answer to beatlemorgan<or more on me>

[dogmom]

beatlemorgan

being diagnosed so much earlier than me and so many others with math LD/dyscalculia - wow! I've always been stuck in classes with math not getting anything and other students figured it out - even if they had difficulty, they still managed to figure it with or without help and they had some basis to start with - I mostly felt like I had nothing - like they're working some algerbra or calculus or something and I'm still at 2+2 = .....

I always had issues with left and right, money, learning to tell time, multiple directions/sequence etc.....didn't learn how to read clock til high school and still have difficulty <analog>. Have never worn a watch. Didn't learn to count money til high school and still make mistakes in line at store - count something wrong, tip what? etc. Measurements <feet etc.> mean nothing to me. Learned to drive in my early 20's for case manager job working with people with cognitive disabilities. Born several months premature and spoke late and had other speech issues, had speech therapy for many years. Doctors told mom I was missing bones from my inner ear but that was never confirmed. One time in grade/elementary school I was supposed to go to Resource Room for speech and my teacher came to get me and was like - how come you're late, you're supposed to come down <Resource Room was in separate building where they lumped all the kids who had "special needs">.
I told her - couldn't read the clock.....I was very ashamed. That was never investigated.


I failed remedial college math several times before going to Disabled Student Services and telling them about me and asking to get tested, which I did through DVR. Upon confirmation of LD I received a variety of accommodations at my university.

 

[Dixie]

It's sad that a lot of LD are never officially diagnosed until much later after the child/adult has struggled for years. I believe I had dyscalculia as well because it took me forever to learn to tell time. Like you I couldn't read an analog clock until grade 4 or 5 I believe. I absolutely hated math - I struggled with it every bit of the way. When I failed my mother would just yell at me and tell me I was being lazy. My dad would tell me I'm not trying hard enough or I'm not focusing hard enough or whatever. Later when I was struggling with College mathematics I had a one-on-one tutor session once a week with a math teacher. He told me I knew my algebra - I just didn't have a foundation. Still to this day if you handed me a paper with the multiplication tables on them I would freak out. I remember spending HOURS AND HOURS every night on my homework when we were learning multiplication and long division. I had to get my other homework done and completed BEFORE mom got home - she checked it while she was cooking dinner. Then we ate dinner and directly after dinner we would get started on the math homework around 7ish, we wouldn't get done until after 10 which I immediately had to go to bed.

I remember once my mom was helping me with my math one night and she got frustrated and said if I didn't get it right the next time she was going to slap my face. Of course I froze with fear knowing I would get it wrong. She asked me the question and I was so afraid of getting it wrong that I could only reply "I don't know." She said I knew the answer, but I couldn't think of it. I said I don't know. By this point I was bracing myself. That's when she got up screamed that she was fed up with me and stormed out of the house and left and did not come home until the next day. After that I just quit asking her to help me with my homework and I silently struggled for math for years and years after that. I partially felt like a failure and my parents also made me feel that way because I'm not as good as my older brother. I was relieved in high school when we were allowed to use calculators to do our math homework, I didn't have to fumble for 15 minutes to complete a single problem.

 

[beatlemorgan]

dyscalculia, I didn't know there was a word for it!
thank you for sharing
my mom thinks mine is due to a head injury I had when I was 4.
I can't tell time on reg clocks either, something I've been embarrassed about all my life but not anymore. I just carry my cell phone, that tells me what time it is I still can not count change very well though. when ever I have to pay for something I ask whoever is with me to do it, I get anxiety from having to pay for things, I feel like the cashier is staring at me like I'm stupid.
the year after I was diagnosed, I did not have a math class. How nice to go through senoir year and not have to worry about failing math! I was excused from the TAKS test in math.
I am scared to get a job because all of the jobs here are as cashiers for stores, I fear I'll make too many mistakes and they'll just fire me.
now we are fighting because at the start of this school year they told me my college math class would be self paced, I don't move on to something else until I pass what I'm working on. I got to the class and it is not like that at all, you have so much time to complete so many assignments, and I understand none of it! not to mention math teachers have an unfailing ability to make me feel like an idiot in front of everyone and usually I cry after class. its also frustrating considering they also told me at one point I could have my math class "waived" meaning I wouldn't have to take it, but they seem to have changed their minds and want me to do double tutoring.

 

[beatlemorgan]

It's sad that a lot of LD are never officially diagnosed until much later after the child/adult has struggled for years. I believe I had dyscalculia as well because it took me forever to learn to tell time. Like you I couldn't read an analog clock until grade 4 or 5 I believe. I absolutely hated math - I struggled with it every bit of the way. When I failed my mother would just yell at me and tell me I was being lazy. My dad would tell me I'm not trying hard enough or I'm not focusing hard enough or whatever. Later when I was struggling with College mathematics I had a one-on-one tutor session once a week with a math teacher. He told me I knew my algebra - I just didn't have a foundation. Still to this day if you handed me a paper with the multiplication tables on them I would freak out. I remember spending HOURS AND HOURS every night on my homework when we were learning multiplication and long division. I had to get my other homework done and completed BEFORE mom got home - she checked it while she was cooking dinner. Then we ate dinner and directly after dinner we would get started on the math homework around 7ish, we wouldn't get done until after 10 which I immediately had to go to bed.

