a learning disability is not the same thing as being stupid. The important thing is, that you keep remembering that you are NOT careless. Also, ask your math teachers to read about dyscalculia - print out information about it, let them know that your problem is real. I get distracted easily too, so I hate cooking most of the time. It doesn’t help, that my apartment is always a big mess, and I never have any clean pots and pans - so I always have to do the dishes before starting on the cooking. For some reason, I don't get all that done at other times. It all seems so confusing, and the fact that it is so messy already makes me give up, most of the time. But, there is help out there, for that problem. I haven’t found anything but books, about how to keep your place tidy, and these books sucks. But maybe you can find some better books in the library, wherever you are. Ask the librarian Kelsey E.! Get tested if you need help and have doubts [ send green star]
Emily Z.	March 03, 2005 5:45 AM Thanks guys! [ send green star] [ accepted]
Goga Marge D.	Hello again March 03, 2005 6:57 AM I've been getting busier at work & putting in more hours... Wanna know the joke there? I work for financial advisors. I don't work with clients or tell people percentages, interest, rate of return or anything to do with math... I just shuffle paper & make calls, etc. "Administrative stuff." Yesterday, I had to do the "legwork" for selling a client's bonds. I'm not licensed to sell bonds, but I had to call the bond seller, I had to call our company's trading desk to let them know it was coming... at least 10 phone calls back & forth. So, I'm on the phone with the bond trader. He ask me some questions, & I gave him relatively intelligent answers. Then he starts in with market price, ratios, blah, blah, blah... I have NO IDEA what he said or was talking about! When he ran out of steam, I thanked him for the information & hung up. Then I called my boss & told him everything was set, & he had to call to order the trade. It was a really good thing that all the client wanted to do was get rid of the bonds as soon as possible, legally, no questions asked. Emily, you are not stupid! As Forest Gump said, "you can't fix stupid." I thought I was stupid for many years. Then in my 30s I took computer courses. They were a snap because they were logical... if it's "yes" do this, if it's "no" do that... (very basic courses in basic language). That's when I discovered what no one had ever told me... I'm brilliant! My daughter is brilliant, but all she can do is basic arithmictic. Her strength is in words & handing people. My son is brilliant, he doesn't think think anything about it that he picks up math, calculus, trig, etc. like a vaccum cleaner. He's "bored" because the math classes don't teach him anything "new." Computer geek. But he's also good with people. He's arrogant too (and know it). His other "weakness" is that he doesn't have a good sense of direction & has trouble with maps, of all things. My hubby is brilliant too. He's the one that can "do" math but hates it. He's a social worker now. Loves working with people. Everyone is BRILLIANT at something. Some people are brilliant at many things, but no one is brilliant at everything. Now I have limited learning capacities in some areas, like: what is a clean kitchen counter? what is this word "neat"? My favorite pets are dust bunnies! (Dust bunnies are the clumps of dust under furniture, etc. that "jump" when you try to sweep them away. I don't know what that expression might be in other languages.) Peace & blessings, Marge [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Marge, March 03, 2005 8:46 AM your humor and people skills are awesome... green star - That was the most brilliant piece of post I have seen in a long time in Care2. SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Goga Marge D.	SB March 03, 2005 4:57 PM Thanks! Peace & blessings, Marge [ send green star] [ accepted]
Hope H.	April 02, 2005 6:58 PM Hi! My name is Hope I must be dyscalculic. I have always struggled with math. Until I married a math genius I had no idea that some people "see" math concepts. I have to have pencil and paper and calculators. I can't keep a checkbook. Piles of stuff are daunting to me. Hearing about this helped me realize that I am not as stupid as I thought. Thanks, [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	Hi, Hope, April 03, 2005 3:21 AM and welcome I am so happy to hear, that we have already helped you, just by existing, and speaking up Thank you for telling us hugs, Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
