Myomancy ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism

Comments on: Dyscalculia Forum

1. Re: Psychological impact? I just discovered the Dyscalculia Forum. I am 61 years old, have struggled with being labeled an “under-achiever” all of my life, and just recently learned about Dyscalculia from a friend who is a psychiatrist. I related very closely with aquilianranger’s post of 6/22/06, as, I too was very accomplished in what in those days were called “the humanities”, but confounded teachers and my parents with my slowness in being able to tell time and grasp the simplest of math concepts. I began having great difficulty as soon as I was required to solve any problems beyond which I couldn’t use my fingers to count. Fractions, division, higher math? Forget it… I remember sitting up late with my father trying to “tutor” me, and my feelings of utter frustration and even rage. It made no sense to anyone why I did so well in other subjects and so poorly in math. I too felt incredibly stupid and angry for not being able to do the math. I did try, but it made no difference – I couldn’t even get in the ball park. I was labelled an under-achiever and the label stuck. I too tried to overcompensate and appear extremely intelligent to everyone. The problem was that it worked, and most people think I’m very intelligent. And maybe I am, but I always felt like a fraud and actress in my own life. My self-esteem has always been very low. Until I discovered that I was very good at garden design I went from one job to another, for which others thought I was always “overqualified”. Even now that I have found that I am talented at something I don’t really have the confidence to pursue it professionally. If I (or anyone in those days) had known about this affliction I wonder how different my life may have been. Even now, when I tell people that I’ve finally found a name for my math, spacial and directional problems they don’t take it seriously. I will forever be just lazy and unwilling to try hard enough. I truly hope that there is more understanding today about this problem, so that it can be diagnosed and dealt with at an early age. It saddens me greatly that I am just now learning about it, but it does give me some sense of validation, and it’s very interesting to read about others’ experiences.

   Posted by: Peg Winston August 3rd, 2006 at 12:16 am

2. I’m 17 years old an for most of my life i’ve had extreme trouble doing math. when i was younger i wasnt that bad at it because, like Peg said, i could use my fingers. When i got into more difficult math, thats when I started to have problems. No matter how many times someone went over a math problem with me, it was like I couldnt grasp it….My grades in math are horrible, im constantly being pushed to try harder…but I AM!, im trying as hard as i possibly can…I study…and im not the type of person to study..but math is the only class i actually care about getting a good grade in…i even pay attention in class and i try to be there everyday just so i wont miss anything because if i do ill probably struggle after that…i havnt been diagnosed with dyscalculia..but im going to go find out if thats my problem…if it’s not, then i dont know what ill do

   Posted by: tiffany May 30th, 2007 at 7:44 pm

3. I am 22 years old and i have struggled with Maths my whole life.
   When i was 10 i received Learning Support and extra tution. This lasted until i was 14 years old. I was always in the bottom sets. When it came to sitting my Standard Grade exams back in 2001 i failed my prelim but past my final exam with a grade 5, which is a higher grade at Foundation level. I then had to take Maths for my Higher Still exams. I was put into the Intermediate 1 class which my teacher was fumming at. He was trying to get the head of Maths and my guidance teacher to let me off with doing Maths as he felt i would not pass Maths that year. However i was told i had to sit Maths. I yet again failed my prelim but past my final exam with an Intermediate 1 Grade C. Which is still a pass.
   I was at college from 2003-2004 doing a PDA Classroom Assistant course. However i nevr got to graduate due to problems with my placements.
   I have been working full-time since 2004. I work as a Stock Controller ironically. Its actually maining looking for stock so not much counting involved.
   However in order for me to get a good job i need to up my grade in Maths. Which i am finding extremely difficult at the moment. I am doing an ILA SCOTLAND Maths course.
   Big story but i was actually sitting Core Maths 3 but it was dead hard. So i spoke to my tutor who informed me that i was in fact sitting the wrong level and should be sitting Core Maths 2. No wonder i was struggling with Maths all because it was a level above the one i should be sitting. So i am in the middle of doing Core Maths 2 and finding it a real struggle. I have emailed my tutor as i cant go into college becasue i work 5 days a week 6am-2pm and he is only in until 12pm. I am still waiting for a reply from him and i sent it 5 weeks ago.

