Math Disability

my4helpers · Apr 9, 2010

Thank you for all of the links and support! I know that I WILL get through it eventually! Being that I was diagnosed with dyscalculia (math disability) back in high school, I am going talk with them next week to see if it is on record anywhere. This way if it is, I will be going through the disability student services at school so they can help me! I called my college a few days ago and spoke with the disability student services depart. and they made me feel dumb. It's as if they didn't believe me!

my4helpers · Apr 9, 2010

I have also just looked at my courses and my college does not really offer a remedial class. The class that I took started of very basic, which I was fine with, but then literally went into algebra overnight and I have been lost ever since.

Michaelxy · Apr 9, 2010

I have also just looked at my courses and my college does not really offer a remedial class. The class that I took started of very basic, which I was fine with, but then literally went into algebra overnight and I have been lost ever since.

What state do you live in? If your in Ca, then San Diego City college offers online remedial math classes. If in another state, you might ask some of the math instructors at your school if they know of any math remedial courses that are offered online. I most certainly agree that getting the basics is a must in building a better math lover that you may soon become.

Imagine the Empire State Building being created on straw bricks, (Boom, collapse). As we know this was not done as the builders of that marvelous building were wise. Well, using this same thinking, math is a vertical knowledge and as such it requires a foundation with a strong mortar. The good thing here is that you can rebuild your foundation and make some really strong bricks, and the sky is the limit... :)

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2010

If you're referring to the calculation of the rates at which reactions occur, that's calculus, not algebra.

Uh, there were many different equations, formulas, in every chapter that we studied, not just ONE.

itsmejuli · Apr 9, 2010

When I was in high school I was terrible in math and had a very difficult time. I remember being told that I'd never do well in math. When I finally started college, I had to start at the very lowest level of math and work my up.

I always had anxiety about math, had myself convinced that I couldn't do it. So when I got to algebra I was a freaked out nervous wreck. At exam time my palms would be sweating and my heart pounding. The anxiety made it very difficult to think so I didn't do well on the test.

The college I was going to at the time offered "math anxiety" help. I went there, got assessed and was referred to the campus psychologist. He helped me overcome my math anxiety and I passed algebra.

Since then I've no more fear of math. I understand how my brain works and know that to do well I have to study a lot.

So, perhaps you can consider finding a therapist to help you, it could be math anxiety holding you back. You might just have yourself convinced that you can't do math.

CuriousMe · Apr 9, 2010

What equations are you referring to specifically?

I did the full year of Gen Chem and it seems that more often than not, our homework and exams were all equations.

So, with a base line of doing some dimensional analysis before doing most of this, there was Gas Law, Henderson Hassellbalch Equation, (heck even understanding pH as p being a function of H and the inverse log that goes only with it), concentrations & equilibriums (K, pka, etc), Gibb's Free Energy, kinetic energy, all the stuff in electrochemistry with cell voltage....there were more I'm sure.

There was plenty of math in Gen Chem that would require solid college level algebra skills. Otherwise, a student could be spending time trying to understand the math, instead of trying to understand the chemistry. I'm not sure there'd be time to figure both out at the same time and do it well.

To the OP, I have dyscalculia as well. I was dx'd in high school (which was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth ). In spite of me being the kid who loved science and had both a chemistry set and a microscope when I was in grade school, by high school the answer they came up with was to pull me out of all math and science classes and told me to focus on music (I played an instrument pretty well). There was just so much they didn't understand back then....they didn't know what to do with me; all the other LD students really had some developmental disabilities more than true learning disabilities. As early as 3rd grade they had started pulling me out of class to go to the LD room for math help, and even I (as a 3rd grader) knew I didn't belong. They didn't know what to do with a bright student who also has learning disabilities.

Fast forward more years than I'll mention and I'm a nursing major and a chemistry minor (almost done with my program). I got A's through my math classes and through Gen Chem, and through all my nursing classes (the other chem classes don't really use math).

I started with the most basic of math classes. For me, I have to use a calculator (never did learn my multiplication tables). I have to write every single step out (no doing any of it in my head), very neatly, moving from the top of the page to the bottom (no jotting things off to the side). And I literally have to do every problem at least twice. If I do it twice and get the same answer....I move on. If not, well....the fun starts and I just keep working it until I figure out where I went sideways (which is the reason that every single part has to be written down....no mental math). My CC had a resource room for math and there were free tutors available and I did use them. But for me, I found that the key was that I don't study math....I practice it. Every day, over and over and over and over and, well you get the idea. So, I'd often start with the example I was given in the book or in class (where they give you the step by step procedure). I'd try it and if I got stuck I'd check out the step by step. Sometimes it was just a matter of copying each step over and over till I understood how it worked. Then I'd try a homework problem (that I didn't have the step-by-step for) and I'd use the one I copied as an example. Then just keep working it till I got the right answer.

It took me a LOT of time. But, it really paid off. I have 100% on my dosage calculation quizzes (after a year of doing dimensional analysis....the dosage calculation is easy!). I do still have to do the problems at least twice (I don't always see all the numbers, it's an area that I'm obsessively careful about because I know this).

I still have dyscalculia. After 4+ years of college classes, I still don't know my times tables. I can't do "mental math." I have trouble even adding and subtracting more than two digits in my head....and yes, I still use my fingers. I've figured out that I'm actually pretty good with mathematics....it's arithmetic that I really struggle with. And lousy arithmetic skills makes learning mathematics very hard and very frustrating, since when I'm trying to learn something new mathematic-wise, and get a wrong answer, it's tough to tell if it's wrong because I don't understand the mathematics yet, or I made an arithmetic error.

So, a long story to say, don't give up! It may take more time, and a whole lot of patience (in my case a whole lot of dark chocolate helped too ) but if this is what you want, you can figure out how to get there....you likely won't get there the same way as most folks....but you can figure a way to get there.

PM me if you have questions, or just want to vent :-)

metal_m0nk, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2010

Uh, there were many different equations, formulas, in every chapter that we studied, not just ONE.

*facepalm*

vccorscc · Apr 9, 2010

i had the same issues wit my college math classes...it just takes the right teacher with the right approach to break though to you :)