learning disabilities

[evenifigoalone]

So I'm discovering that I most likely have a form of dyslexia known as dyscalculia - basically I'm dyslexic with numbers. It would explain sooo much of my childhood such as being kicked from 1st grade back down to Kindergarten due to troubles grasping addition and subtraction, and later on being 4+ years behind my peers on math but not in other subjects. I crashed hard in 8th grade, failed it entirely, and I'm sure the learning disability had no small part in that. (ADHD, too.)

I was homeschooled 3rd to 11th grade, which was probably the very best thing for my individual needs. While being in formal schooling would have meant that I may have gotten officially diagnosed with a learning disorder, the homeschooling made it easier to accommodate and adjust the schooling to my strengths.
Still, it's nice to get an explanation for my problems. Even today, I work with basic math a lot in my job and I can only just barely pull off mental math half the time, it takes me a lot longer than it does other people and I usually need a calculator. I also very commonly misread people's totals, either transposing the numbers or my brain will add or subtract by several cents for some reason. Though I tend to get along okay despite that.

I talked to my therapist about the possibility of getting officially diagnosed, but she said it'd be around $800 to get the testing done. So I'm just going to say it's highly suspected for the time being.
Oh. This stuff runs in families: my bio father also has dyscalculia (though that term is more recent, so when he was diagnosed as a child they just labeled it dyslexia with numbers)

Anyone else?

 

[evenifigoalone]

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of common traits that come from dyscalculia:

• Difficulty with directions, left-right confusion, N-S-E-W, navigation, or driving. Poor sense of direction. Lost easily.
• Bad at financial planning and money management.
• Too slow at mental math to figure totals, change due, tip, or tax.
• When writing, reading and recalling numbers, these mistakes may occur: number additions, substitutions, transpositions, omissions, and reversals.
• Inability to grasp and remember math concepts, rules, formulas, sequence (order of operations), and basic math facts (+-x/).
• Poor memory (retention & retrieval) of math concepts- may be able to perform math operations one day, but draw a blank the next! May be able to do book work but then fails tests.
• Poor memory for the "layout" of things. Gets lost or disoriented easily. May misplace things often, and seem absent minded.
• Difficulty with motor sequencing- noticeable in athletic performance- difficulty keeping up with rapidly changing physical directions like in aerobic, dance, and exercise classes. Difficulty with dance step sequences, muscle memory, sports moves.

 

[eddif]

Sit down at a table and let the lesson begin.
Why a table? To hide our math helps.

If you can write left to right that is our math direction to use.Why not from up to down? That would not work well using our strengths in Georgia language.

Under table (no one can see).
Left hand on left leg. Put first number in memory. It is all about mental memory, but using the physical to get a brain spot to hold a number.
Use 7. Rub leg left leg. Say 7. I am remembering 7. Do it till you can remember seven. Take a break for a drink of water or make a phone call.
What is your first number? If seven is not in your head, move your fingers and thumb 7 touches. Invent pinches, toe taps, draw a 7 with a finger. We must get 7 in our head. To go to the second number we must have it on the left leg ( English reads left to right. Multiplication tables will be easier.

Now we go to our second number. Oh gosh the first number went away. No big deal, reestablish 7.
Next number is 5. That five is on the right leg.
The table top is hiding our learning method. No one but you knows what is going on. You are really working on mental clarity, but using the physical up front. The physical will only be used later in high stress situations.

After all we have left elbow, right elbow, left foot etc for more complicated things.

Well that is a start.
Seven plus five is twelve
7 + 5 = 12
English sentence skills are the same as math skills
Left to right
Plus / and
Is / equals

Mississippi redneck
eddif

 

[for_his_glory]

evenifigoalone thank you for sharing this with us and educating us in these matters. This is an area I am not to much familiar with and I pray others that might be going through the same thing will see you as an advocate for this and reach out to you as all of you put the pieces together.

God bless you sis

 

[eddif]

I guess I should explain the reason for hiding what is going on.
Some teachers forbid counting on fingers. We usually crawl before we walk. Their attack will keep a visual or hands on learner from developing IMHO.
Two weeks ago I spent two days crawling around our attic installing another air conditioning vent for our kitchen. Also on my side for several hours because it was near the eve (no room to work).
I spent years in the Old Testament learning physical things, before I saw the parallels between the law of Moses and grace.

We all are different.

eddif

 

[Corn Pop]

I don't think I had a learning disability, I just had adhd so I only focuses on what I wanted to focus on. I failed math, english, and the other subjects my pre exam score was so low I think under 10% I did not even sit the exams.

I was told I had a learning disability but I don't think people understood I'm only going to focus on something I want to focus on. Most people like learn all subjects it's kind of normal, to listen and learn at school all the different subjects but not for me.

But I did enjoy one subject and passed that easy, I think the ritalin helped. I got one the best scores in the country. It was like all subjects major fails and one subject major scholar.

I was like that my whole school time anyhow. If I'm not interested in something I'm not going to waste my time on it. I'm just going to clown around and be a idiot and draw pictures in my books.

I convinced my math teacher to just allow me to play chess every lesson and he said all good. So math lesson we all just played chess that kind of just ended up being a muck around everyone talking garbage and having a good time every lesson. I liked math lesson. Lol.