   I am not an academic and my grades at school were mainly low grades. I actually only succeeded in Music and that was the only subject i genuninly was praised in. I was a really good singer and in that my confidence grew. I am naturally shy but i was alive when i went to Music. I even sung with The Dundee Chorale Union- this is a choir in my area which sing in concerts etc. I love it.
   At the moment i am working with an organisation that works with 0-19 year old who have sever and profound learning disabilities.
   So as you can tell academic’s are not my thing but i am REALLY REALLY wanting to understand Maths and i hope to get in the near distant future an Intermediate 2 B but like i said that will probabley be when i am in my late 90’s

   Sorry for the long post

   Posted by: Laura June 12th, 2007 at 11:59 pm

4. Just found this site! I’ve stuggled with math my whole life. I’m trying to get a degree but, the math requirements go up to calculus! I barely made it through Algebra 2 (after the 4th time!). I need a degree to get a job. I can’t even get a job doing what i’ve been doing for nearly 20 years because it now requires a degree. I’m moving soon and my current position will be much to far away to commute.
   Frustrated after all these years! I am 38.

   Posted by: Nicole March 25th, 2008 at 7:51 pm

5. I also just found this site in my search for treatment. I’ve known I have dyscalculia since high school. My uncle has dyslexia so my family is supportive & this was never a problem. Now, I have a job as a Passion Party consultant that I absolutly LOVE. However there’s alot of math involved. Now it affects my every day life & I feel like an idiot. If any one can tell about some good treatments for adults I would appreciate it. My husband helps me with the math at my parties but I don’t want to have to drag him around, even if he is supportive. TIA.

   Posted by: Tonya April 24th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

6. I struggled with math all the way through school also. I excelled in English, Science, etc. I went to a trade school when I was very young so that I could get skills to get a decent job; however, I have never been content with what I was doing and have always wanted to go back to school and get a degree. I began to persue that since last year at age 37. I only had to take remedial classes in mathematics. Problem is, I flunked pre-algebra and now I have to take it again in the fall. This is seriously setting back my dreams of ever getting a degree which I not only want, but need now because I am financially struggling and need a better income, and I don’t have time to wait several years, especially at my age, to get through this. I studied very hard, 4 hours or so a day, received tutoring, took notes religiously, did all of my homework, and I would get the concept down pat, or at least I thought, just to forget it, as if I have some kind of short memory problem. It’s very frustrating when your classmates don’t understand and they seem to assume that you are not trying hard enough, when you are probably trying harder than anyone. And I am becoming very depressed now because I realize that I will be maybe 43 or so by the time I earn an associates degree which means nothing. Neither does a bachelors degree anymore. What’s worse, my major and the field I would go into after I graduate will never require higher math. I feel like, “is it worth it?” at that age to start over, but my worst nightmare is the fact that I may never be able to earn a college degree or get so discouraged that I give up. I don’t have any motivation to live on if I have to give up my goals, I think I would be suicidal even though I am with someone who loves me very much and everything else is going well for me.

   Posted by: Anna May 1st, 2008 at 7:29 pm

7. I am feeling really depressed today, I relate to all of you. I am 30, and it took me 9 years to graduate from college because of my math disability. I wanted to be a teacher my degree is in History, I could not get into the college of ed because I could not pass elementry statistics, I had to retake so many math classes that it pulled my GPA to a 2.2 so my GPA is low too. I went to KU and got tested in 2004 and the only reason I graduated was because they had K-State wave Statistics and Philisophical Logic my last 2 classes that I took over and over again for 2 years. I walked aways from K-State with a History degree that is worthless and cost 55,000, because I suck at math. I am a sales assoiciate for a sportswear company and I have recently tried to get promoted and they gave a math test I failed so I didn’t get the promotion even though I am excellent at sales and I am gifted in so many things but math. I applied at another job and it was for 35,000 a year made it through 3 interviews an hour long and jumped through hoops and then they gave me a 2 page math test a 5th grader could pass with 15 problems and I failed they didn’t give me the sales job, I don’t know what to do, I have been with my company 2 years great worker strong work ethic, but I have a hard time with the accounting tab, and taking Credit Card number and when customers tell me there account number I have a hard time grabing the lists of number did great in my other classes but math escapes me, I just don’t understand I don’t understand percentages or fractions, I reverse my numbers but not letters and when I am going for a promotion or changing jobs, I pray for no math test, because otherwise I am marketable, but one math test I’m done.
   I’m 30 with a college degree from a great school and I don’t cut it. I make 10.00 an hour how sad it that.