Fressia E.	Hello to you all.. April 30, 2005 6:20 PM I’m Fressia and I'm dyscalculic too. I discovered it when I was 24, back in 1983. In fact, my boss found it out. He was very intrigued with the silly errors I made at registering figures. I was working at a bank, new in this large office...and in charge of the Documents in Discount: (promissory notes & drafts,) I kept the documents, calculated interests when paid and protested them if not. I had to keep a ledger of the daily movements and balance; and the book had to match with the computer lists. Once a week, according to the control and audit normative, somebody (not me) had to sit and sum them with a calculator. Nightmare. Their sum and my books often did not match, my book was wrong an 80% of the times.. I was getting more and more stressed, and feeling stupid, I could hear them bitching loud.... and I got worse.. my boss was very understanding and tried to help me.. The differences in my book were always 9 or a multiple of 9... That meant that I was inverting the digits or swapping them.. whatever it is called that. He discovered that I used to swap the tenths and hundreds most of the time... so he started to test me.. trying to find the pattern, and the way to prevent it. It was worse when nervous, stressed or in a hurry. It was much later that I heard the name Dyscalculia. So I finally understood why I had had so many problems at school with mathematics; (and after reading your posts, I know now why I am so clumsy and useless about cleaning and tidying.. I don’t know where to start and when I do.. I can’t do it coherently. I start some other thing continually and mess things more… It takes me so long… I dragged myself miserably through school with math. I hated it. However, in my last year at school, I had a wonderful teacher; he started with a revision of previous year geometry ( two-dimensional), and continued with three-dimensional geometry (about volumes) and then Trigonometry and logarithms. I could understand everything! He made sure that all of us had understood and insisted that we should grasp the concept, not memorize formulas. I had the highest grades.. I was head of study group! Moreover, I had to help my group fellows with problems and exercises. Unbelievable. I am actually living in Sweden and studying math among other subjects. And I am doing fine in math, I’m remembering things, and having good grades. I have difficulty with the abstract concepts, and cannot do mental calculations, have to use my fingers or draw sticks or dots when making additions..… I can’t convert mm to km without drawing all the ceros.. and still don’t know all the multiplication table.. I have found out that I make those funny mistakes when I am not fully concentrated or when nervous or stressed, or in a hurry.. and I learned little tricks in order to check myself, when I write or copy numbers…. I have to read the numbers saying them a bit loud, so I can hear myself; then read aloud what I wrote. Sounds silly, but when I hear it, I can notice that the number or the sign I see is not the same I hear. One question: can I blame Dyscalculia for my incapacity for making summaries? I just can’t see the generalities. I see every detail and get lost often in the branches of the smallest tree. Congratulations Ketutar and Shadow Bear for the Group. It was a great idea! big hug fressia [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	April 30, 2005 8:07 PM Fressia! One good boss... SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
anonymous	April 30, 2005 8:10 PM "One question: can I blame Dyscalculia for my incapacity for making summaries? I just can’t see the generalities. I see every detail and get lost often in the branches of the smallest tree." Yes. You know those book-reviews one had to do in school? Never could do them - to many details, to much information. Can't see the Forrest or the Trees - very good at seeing hidden connections and the Bigger Picture. SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Fressia E.	May 01, 2005 3:33 PM ‘Thank you so much Shadow Bear !!! You have just made me feel a lot better.. I'm currently attending school... Komvux in Vänersborg.. ..after soooooooo many years... and have to write compositions, reviews, essays... it is so difficult for me to be concise. While the rest of the class wants to know the minimum number of words or pages, I always ask “How much should we write?.. What’s the max? ” For book reviews, it is min one page, max two pages, and I can hardly fit mine in 2 pages! I’m also famous for my “ten minutes 5 Minutes Presentations”. [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Well, tell your teachers May 01, 2005 3:57 PM about your dyscalculia - might even wanna copy and print the info here to show them... My experience is that as soon as you have a name and can show how it works, people are pretty understanding. I did Swedish as a Second language in Komvux soem years back - and I simply employed the help of my wife, to trim my book-reports and such to the required lengths. No I didn't cheat - I wrote the damn reports, and then I let her edit the material I had written. SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Fressia E.	