Struggling with Dyscalculia/ADHD

Nurses Disabilities

Published

I have had a "learning disability in math" for over 15 years. It began when I was 8 years old. My teachers eventually recognized my disability, and put me into a special education class. I did math several grades below my own. I feel that I never recieved the apprpriate help that I deserved.

Just tonight I was reading about dyslexia, and I discovered dyscalculia. http://www.dyscalculia.org/ The symptoms listed are almost exact to what I have been experiencing almost my entire life.

They include:

- Frequent difficulties with arithmetic, confusing the signs: +, −, ÷ and ×.

- Difficulty with everyday tasks like checking change and reading analog clocks.

- Inability to comprehend financial planning or budgeting, sometimes even at a basic level; for example, estimating the cost of the items in a shopping basket or balancing a checkbook.

- Difficulty with times-tables, mental arithmetic, etc.

- May do fairly well in subjects such as science and geometry, which require logic rather than formulae, until a higher level requiring calculations is obtained. (I do pretty well at algebra, for example)

- Difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the passing of time.

- Difficulty navigating or mentally "turning" the map to face the current direction rather than the common North=Top usage.

- Having particularly difficulty mentally estimating the measurement of an object or distance (e.g., whether something is 10 or 20 feet (3 or 6 meters) away).

Often inability to grasp and remember mathematical concepts, rules, formulae, and sequences.

- An inability to read a sequence of numbers, or transposing them when repeated such turning 56 into 65.

- Low Latent inhibition. i.e., over-sensitivity to noise, smell, light and the inability to tune out, filtering unwanted information or impressions. Might have a well-developed sense of imagination due to this (possibly as cognitive compensation to mathematical-numeric deficits).

Everything matches to a T.

I'm wondering if any of you have this condition? How have you dealt with it, especially in nursing? I have found that as I have gotten older, my ability to understand math is getting better, though I still transpose numbers. This is similar to dyslexia. Are any of you dyslexic? If so, how do you cope?

I'm excitedly happy yet devastated at the same time that I discovered this. Even though I was told I have a "learning disability in math", no one ever told me what specifically it was. Now that I know, I'm wondering why it took me until I was 23 ******* years old before I was able to figure out what this is.:banghead:

Any advice/support would be greatly appreciated :heartbeat

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Specializes in PACU/Cardiac/Nrsg. Mgmt./M/S.

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i have had dyscalculia since age 12. math has always been a struggle for me. i am 50 something, and to this day i still count on my fingers! i always have a calculator, and check and recheck figures.

when i would start a drip, i would always have 2 more nurses check my figures. i have had so many years of math hesitancy, i just don't trust my skills there. in nursing school, i went through biofeedback to help with the stress of the math tests.

there is hope though. you know you have, you just deal with it. accept it. i have. i don't like it and thank god i have a daughter who is math savy and took physics and calculus with no problem, and i am thankful for that. so you don't always pass it on.

you know you have it. you now know you will deal with it. you will. just hang in there!:heartbeat

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Thank you so much, I feel so much better now. I appreciate knowing I'm not alone :) :heartbeat

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Nice 2 c someone else w/ these same issues! helped me 2 start using nondominant hand more. Try that, u won't be a math genius but it might help w/ no. reversals and such. I have no. inverssion, reversals, tons of coping mechanisms. i figured it out myself by accident...they don't recognize it most of the time u r lucky they even said the term "math learning disability"! I was just a "bad kid" or "lazy" or "stupid" - cried my way thru most math courses when no one was looking.

The ADHD I found out about so l8 in life it isn't even funny...2 l8 2 get help, w/ what I have now I can't take n e thing 4 ADHD! Would if I could n it would help...

:smackingf

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Nice 2 c someone else w/ these same issues! helped me 2 start using nondominant hand more. Try that, u won't be a math genius but it might help w/ no. reversals and such. I have no. inverssion, reversals, tons of coping mechanisms. i figured it out myself by accident...they don't recognize it most of the time u r lucky they even said the term "math learning disability"! I was just a "bad kid" or "lazy" or "stupid" - cried my way thru most math courses when no one was looking.

The ADHD I found out about so l8 in life it isn't even funny...2 l8 2 get help, w/ what I have now I can't take n e thing 4 ADHD! Would if I could n it would help...

:smackingf

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to take anything for the ADHD. I think it may be helpful for you to see a neurologist and psychologist, if you have the money/time. There are certain psych disorders that have similar symptoms to ADHD (like bi-polar disorder, for example), and if you know exactly what's going on with you, you will be able to treat it accordingly :)

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Wow same here. I do not believe that i have this disorder however, i do have a learning problem with math. Its been a wile sense i have been in school i am now attending and getting my pre-reqs done. What can the pre-RN students and RN's recommend for me to have a leg up on studies. I dont know how im going to be a Nurse, i do know that it will hapen for me.

Any help would be of great assisstence.

Thanks

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If your college has a basic mathematics course that you can take, definitely do so. I know most colleges don't offer something like that, so you may have to call around and find out.

If that doesn't work, try getting some children's math books at a book store, or see if they have any at the library. Start with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and move up from there. If there's something you don't understand, however, it may be more difficult because you won't have a teacher to explain things to you. But if you have a trusted friend or family member that knows basic math well and will be patient with you, try going to them.

Good luck to you :)

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Thanks a million. So far i have enlisted the help of a young student who is in school to become a teacher. Any other concerns or ideas one might have for student who is getting pre-reqs done. I was concerned when i learned that they only take the 3.0 students into the program.

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Yeah, the nursing program is very competitive where ever you live. Depending on your school, they may not even consider a 3.0 student - my school won't.

Don't get discouraged though. Just make sure you budget your time wisely when it comes to studying, and always ask for help if you need it!

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hi...im currently in process of trying to recive my g.e.d. ive done many pre-tests and i do excellent in every other subject but when it comes to math i don't have a passing grade at all.I took one today and i only got seven out of 25 problems right.Im trying so hard to get this certificate,i was pulled out of 8th grade by my parents because nobody knew what was wrong with me.I havnt gotten tested for dyscalculia but after so much frustration i decided to investigate and found this learning disability.Now everything seems so much farther from my reach i start to wonder if i somehow manage to pass my g.e.d i want to start pre-reqs for nursing and im wondering how hard it would be for me to become a nurse and not being able to do math very well...is it possible?

to make it through pre-reqs and make it through college? is there any help? i want so much to become a nurse but it seems too far for me to acomplish.

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