Location: North Georgia, USA Posts: 2 Joined: 2012-05-11
Hello !!
I am new to the forum but not to Dyscalculia ...
I have never been formally diagnosed with Dyscalculia but I know that I have it ... I've struggled with math my entire life - I am 52 and only found out about Dyscalculia in 2007 and I was so relieved that it wasn't just me that couldn't do math !! Its been a long struggle, especially in the jobs that I had or didn't take because of my lack of being able to do math.
Hopefully I will learn more about Dyscalculia and how to go about getting formally tested ...
Wow, we're not much apart in age, but I only found out about Dyscalculia two days before my sign up date on this forum, which I believe was November 18, 2011. It's sad to think we've gone over half our lives not knowing isn't it?
It's great that you found out that you have Dyscalculia in 2007. I'm curious to know--how did you find out?
I definitely relate to what you wrote about the job situation. I've avoided math related jobs my entire working career. Even with what I do now, I am never without a calculator!
Depending on where you live, I'm sure many people on this forum would be happy to advise you about the opportunities for testing in your area. I have no immediate need to get tested, therefore I have no knowledge of where and how you would get that accomplished.
Again, welcome to the forum. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Ladyhawke
Algebra? When I learn decimals and fractions, you're welcome to try teaching me, but unless you have the patience of a saint and are very long-lived, good luck with that...
When I was in college I happened to use that name for a while.
Though there may be an age difference between us, I've struggled with math always, too - here's my story-
I was diagnosed with math LD in college after continually failing remedial college math. I was also tired of having such issues with analog clocks and so I read up on the possibility and self-referred to Disabled Student Services. I was born a couple of months premature and was in Special Ed as a kid for speech and language and in a "special" gym class spontaneously arranged during my 7th or 8th grade years, for kids who didn't "fit"/perform average or well in that class. It was held in a large utility room where they stored the weight equipment and mats etc. The teacher would come in and give us - about 6 -8 of us - our assignment and then go back out to the main floor where everybody else was. It was a mixed group of "outsiders" and "just-not-popular" kids - a very obese girl, someone who was electively mute etc . A couple of the kids who were in there were one of my many bullies on the "outside" and they themselves were also bullied. My mom found out about arrangement that and was she pissed.
So, I've always had trouble with sequence, spatial orientation, some motor skills <putting gloves on and learning to suck through a straw as a young child for example>, handwriting issues in elementary grades....didn't learn to tell time or count money til high school. Still have difficulty with those things and have never worn a watch. I was also allegedly born with missing inner ear bones.
Always in highest reading and writing groups, took AP English and Bio in high school and went to an arts specialty high school.
I still count on my fingers - and don't hide it. I take extra time in line and often get change wrong.
I tend to think in pictures and have difficulty with spoken or written multi-step directions...units of measurement mean nothing to me <feet, inches>. I don't know how to use a ruler.
But LD was never caught.
I graduated from my university with a double major in Spanish and Sociology and for a time was case manager working with people with cognitive disabilities and on the severe end of the autism spectrum.
I'm a dog trainer. DVR tested me and assisted with college.