May 01, 2005 5:14 PM I've told only the math teachers.. because i thought that my discalculia affected only my skills with numbers, figures and math. Didn't think it could affect so many other things I must confess that I never worried much about it because I thought I was through with math. I had no idea about all these other aspects of it... problems with timing, strategies, planificacion, memory, orientation i just thought i was too cool (reads: clumsy) for steps/aerobics, too dumb for chess, too unorganized to plan or schedule, too rebel for punctuality, too disperse to concentrate or to summarize or to orientate or remember where i put things... and all the rest... I'm almost on every point of the list.. So, it all was not me... it was my dyscalculia. I am a big dyscalculic.. not a little one. Yesterday when i found the group.. i just leafed through some of the posts... I didn't read thoroughly, sort of hurried to post mine. I'm not sure whether i feel better or worse now. It seems i never had control of anything... I'll have to get used to this. [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Well, May 01, 2005 5:29 PM I have learned that knowing what's wrong is half the solution. Now when I am in a situation when something messes up that touches what I know to be on the list, I say to myself and my surroundings - "I am having a dyscalculic moment here..." like calculating how much time I need for this or that - I ask for help. My wife is great in that she then walks me through the different sections of the task - take the focus of the numbers and simply list the steps through the task, and then she will tell me - "ok now you know what you are going to do - it will take approx 2 hours" - then I can use that 'time-label' for other similar tasks in the future. I have also found out that breaking mathematical thiongs down into smaller parts and do them by parts instead of taking on then total problem helps. Also - I don't do 'dyscalculic things' when I am STRESSED, TIRED, UPSET or AFRAID. So no multitasking for me when I am in a hurry or in a stressful situation. Finding out what time of day is the best for you to do certain things is good. I, as I said in my intro has never learned to dance or play the piano simultaneously with reading the score. I do have sense of rythm, I am a very musical person - but playing and reading the music simultaneously is impossible for me. I have an almost impeccable sense of direction and time, but reading a map or calculate how much tiome is left on a VHS Tape are two tasks I simply can't master. When it becomes a learning-disability, rather than I am stupid in ones mind - living with dyscalculia can be fun! SB SB [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Fressia E.	thank you Shadow Bear.. May 01, 2005 6:22 PM I forgot to thank you for the info link... it has clarified and explained many things.. Right now I'm feeling less ME and more DYSCALCULIC... [ send green star] [ accepted]
Fressia E.	May 01, 2005 6:29 PM " ..knowing what is wrong is half the solution.." you are absolutely right .. now i have to thank you again [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	"Hi, my name is ..., and I'm dyscalculic..." May 02, 2005 7:48 AM Hello I am Nikki I have been in college trying to finish My AA degree in general ED. But the last two manditory classes are two levels of ALGEBRA! and I had a hard time finishing out one level of general math. I heard of dyscalculia...I am in the disabled students program for other disabilities but this one never came up even with them KNOWING math is my weakness. They keep telling me I need to go to the tutoring...I tried but the system to WAIT for the next avalible tutor is terrible and it is hard when you have anxiety of large groups of people. You need to put your name on a board and wait untill you are called, and every time I have gone in there was only ONE tutor and 20-30 people waiting. I would get so filled with anxiety waiting I would cry! And leave. I tried the first level of Algebra 2 times...dropped the class after our first test when the Teacher would say (same teacher both times) "IF you did not pass this test I suggest that you drop the class because you are not going to make it." So I did BOTH TIMES! I am now taking a break trying to decide what to do. I am very frusterrated because I have been in college since 1998 and I just want to FINISH al the classes and get my AA and move on. I have a since of failure-ism because of not finishing and this brings me down. I WILL NEVER NEED ALGEBRA! Does ANYONE know of a way out of or around this? How does one get 'diagnoised' with dyscalculia? Many Thanks to any one who replies... [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Fressia E.	