I remember once my mom was helping me with my math one night and she got frustrated and said if I didn't get it right the next time she was going to slap my face. Of course I froze with fear knowing I would get it wrong. She asked me the question and I was so afraid of getting it wrong that I could only reply "I don't know." She said I knew the answer, but I couldn't think of it. I said I don't know. By this point I was bracing myself. That's when she got up screamed that she was fed up with me and stormed out of the house and left and did not come home until the next day. After that I just quit asking her to help me with my homework and I silently struggled for math for years and years after that. I partially felt like a failure and my parents also made me feel that way because I'm not as good as my older brother. I was relieved in high school when we were allowed to use calculators to do our math homework, I didn't have to fumble for 15 minutes to complete a single problem.

sounds like your parents were strict my mom was the one who fought the high school with me. she hated seeing me so upset over it.

 

[Dixie]

sounds like your parents were strict my mom was the one who fought the high school with me. she hated seeing me so upset over it.

My mom, my brother, and my dad all have really strong math skills. I don't. I was often laughed at by them when they would pop me a math question out of nowhere and I would just freeze or if the answer I gave wasn't correct. My dad has even said to me that he's ashamed that I can't do math. To him it's an embarrassment and for years I too became ashamed of it but I didn't know what to do so I just kept quiet about it. I hated it whenever report cards came out. It would look like alphabet soup most of the time.

A in English/Literature, A in Physical Ed, A/B in science, A/B in history, A in art D/F in mathematics. I usually had a C grade in another course that I was having to take usually an elective such as Home Economics, or something like that. It was like my brother would come home with all A's, and me? I'd have alphabet soup and I would get grounded, scolded, yelled at, told I was lazy and that I needed to get my act together. Usually at the end of the year I would find a way to get my math grade up to a very low 'C' just to pass by asking for extra credit assignments or taking an extra test or something. Somehow I never outright failed a math course, but more or less Forrest Gumped my way through them.

Oddly I received a 'B' in my college mathematics course and thank the good lord that is the last and final math course I will ever have to take.

 

[KristinaB]

My daughter has dyscalculia and it really bothers her. We have made adjustments and don't condemn her for it. It is just one part of all she has had to go through. It was hard for me at first since I always did so well at math, having taken Calculus before 10th grade. My brother's were crappy at math and my parents were very accepting of anything. They just figured it was all in the individuality of each of their 3 kids. Son #1 had a propensity for broken bones and crappy math skills, but is great at cooking and finish carpentry. He relies on his calculator. Son #2 had a propensity for the anger issues as well as almost dying from appendicitis at age 9. HE also had crappy math issues but had a great imagination and could write stories well. He is currently looking for work and doesn't excel at much. Me, I was the one who had all the excellent skills in school, due to all the time I spent with the books after getting home. No social time at all. I had the hearing loss, so I had to make sure I knew all my school work better than the class. I have home schooled both my kids and done data entry work for a number of businesses and have a perverse fascination with numbers and alphabet. I love to file, go figure! Neither one of my kids are good in math which for me was surprising. Daughter's is obvious. Son is having a "brain block" when it comes to pre-algebra and algebra.

 

[beatlemorgan]

My daughter has dyscalculia and it really bothers her. We have made adjustments and don't condemn her for it. It is just one part of all she has had to go through. It was hard for me at first since I always did so well at math, having taken Calculus before 10th grade. My brother's were crappy at math and my parents were very accepting of anything. They just figured it was all in the individuality of each of their 3 kids. Son #1 had a propensity for broken bones and crappy math skills, but is great at cooking and finish carpentry. He relies on his calculator. Son #2 had a propensity for the anger issues as well as almost dying from appendicitis at age 9. HE also had crappy math issues but had a great imagination and could write stories well. He is currently looking for work and doesn't excel at much. Me, I was the one who had all the excellent skills in school, due to all the time I spent with the books after getting home. No social time at all. I had the hearing loss, so I had to make sure I knew all my school work better than the class. I have home schooled both my kids and done data entry work for a number of businesses and have a perverse fascination with numbers and alphabet. I love to file, go figure! Neither one of my kids are good in math which for me was surprising. Daughter's is obvious. Son is having a "brain block" when it comes to pre-algebra and algebra.

it is hard not having a skill everyone else has no trouble with. I feel hopeless with it. I am great with history, english. I love to read and learn! just anything with numbers or math gets me. I'll get through college though, in the end it worth it. I remember being proud of myself for graduating high school because the school was so negative and told me I wouldn't graduate with my class.

