Does anybody have Dyscalculia?

The Panorama programme Was really interesting and basically be careful with offers. Sometimes, I get caught out. Also, price match posters lure you into the shop, and it's psychological. 

I'm the same with analogue clocks. It truly surprises me when people can look at the clock and tell you the time literally in a second. I've never been able to do that.

That's why I know the 9's because of the pattern to it. The first number goes up whilst the second number goes down aha! If I were to try and do the 8's I'd have to count up in eight to get to the answer.

I have not seen that no, but thank you for letting me know about it. I'll likely check it out at some point.

I'm so sorry about how you used to be treated, but it's a beautiful thing to do to help others in subjects where you once struggled so I applaud you for that.

is that the Lets go Shopping one? Do you manage to get it right unlike me?

The only upside was that I got to miss sport/gym classes for extra tuition instead I'm thankful that technology is a saving grace with spelling and grammar checks as standard.

I still try to avoid writing and if I have to I write in capitals.

Grand isn't it.

Worth watching tonight, Panorama on  BBC one at 8pm.

Supermarket Deals: How Good Are They?

As the cost-of-living squeeze continues to affect many, supermarkets say they’re doing what they can to help us save money, offering discounts and promotions. But just how good are these deals?

Supermarkets taking on there words, with claims of matching the prices of discounters like Aldi and packaging that seems to disguise the true size of goods. 

For example: some dog food hasn’t got much meat in it, coconut milk has little coconut in it, (not for me) Chicken nuggets don’t have much chicken in them at all.on

In my first school (80s-90s approximately); the head teacher made us sing the time tables, while listening to green onions song. A good rhythm. Basically when I hear the song, reminds me of what we used to do. 

Used to have a cassette tape with the time tables. Had a strange education as my high school closed down and everybody had to transfer to different schools. 

Food shopping I look for price per unit and going through a fine tooth comb for offers (some not worth it);

I have the opposite problem, I have difficulties with digital clocks and the 24 hour clock. I recognise analogue times visually, I look at the clock and know what the time is. However, I have difficulty translating this knowledge into words. When asked the time on the street I tend just to show my watch rather than try to translate the time into words - the length of time taken by me looking dumbly at my watch is embarrassing and I tend to panic a bit.

The 9 times table can be done with your ten fingers. 

Just face both your hands palm side up in front of you. Label each finger like this:

...

Left hand:

Thumb = 1st finger

Index = 2nd finger

Middle = 3rd finger

Ring = 4th finger 

Pinky = 5th finger 

...

Right hand:

Pinky = 6th finger 

Ring = 7th finger 

Middle = 8th finger 

Index = 9th finger 

Thumb = 10th finger

...

1 × 9 =

Lower the 1st finger. 

= 9

...

2 × 9 =

Lower the 2nd finger.

1 finger on one side

8 fingers on the other side

= 18

...

3 × 9 =

Lower the 3rd finger.

2 fingers on one side

7 fingers on the other side

= 27

...

4 × 9 =

Lower the 4th finger.

3 fingers on one side

6 fingers on the other side

= 36

....

And so on....

....

Now you will always have the 9 times tables wherever you go! 

I have dyscalculia, and I can switch around number positions when I read and write them. I discovered that I had dyscalculia only after I had finished my schooling already. It was never picked up on in school. I knew I was doing something wrong, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Math is such an independent subject, and teachers and students thought I was trying to cheat answers, when I just wanted them to help me figure out what I was doing that was different from what they were doing, but they always treated me as if I'm just trying to cheat, and that was not helpful.

I also had anxiety from someone beating me up, saying things like because I don't make any money that I don't matter, so I gained a fear of numbers, money, finances, and I would have panic attacks and hyperventilate when I saw numbers, as if something bad was going to happen.

But then as a young adult, I got fed up with people trying to embarrass me for not knowing things. I was like "to hell with them and everyone else! If I count with my fingers for the rest of my life, so be it! I don't care anymore!" And I fully leaned into counting with my fingers. I started math from zero and worked my way up. 

Eventually after a few years, it got to the point that I gained the ability to do mental math, something that I never thought I'd be able to do. Weird how things change. Now I help people with math sometimes, instead of being afraid of it. 

Mark,

That's really interesting. It is the opposite of my son, who is not on the spectrum - as far as I know.

He is very numerate, he is a whiz at Excel but has absolutely no idea or capacity at conceptual mathematics; algebra, trigonometry, geometry of any type.

I do the children puzzles in the I.

Hello,

Yes, I suffer with dyscalculia and am hopeless at adding up. I do remember being in the lowest math class and being taught outside about the timetables which I never learnt. Same with percentages, I have no idea what it all means. Have you seen the BBC short film on dyscalculia on the news site as this really captures how I see numbers.

I openly admit to completing the children's math quiz in the I newspaper and cursing when I get it wrong. 

I really struggled with learning times tables at school, like you I found 2, 5 and 10 straightforward but took ages to learn 7 and 8. I realised there was a pattern with 9, as the last number goes down by 1 each time (9, 18, 27, 36 etc) I still don't know them automatically, by which I mean if someone says what are 6 eights, I can't give the answer immediately, I have to go through the table in my head... 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, oh, it's 48!

I'm also not good at mental arithmetic, although I have improved a little by trying to do the number puzzles on 8 out of 10 cats does countdown.

Despite this, I have an AAT qualification (Association of accounting technicians, equivalent to two A levels in accounting) and can identify patterns and errors in numerical data.

I am awful at analogue clocks - it is embarrassing almost, how bad. I can work it out, but it takes a while.

I am not very good at arithmetic. I was good at maths in secondary school - because it was about the concepts and not about arithmetic at all. I have to do a lot of sums on my hands - or mentally with 'hands'.

I don't think it's bad enough for me to be considered to have Dyscalculia, but I'm also below 'normal', I think.

I seem to have a very specific form. I have almost zero abilities in mental arithmetic, I could be given anything in the way of money as change and be none the wiser if it was correct or not. In contrast, if given a pen and paper my maths ability is quite reasonable, if not outstanding for an ex-scientist.

On reflection I think my problem is related to my visual memory. If I think of something, say an object, I get an impression of it, its essential form is there, but it is not especially detailed, or specific details come and go in focus. More like an Impressionist painting than a photograph. This makes visualising multiple numerals quite difficult, they move around and dissolve, therefore I cannot manipulate them to do additions or subtractions.

That's so interesting, I never knew this had a name but I feel like my partner (who is also autistic) struggles with this! 

I'm sorry you were deemed as "slow", school can be so dehumanising to us neurodivergent folk.

I have one of the other ones, dysgraphia which I find equally embarrassing. My writing is awful and I really struggle with spelling.

Through my early school life I was deemed as "slow" as I was so reluctant to put pen to paper.

I sympathise