Wellcome Nikki ! May 02, 2005 3:01 PM I am new on this group too , having joined few days ago. I have never been diagnosed myself (and until 2 days ago I thought that my dyscalculia was only about messing with numbers and digits) ... take a look at the thread "You may be dyscalculic if..... " you will learn a lot more about dyscalculia, that will help you realize why you do/understand/follow certain things better.... ( I was shocked myself to find that my character I was trying to find more about the subject today and found these links on the net: (..and many more... just "dyscalculia" on google ) Dyscalculia.org Information, symptoms, diagnosis, techniques, and other resources for people who have math disabilities. www.dyscalculia.org/ www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/dyscalculia.htm Have you ever heard of a learning disability called Dyscalculia ... Symptoms, causes, and resources available for dyscalculia. www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/dyscalcula.html First and Best Dyscalculia Site ... Do you have a problem or question relating to dyscalculia? Send it to our dyscalculia team at dyscalculia@firstandbest.co.uk. ... www.dyscalculia.me.uk/ Dyscalculia ... moving on to that it is worth considering why anyone should be tested for dyscalculia. ... Guidance to support pupils with dyslexia and dyscalculia ... www.shambles.net/pages/learning/sen/dyscalculi/ I copied all these links on a word doc... but I had no time today to read them or even take a look.... I suppose that it must be possible to get help or at least information at your college... good luck with it ! fressia [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	"Hi, my name is ..., and I'm dyscalculic..." May 02, 2005 6:43 PM WOW! thanks a lot! reading to do...thanks! [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Kathy G.	SO glad.... June 25, 2005 4:07 PM I am SO glad I was looking through the group host/cohost group....and saw THIS group! THANK YOU for having it~~ Feeling "math-stupid" has been a life-long emotion(well; since about 6th grade when my brain suddenly decided it could no longer handle numbers when put together; or worse yet; making change). I was always "above-level" in everything that didn't involve math(many sciences,reading,etc)but when it came to anything at all to do with numbers(like memorizing dates in history even!)I was simply unable. I cannot do math in my head,yet can read a map! I have always been an avid reader, but have realized I have little to no comprehension of what I read-almost like ADD...but now have to wonder if it is due to this? I also cannot do any "formal" dancing, and it does get very frustrating....but DO have to question my rhythm! Geeze...I fit a LOT on that list....( now I can't even remember exactly what they were!!!) [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	Welcome :-) June 25, 2005 11:37 PM I'm so happy you all have found this group, and that it is giving you some hope, feeling of not being alone anymore, not being stupid and some explanations to the questions that have been there since you started school. It is for that this group was started Thank you so very, very much for telling me that I didn't do it in vain and s Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
Martin D.	Hi, I'm Martin, and boy, am I dyscalculic! July 07, 2005 2:29 PM I just found this group today. I'm surprised and delighted. I did not know I was dyscalculic until about 12 years ago (I'm in my 60's). I have a genius IQ, yet I did poorly on math tests throughout grade school. In high school, I actually liked algebra, but again, I would come up with incorrect answers on my tests. About 12 years ago, I learned that I was, for one thing, mistaking sixes for nines, and vice versa. I also learned the word "dyscalculia." It's always nice to know there is a name for your disability and that you aren't the idiot you always thought you were. Just out of curiosity, how many of you are, like me, left-handed? And how many of you out there are old enough to recall those tools of the devil, the SLIDE RULE? Oh, how I hated those things! I had an instructor who always wanted you to figure out a multiplication or division result to the fourth decimal place. I could barely see the damned first decimal place on one of those things! I say the guy who invented the handheld calculator should be awarded the Nobel Prize. [ send green star] [ accepted]
Goga Marge D.	July 08, 2005 3:36 PM "I did not know I was dyscalculic until about 12 years ago (I'm in my 60's). I have a genius IQ, yet I did poorly on math tests throughout grade school. In high school, I actually liked algebra, but again, I would come up with incorrect answers on my tests." (Me too, except I never liked algebra.) Martin, you're lucky... I didn't find out about discalculia until Shadowbear started this group. And yes, slide rules are "spawn of the devil" at best! Good thing I was a lit. major & got thru with minimal math & science. No sense of direction, but I can read a map. Peace & blessings, Marge [ send green star] [ accepted]