 

[Juli-terp-to-be]

It's sad that a lot of LD are never officially diagnosed until much later after the child/adult has struggled for years. I believe I had dyscalculia as well because it took me forever to learn to tell time. Like you I couldn't read an analog clock until grade 4 or 5 I believe. I absolutely hated math - I struggled with it every bit of the way. When I failed my mother would just yell at me and tell me I was being lazy. My dad would tell me I'm not trying hard enough or I'm not focusing hard enough or whatever. Later when I was struggling with College mathematics I had a one-on-one tutor session once a week with a math teacher. He told me I knew my algebra - I just didn't have a foundation. Still to this day if you handed me a paper with the multiplication tables on them I would freak out. I remember spending HOURS AND HOURS every night on my homework when we were learning multiplication and long division. I had to get my other homework done and completed BEFORE mom got home - she checked it while she was cooking dinner. Then we ate dinner and directly after dinner we would get started on the math homework around 7ish, we wouldn't get done until after 10 which I immediately had to go to bed.

I remember once my mom was helping me with my math one night and she got frustrated and said if I didn't get it right the next time she was going to slap my face. Of course I froze with fear knowing I would get it wrong. She asked me the question and I was so afraid of getting it wrong that I could only reply "I don't know." She said I knew the answer, but I couldn't think of it. I said I don't know. By this point I was bracing myself. That's when she got up screamed that she was fed up with me and stormed out of the house and left and did not come home until the next day. After that I just quit asking her to help me with my homework and I silently struggled for math for years and years after that. I partially felt like a failure and my parents also made me feel that way because I'm not as good as my older brother. I was relieved in high school when we were allowed to use calculators to do our math homework, I didn't have to fumble for 15 minutes to complete a single problem.

I was told by my math tutor in college that I must have dyscalculia.
I hated it when I would say "I don't know" and everyone saying "You must know. You graduated high school, right?"

 

[dogmom]

everyone! I really enjoyed reading reading everyone's great posts and sorry didn't get back sooner

like so many, I spent hours and hours struggling with math, and as a kid, i remember my dad sitting at a table with me trying to help me get subtraction which I didn't understand AT ALL for long time. He would get so frustrated and I would get so frustrated and impatient, with just sitting there waiting for him to figure what I was supposed to be doing for the homework and then trying to explain to me. We'd go around and around and I'd cry because there were so many times I was just so frustrated and embarrassed but I wasn't able to verbalize that. And my mom would get upset with my dad and with me and then my folks - who used to fight a lot - would argue and it was very difficult for me.

I also enjoy history and reading and love to learn; history was one of my favorite high school classes! I took AP History my Senior year and loved it.
I did, however, refuse to a do an oral presentation and so got a B instead of an A. I have always been a shy student and combine that with speech issues and after-effects of a lot of bullying in the lower grades and so that background still affected me in my high school years, though I was no longer physically threatened/bullied at that time.

Julie, I don't know how many times I've been like "I don't know" about something like - how far away was that car <involving vehicle accident report with officials - police, insurance etc.> -me - I don't know.
at a job learning about counter procedures involving register - supervisor: sales tax, what? Me - I don't know.
Un-expected math-related questions during interview for a vet assistant/office job... <me> - I don't know

just recently: want to help out when I saw dog pee in shelter hallway as he was being taken outside by dogwalker <I'm another shelter volunteer but I do training/behavior stuff>....so I go to closet to get mop, bucket, etc and find bucket has no solution in it.
Am told - instructions on paper on the interior closet wall. Well, damn, often have trouble with sequences and lists of instructions and also there's measurements - oz., gallon.... those mean nothing to me. So I found a kennel worker and she showed me the procedure. If I can get a picture in my mind, I can more likely do whatever it is based on the picture.

Krisina, I think your daughter is lucky to have you; I know she is blessed by your patience and your own sense of perspective. I imagine it's pretty hard for everyone, too, sometimes! Especially if you personally do well with math.
So I can see how open and caring I bet you are with your daughter and your family, Kristina

In college, I had several accommodations available in my classes, though I couldn't sub or waive Stats. I was lost the very first day in there, but the prof. was kind. I've always taken good notes even if they are just gibberish to me and part of that class was the notebook so that also helped. I got either a D or C in it.

Feeling hopeless is hard and sad; I've felt that way, too...I remember in high school chem., which mad no sense either but again - I had those "great notes" <gibberish> and also attendence was part of grade - but in chem., I'd often leave for "bathroom" and just go to stairway in corner of the floor <so it was kinda isolated> and sit on the step and cry.

What has helped me especially during the school years was to focus on something I was good at and enjoyed, like you wrote how much you enjoy history, beatlemorgan

those look like many great grades, too, Dixie - same as me in many of them. Did well in science like Bio, Anthropology <college- loved that> and some Geology, but not Chem., as stated above. I took AP Bio in high school and that really helped prepare for the college Biology.
That seems terrible how you were grounded and yelled at and so on....and kinda scary maybe too in some ways.

My mom is a big advocate/activist for public schools <she has been active in state and national levels>, children's education, equal education/civil rights and especially "Special Ed" - but she had/has a hard time believing I have LD so that impacted her ability to see me in that way during my school years.

everybody for sharing