Dyscalculia - The MATH disability

4-6% of the world population is said to have dyscalculia, but it is extremely unknown. Most dyscalculics don’t even know that this exists - even fever gets the help they need to succeed, in school, job situations and life.

Dyscalculia is in the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) - and that means, that this is an approved disability.

Here’s a list of common dyscalculia symptoms. Having some of the symptoms does not mean that you have dyscalculia – just as having some of the symptoms but not others means that you don’t. A professional needs to test you, before you can be sure.

- Normal or above normal verbal skills: reading, writing, spelling. Good in areas of science, until math is required. May be good at geometry.

- Problems with time and direction. Having a hard time remembering schedules and keeping track of time. Gets lost easily and seem absent minded.

- Bad at addition, subtraction, division and multiplication - may be able to do an assignment one day, and forget how to do it the next.

- Cannot do taxes, budgeting or balance checkbooks. May be afraid of money.

- Unable to remember math rules, concepts, order of operations and basic math facts.

- May have problems with motor skills - can't remember sequences in aerobics/dance steps, fingering when playing an instrument etc.

- Cannot remember rules and understand strategy in games and sports.

Read more at http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com or http://www.dyscalculia.org

I bet you anyone with a psychiatrist's degree under their belt can invent a new learning disability if they find enough people who have the same weakness!

Back when I was a math tutor, teachers gave me students deemed "unteachable"... and I found them to be perfectly fine. This was because I did a great job (or so I was told by my colleagues). Math-disabled my a_ _ !

Sounds like me on all levels.

Hi, elly-o, Heather, and others,

Elly-o, I just read your post about dyscalculia, along with its symptoms.

Oh my God!! That's Me!!

I am going to see a specialist in ADD and learning disabilities, this coming monday (today is Saturday).

I had myself tested for learning disabilities Years ago, and it confirmed my suspicions - I have LD, but without problems in the verbal realm.

Those sx's you listed have given me SO much trouble during my life. For example, not only was I a poor performer in math, but I can get lost "in a paper bag", and have very little sense of time.

I' m So glad you posted the list - Thanks so much, elly-o!!

'Would love to hear from you again,

offbeatgrl53

I have been diagnosed as dyscalculic by a licensed psychiatrist at the age of fifteen two years ago

I read that dyscalculia is also accompanied by poor mental math abilities which you failed to mention. I have beyond average mental math ability. The areas I am sub-par which are characteristics of this LD involve remembering rules, motor skills, and remembering order of operations for complex mathematical equations.

Dyscalculia should be accompanied by at least a mild degree of the other characteristics yet I am beyond average in all of them. How can you have some symptoms and and have the complete opposite of the others?

My two cents? This LD is still on it's way from being diagnoses worthy. It's far from being understood, yet there are people out there who believe they have the ability to correct it.

Hey I have LD myself and I have trouble learning things I learn slower than others do.
I am open to anyone for questions, anwsers, adivce on things so PLEASE just send or drop me a email

mia/ed-nos sexy genius wrote:I bet you anyone with a psychiatrist's degree under their belt can invent a new learning disability if they find enough people who have the same weakness!

Back when I was a math tutor, teachers gave me students deemed "unteachable"... and I found them to be perfectly fine. This was because I did a great job (or so I was told by my colleagues). Math-disabled my a_ _ !

This dyscalcuia is real!
Learning Dissorders are very real! People with LD can learn with the rigt attion. Those student deemed "unteachable" may not had have a math dissablity. Also one to one teaching help a lot when the student is having diffuclties. They are more wiling to ask question in private setting. Imagine your a kid here the thing to think about:
1. your lonely (Every one thinks your dumb)
2. Preer pressure to sound right
3. You know the kids are going to laugh at you
4. Your teacher thinks dumb even though you try
5. You have question
6. You know the teacher jut went over the answer but you don't get it
7. You cannot explain how you don't get
my question do you answer as a kid, rember your not adult. What your peers think of you matters the most.
I know this bit late but I had to respound.

I have this too (albeit self-diagnosed).

I've had trouble with math at school, reading clocks and the difference between left and right. While I personally don't have much trouble with it today (relatively, I have other disorders as well) it may affect quite a few things. When I was younger it was thought I had bad eyesight and failed vision tests (to embaressed to admit I didn't know the difference between left and right). I even failed driving examns because I could not interpret directions under stress.

I cannot understand/remember scientific notation formulas, and in particular the Order of Operations.

However, it does not mean that makes it impossible to work with it. I'm a self taught computer programmer (courtesy of AS ) and I've done some complex programming such as computer graphics, virtual reality robotics simulations, which involves some of the most complex math out there.

Just wanted to say: don't let this disorder discourage you if you want to do something with numbers.

I have dyscalculia, I was diagnosed last year :O