Dyscalculia & Me

Hello all,

I decided to take my blog in a slightly different direction today and speak about Dyscalculia which is known as numerical dyslexia but 'is actually a syndrome or collection of characteristics that are marked by underachievement in math in spite of good ability in speaking, reading, and writing' (quote copied from https://www.dyscalculia.org/dyscalculia).

Signs

There are various examples but I will only show a few which affect me (all examples copied from https://www.dyscalculia.org/dyscalculia)

• Random number and symbol mixups when reading, thinking, copying, writing, speaking, remembering

• unable to do mental figuring

• uses fingers or marks to calculate

• experiences directional confusion during math tasks, when navigating inside buildings and across town, and during physical sequences (dance steps, sports, playing music, playing games, opening a combination lock, following directions)

• Insufficient working memory (needed for simultaneous processing, compounding task demands, retention of serial information (counting, listening to and following directions), keeping track during math work.

Education

From a young age I enjoyed reading and did well in language based subjects but Maths was a constant struggle and unfortunately did not improve despite my best efforts which caused a lot of frustration, I left high school with various GCSES's including four A's (English Language, Literature, Expressive Arts & R.E) and an F in Maths which in respect should have shown that something was wrong.

I retook my GCSE Maths three times in College and ultimately ended up with an E, it was during my third year that my Drama teacher recommended me for a Psychological Assessment and it was confirmed that I was neuro-diverse. After researching Dyscalculia, it seems that it should have been diagnosed back in first school but unfortunately it was caught rather late and I left college with limited knowlege of what Dyscalculia meant.

Understanding Dyscalculia and the problems it can cause

Last year I spoke openly about Dyscalculia for the first time on a podcast organised by Will Wheeler, owner of the 'Dyslexic Revolution'. It was a nervewracking but cathartic experience (much like writing this blog post) and made me acknowlege the effects of Dyscalculia on my day to day life and the many times that I have judged myself for things that were actually not my fault! A few examples, poor time management (always being the last to finish tasks), struggling to use combination locks, becoming overwhelmed by Maths related situations, problems in learning to drive and difficulties with differentiating between my left and right.

Positive Changes

However, on a positive note I took the plunge last year to improve my Maths and enrolled on a free Adult Learning course with Norfolk County Council. I told my tutor about my Dyscalculia and he organised for me to have extra time and green paper (helps to stop the numbers and symbols changing as much) when taking my exam and made sure I had extra support in the online classes.

My ultimate goal is to pass my Level Two Maths Functional Skills which is equivalent to a C grade in GCSE and last December I am proud to say that I passed my Entry Level Three exam and am now studying for my Level One. It has not been an easy journey and it is fair to say there have been tears (people with Dyscalculia can easily become overwhelmed with Maths anxiety and frustration) but I am determined to continue improving myself and one day have my Level Two Certificate.

I have spoken about my experiences because there are probably many people out there who struggle the way I do but do not know why they have these problems. I wish when I was younger that I could have spoken to someone with Dyscalculia so I knew that being neurodiverse is not a curse, it just means you see things in a different way.

Katherine