 

[eddif]

I don't think I had a learning disability, I just had adhd so I only focuses on what I wanted to focus on. I failed math, english, and the other subjects my pre exam score was so low I think under 10% I did not even sit the exams.

I was told I had a learning disability but I don't think people understood I'm only going to focus on something I want to focus on. Most people like learn all subjects it's kind of normal, to listen and learn at school all the different subjects but not for me.

But I did enjoy one subject and passed that easy, I think the ritalin helped. I got one the best scores in the country. It was like all subjects major fails and one subject major scholar.

I was like that my whole school time anyhow. If I'm not interested in something I'm not going to waste my time on it. I'm just going to clown around and be a idiot and draw pictures in my books.

I convinced my math teacher to just allow me to play chess every lesson and he said all good. So math lesson we all just played chess that kind of just ended up being a muck around everyone talking garbage and having a good time every lesson. I liked math lesson. Lol.

You described a savant (one area of interest and success).

I have seen one teenager come alive when he discovered math applied to race cars. Teachers never noticed his interest area.

4th graders (should be in 6th grade) failing math, will work long division when shown that math will allow time payments on a car to be calculated ( so they will not be cheated). Gradual and boring developmental math with no motivation to own a car, just is not their thing.
But
When helped through a meaningful months divided into car cost (either to save or borrow money ) now that they want. Scares them. almost to tears but one on one help and they will learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division inside a long division problem.
Just write down for them.
Divide
Multiply
Subtract
Add to check
Bring down
Repeat

They figure out they are doing what their 7th grade friend can’t do. They may have to use fingers toes (cry some laugh some), but motivated they are.
Then (Tommy) the behavior disaster of the math class is on his way.

Now honestly not every child will do what I described, but it is amazing to watch interest motivate.

Mississippi redneck
eddif

 

[evenifigoalone]

I don't think I had a learning disability, I just had adhd so I only focuses on what I wanted to focus on. I failed math, english, and the other subjects my pre exam score was so low I think under 10% I did not even sit the exams.

I was told I had a learning disability but I don't think people understood I'm only going to focus on something I want to focus on. Most people like learn all subjects it's kind of normal, to listen and learn at school all the different subjects but not for me.

But I did enjoy one subject and passed that easy, I think the ritalin helped. I got one the best scores in the country. It was like all subjects major fails and one subject major scholar.

I was like that my whole school time anyhow. If I'm not interested in something I'm not going to waste my time on it. I'm just going to clown around and be a idiot and draw pictures in my books.

I convinced my math teacher to just allow me to play chess every lesson and he said all good. So math lesson we all just played chess that kind of just ended up being a muck around everyone talking garbage and having a good time every lesson. I liked math lesson. Lol.

I have ADHD also. ADHD is often "comorbid" with other stuff, learning disabilities is one. It's also very common for us to have depression and/or anxiety, whether we were born with it or whether we developed it as a result of the ordeal of growing up with ADHD.

 

[Corn Pop]

I have ADHD also. ADHD is often "comorbid" with other stuff, learning disabilities is one. It's also very common for us to have depression and/or anxiety, whether we were born with it or whether we developed it as a result of the ordeal of growing up with ADHD.

I got major depression and anxiety at about age 16. It just suddenly hit. Started to get really paranoid. So paranoid I couldn't even see or talk to people. I only felt comfortable around myself or one other person. If there was more than 2 people I would have a panic attack.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I got major depression and anxiety at about age 18. I tried to figure it out, then again I was smoking alot of herb and was on meds for a few years before I suddenly started to get paranoid, so that might have fried my brain a bit. Pumped with meds smoking herb and drinking.

I recently made the connection that my sudden personality shift was probably due to ADHD. I had the hyperactive kind when I was a kid.... ADHD presentation can change as you age, so I went from being hyperactive/combined presentation to primarily inattentive. And when I was a hyperactive kid, I was boisterous, extremely talkative, very outgoing... by the time I was a teenager, though, the hyperactivity was going down and I think subconsciously I withdrew into a shell, specifically because the way I had acted as a kid annoyed people and go me into trouble.

So as a result I went from a super talkative, outgoing kid, to a shy, reserved, socially awkward teen, and from there to a shy, reserved, socially anxious adult. At one point I met the criteria for social anxiety disorder, but working customer service has made a world of difference for me.

 

[eddif]

Romans 7:21 kjv
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Romans 6:23
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Romans 7:24
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Romans 7:25
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 7:26
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
…….
Poor old Paul. Bipolar, but with a solution. To define the problem does not mean it can not be dealt with. As a human we may not solve the core problems, but with Christ help is available.

Yes we battle with the flesh and make some progress, but ultimately the solution:
1 Peter 2:24 kjv
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

eddif

 

[evenifigoalone]

It's just so weird to me how, as a kid, I had thought of "special needs kids" as something I was definitely not and something that was foreign to me.

Only to learn as an adult that as a kid I had undiagnosed ADHD, more than likely undiagnosed learning disability, and OCD! (I had clear signs of contamination OCD at age 11.)

 

[deanerenata32]

Well, I was diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and a mathematical learning disability when I was 19 years old so you're not alone. I can't do algebra at all, I managed to graduate from high school without ever learning it.