Isaac H.	OMG! I almost cant believe that there's other people! September 27, 2005 9:36 PM Hey, I can hardly believe it! I Just made the connection between Discalculia and my problems! I know for a fact that i suffer mildly from Ausburger's syndrome, which compensates (and boosts to a point) about 70% of Discalculia's effects. My main problem is with college math courses, I had hardcore, day-by-day tutoring for beginning algebra, but beyond that was impossible for me to learn or opperate. Unfortunatly i was trying to reach college level math so i could get into a University and get my PHD, but with my parent's saying 'some people just dont do too well in math' and such, i felt like i'd never be able to reach anything higher than pre-college classes. I had no IDEA there was a reason for my struggling, and not only with math, but with other areas of my life (Athletic coordination, money problems, schedule/timing problems, etc...) I cant believe there are other people who are going through this same thing! I guess I should really just say "Thank you for making this group, i hope we can talk more!" But i'm so excited, I feel like i've just found my salvation amongst the dark mist of ignorance! Thank you again! [ send green star] [ accepted]
anonymous	Could it be?... October 03, 2005 11:29 AM Thanks for the invite Ketutar. Not 100% sure if a qualify & if so to what extent. But I do know I often tell people, regardless of the seeming "simplicity" of a math problem that "I don't do math in my head." Often I will ask my girlfriend, for example: hey the vampire in my story was 'turned' in 1821 but is like 20 and in the story it is now 1980; how old is Vampy? By the by, she is dyslexic to a degree!!! She just has some tricks she learned from her dyslexic dad. I know that this is simple but without taking a breath and pen/paper &/or calculator I rather not attempt at it. Growing up, one of the schools I went to, the teacher FORCED us to use a numberline stuck to the desk to do simple addition/subtractions. Plus the one class had a male teacher who told us basically girls sucked at math. So I need to "prove" to myself that, for example, 6+5 = 11. Although it has only been since I graduated high school back in 96 that I got myself to just be okay with accepting when 6 and 5 are together that it will always be 11 when added. However then, I tend to score higher on abstract things like the tests where they have a shape and then in each panel they turn and or bend it then they want you to follow the pattern and tell them from the choices given what the out come should be. I do pretty good with that. Then when you have pure numbers in a so-called pattern I don't do so good if it isn't an in-order simple multiple, like: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, ___, 14 what is missing = 12! I dread the Intermediate Algebra class that will be coming up in college here! I occasionally have the "word loss" like describing the object then at the end , if no one has to correct me I finally get the word out of my mouth. But often I use my fingers for the 'simple' stuff or a calculator, even to figure out how old I am!! We are finishing up our Layout class where you need to figure the "bleeds" of a paper with the actual finished documents' size on the oversized paper it will be printed on! Not described well, huh, well not totally easy for me to grasp either without referring to my cheat sheet in my notes! I often loose track of whose turn it is in a game, unless we have it listed in order on the scorecard (if we are playing for points!). This is all that I can think of at this moment, what do y'all think based on what I can remember to tell? [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
anonymous	oh.. October 03, 2005 11:32 AM I also got super-confused in P.E. class when they made us play sports, I never knew where the ball was and didn't know what to do with it IF I got it! Oh, officially, since I forgot: Hi my name is Samantha! [report anonymous abuse] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	Hi, Samantha, October 03, 2005 5:04 PM and welcome It sounds possible that you are dyscalculic, go around here and read the articles and stories, maybe you recognize yourself in many of them and might decide to test it and be sure But you are more than welcome to stay even without being certain There might be something useful here anyway I'm so happy that you decided to come here Hugs, Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]
Kathy G.	November 26, 2005 7:16 PM Welcome "newbies" there is a plethora of info here, that I had NO clue(other than I HAVE some of them!)actually "existed" as REAL...... I just remind myself-the calculator is my friend....and carry one ALWAYS. [ send green star] [ accepted]
Ketutar J.	Hi, Sarah, and welcome :-) March 12, 2007 1:54 AM This is the place to introduce you I hope you will find some words of support, comfort and help here, perhaps some new friends Ket [ send green star] [ accepted]