   Posted by: Juaquina Castillo May 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

8. My 24 year old son still can not make change properly or seem to grasp the concept of time, yet he does have mechanical ability. He does not keep a job and is very depressed. The disability has caused great anxiety and a low self esteem. I do not know what to do . He tries nothing for fear of failure. Who can help?

   Posted by: AW July 3rd, 2008 at 7:18 am

9. I am 17 years old and I seriously didnt think anyone had this problem. I am absolutly horrible at math and its not that I dont try its that I cant grasp the subject. I can sit there and listen to every word the teacher says and I cant do it. I Cant even graph something on a calculator becasue i dont know how becasue it dosent stick to me, nothing does not even formulas, its a miricle i even got by all these years in a math class. Now with Pre-cal Im either going to fail or someone needs to know theres somthing wrong with me.

   Posted by: khali September 19th, 2008 at 4:48 am

10. Hearing about Dyscalculia has been a revelation. I too am 61 years of age and have spent the whole of my life believing myself to be stupid because of my total inability to understand the basic arithmetic needed to do quite simple everyday tasks. I have difficulty in calculating change (at least without the aid of a calculator). Working out areas and volume is a complete mystery to me i.e. estimating how much material to buy for curtains is a sheer impossibility. I also experience great difficulty in understanding financial matters and interest rates, which I am sure must impair my ability to make the best decisions with regard to my finances, and whilst understanding the principle that a balance sheet is merely a statement of money coming in and money going out, how such a balance is achieved is also beyond my comprehension. All my life this inability to understand numbers has contributed to a lack of self-confidence and a deep sense of inadequacy in almost every aspect of my life, even in respect of things which I know I am more than capable of doing. I venture to state that I am articulate, can spell without the aid of Spell check, have an excellent vocabulary, and am able to express myself clearly and cogently. Despite these abilities, which thankfully, have served me well throughout my working life, the overwhelming feeling I have always had about myself has been, rightly or wrongly, that I was stupid and that others would also automatically think I was stupid and therefore would never believe that I would be able to excel or achieve at anything I might do. Such belief, as I saw it, of course being based purely upon the fact that I cannot do arithmetic. I only hope that maybe, even at this late stage, I can find someone somewhere who would be able to help me reach something of an understanding of this basic but vital part of everyday life, and from which I feel I have been excluded.

    Posted by: PAMELA CHRISTINE EVANS October 1st, 2008 at 12:40 am

11. Hi. I’m a 29-year old dyscalculia sufferer. I was diagnosed when I was in my early 20s. My whole life I had trouble doing math. I got tutors, nothing helped. I got A’s and B’s in everything else, and consistently C’s, D’s, and F’s in math. When I was in college, the state of Florida requires that you get a C or better in math in order to “pass” the class. The two choices were algebra and finite math. I took both of these classes over and over again, for a total of about one whole semester of my college career. I almost didn’t graduate because of it. Despite my attempts and communications with teachers, I received very little help. Even when I was just one point away from getting a C once. I realized I must have a learning disability. I took a test, upon which it was revealed that I didn’t have one, though I seemed to have some problems with symbols and spacial abilities and was told I had the highest verbal and memorization scores the psychologist administering the test had seen in all her 25 years of practice. While I knew I was intelligent, I ended up feeling really dumb. No matter how hard I tried and what I did, I couldn’t seem to advance. Ultimately, my mom wrote a nasty letter to the dean of the university and I was able to substitute a computer course for math which was completely easy and I got an A and graduated. To this day, just seeing numbers is traumatic. I’m not comfortable with them at all. My mother did research years ago and stumbled upon dyscalculia, which I had all the common symptoms of and it doesn’t show up on standardized learning disability tests. I still have trouble with analog watches, reading maps, and my sense of direction is completely off. Not to mention, despite all of my years as a classically trained pianist, I could never read music notes and had to rely on my musical ear. It was a horrible experience and I still have trouble whenever numbers, fractions, decimals, and many other types of math come up. To those people out there that suffer with it – just know that we all have our individual talents and gifts, and no two people have to be the same. Learning disabilities don’t make you stupid, they just make you human, and for everything you lack in math I’m sure you compensate greatly in something else. Don’t let math destroy your life. Find ways to work around it or to use calculators and don’t be too hard on yourself.

