February 10, 2011

Math Dyslexia

I'm not going to try to be one of those self-diagnosed ass-holes who use disabilities that they have never been proven to have as an excuse to why they're bad at something, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia#Symptoms sounds like me to such a fucking T. I'll copy paste and bold every one that applies

  • 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 multiplication-tables, and subtraction-tables, addition tables, division tables, mental arithmetic, etc. (I struggled so badly with mental math in grade school that i usually had the lowest grade in timed mental math tests)
  • 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.
  • Many of those who suffer from dyscalculia may have parents who perform well to excellent in Mathematics-related fields (such as architects, engineers, or math teachers), though this connection has yet to be genetically linked.(not parents, persay. my little sister is amazing at math)
  • Difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the passing of time. May be chronically late or early.
  • Particularly problems with differentiating between left and right. (THIS SO BADLY)
  • Might do exceptionally well in a writing related field- many authors and journalists have this disorder
  • Difficulty navigating or mentally "turning" the map to face the current direction rather than the common North=Top usage.
  • Having particular difficulty mentally estimating the measurement of an object or distance (e.g., whether something is 10 or 20 feet (3 or 6 metres) away).
  • Often unable to grasp and remember mathematical concepts, rules, formulae, and sequences. (what I'm struggling with right now in algebra)
  • An inability to read a sequence of numbers, or transposing them when repeated, such as turning 56 into 65.
  • Difficulty keeping score during games.
  • Difficulty with games such as poker with more flexible rules for scoring.
  • Difficulty in activities requiring sequential processing, from the physical (such as dance steps or sports) to the abstract (signaling things in the right order). May have trouble even with a calculator due to difficulties in the process of feeding in variables.
  • The condition may lead in extreme cases to a phobia or durable anxiety of mathematics and mathematic-numeric devices/coherences. (I almost flipped out before my algebra class several times)
  • Inability to concentrate on mentally intensive tasks.
  • 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).
  • Mistaken recollection of names. Poor name/face retrieval. May substitute names beginning with same letter. (This so fucking badly. I need things that really stand out about people to even recognize them until I've known them for a while.)

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