Comments on: Is There Such a Thing as Dyslexia for Math?

By: Roby

Roby — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:42:37 +0000

I have just recently heard of Dyscalculia and am amazed I have always had so much trouble with math! I am 46 years old and have always excelled in subjects but almost failed math, everytime. It was horrible in school. To this day, although I can do basic math, I can’t help my 5th grader with her math homework because I am usually lost. It’s a terrible feeling, I wish I had know such a thing existed and wouldn’t it be wonderful if teachers were educated about this? I feel better that at least there is a name for it and I am not the only one who has it.

By: Danielle.

Danielle. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:44:44 +0000

i’m not sure if im dyslexic in maths but i get really nervous at the simplist maths questions. any websites that can help??

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:08:09 +0000

I am 36 and see myself as being quite ‘bright’ however, when I look at a group of numbers that need to be added up I seem to lose the plot. I was in the bottom maths group in my early years at school which was aptly named the ‘UNIT’ and it was very embarrassing to be in this class. At the end of my school years I ended up in the 2nd to top maths group – how, I don’t know and when I got a F in my GCSE exam (which was effectively a pass as we were the first year to sit the GCSE’s – I know a pass is now A-C) I was shocked to even get that far. Now….the funny thing is I know every single number sequence that has been given to me over the years. ie. my national insurance number, all of my telephone numbers from any address I name including my very first home telephone number (from the age of about 5 years), mobile numbers, credit card numbers, bank numbers, pins etc…the list is endless. So, I believe that the reason I am unable to work out a simple sum is that my brain starts to put any group of numbers that I look at into a memorable sequence and stores it for later retrieval. Now imagine this…for years I have been a saleswoman (17 years) and in past jobs I have had to calculate my commission statements every month. Basically, my boss would give me my commission sheet for me to check that everything was correct. I of course used to try and sit down with him to make sure it was and had asked 2 mostly 3 times for him to “explain it again” and I still didn’t get it. In the end I would just give in and say I understood when I clearly didn’t. I wonder if after realising my mathematical “thickness” they started short changing me hehehehe.

By: Lyn

Lyn — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:13:38 +0000

I am 52, a Personal Assistant to a Consulting Engineer and I can do everything BUT not the simplest maths. I looked this subject of “Mathematical Dyxlexia” up today on the net, as I cannot figure how I cannot fill in my timesheet with the hours when it’s not a ‘whole’ hour. I had trouble with maths in kindergarten, primary school, high school, and did the lowest class of mathematics there was in my last year of High Scool, and still the teacher had to cheat and give our whole class the exam ahead of time. Finally we passed, just. I still count on my fingers, and at 48, I finally learned my times tables. But if you give me payroll to do, or anthing remotely with a number in it, I seem to “close shop”, mental breakdown, freak out, lose the plot – you name it – I sweat when I see a decimal point! If you give me wordprocessing, writing, english – I breeze through, but Geez I hate numbers. I am still embarassed at how many hours I spent crying in my school years!

By: Charles Wolfe

Charles Wolfe — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:13:23 +0000

I am sufferer of this! I have an advanced degree in math, but still cannot pass a fourth grade multiplication tables, etc. test. My biggest complaint is that this problem was identified over 60 years ago and included in the “Diagnostic Manual”, but none of my teachers knew about it or thought to refer me to someone who could have diagnosed it or helped me. I nearly failed elementary and middle school because of it.

By: Mindy Mann

Mindy Mann — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:16:19 +0000

There are three kinds of people -
those that can count and those that can’t.

By: Miya

Miya — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:23:46 +0000

Great article and great photo!!

By: elly

elly — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:22:29 +0000

Dyscalculics should check out http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com – lots of people to talk to

By: pwnage

pwnage — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:13:42 +0000

Where the hell were these scientists when i was struggling with maths in high school ? Now it is all too late for legitimate excuses