    Posted by: Zoe November 9th, 2008 at 4:19 am

12. I was diagnosed a few moths ago at age 27, dyscalculia is such a frustrating thing to have, there’s so little understanding /assistance available.I was always the worst person in the class at maths in school,I used to get 60-80% in Languages, and History,and 10-25% in Maths.There was no knowlege of dyscalculia,and teachers and my parents believed I was just being lazy, as I got results that were consistent with a person simply not having done their work properly.I was lazy, being stupid,and the problem could be resolved simply if i came to my senses and STARTED WORKING,it was up to myself.I began to believe that I was lazy and stupid,as others concluded for me.I underwent an assessment at school at age 14,and was told I had an above average IQ and the result provided no explanation for the difficulties I CLAIMED I was experiencing, there was nothing wrong with me!I was given a hard time at school and at home,I spent hours longer on maths than on any other subject,and still did really badly. I was told that, with results as bad as that in Maths, I would never get a job,and never get into any 3rd level institution,no matter how well I did in any of my other subjects.Even though I enjoyed most other subjects,I was made to feel it was pointless putting the work into them because any good results would not count for anything without an improvement in Maths!
    I was diagnosed a few months ago, and since then,I am entitled to extra time for aptitude tests required for promotion in my job,and I recently passed the test and am finally on a waiting list.There is hope! I am annoyed at the way I was treated by certain individuals, and if I have learned anything, I would strongly advise you to IGNORE people who are very negative,as this was one thing that caused me a great deal of stress. Don’t take anything personally. I don’t mean to be ungrateful and fully appreciate that people were trying to be helpful, but you need the RIGHT KIND of help! And ALWAYS ALWAYS seek an alternative opinion!Get your diagnosis done privately,its pricey,but worth it as it means your school is obliged to provide assistance!

    Posted by: Cailin Gaelach,Eire December 21st, 2008 at 7:53 pm

13. Khali! Anybody who made it to Pre- Cal. or what ever it is probably does NOT have dyscalcula. I took Pre algebra 4 times and could not pass it. Once the instructor started to put letters AND numbers in the same groups the entire thing just started to get fuzzy to me. I am a 47 year old man with 4 undergrad degrees and working on a masters degree with a 3.7 GPA. I have dyslexia and can’t spell worth a damn so I have to write around words I can’t spell or pray that I spell most of them correctly. I I have ADHD and on hell of a bad memory but I am a big enough A$$h@l# that I want to prove to the world and myself that a man that still doesn’t know what 7 x 7 is can be a success.
    I am a Social Studies Teacher (of “at-risk” students)and I teach my students to try and use what I call “stupid math” and be proud of it. Think of a quick way to do daily math tasks, like, 9 x 6 = (drop the 6 to a 5 then add the amount it would take to reach the original 9, 54!) 9 x 6 = 54 (5+4=9) Work with it until you get it. Any way just accept that you have this one deficit in your life and get on with the rest of it.

    And you with that “worthless” History degree? Shut your mouth! Get out there and go to some foreign country and do some research that might help somebody find lost family members or discover new information about this or that stop your crying and embrace what God has given you as a gift, not what he has not given you that you thought you should have been given. The world is yours, go out there and get it, without the math!!

    Posted by: Dennis October 25th, 2009 at 4:14 pm

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