Hello,
I found this forum at random while browsing. I’m not sure if any of you are profs., teachers or specialists, but I think that I may have a math disability. Ever since I was younger, math was always difficult. It perplexed me, because, durring a lecture or test, I would swear I understood the idea, most if not all of the times I would, yet, when it came to test time I wouldn’t do as well. Intuitively, if I think I got an A on an exam, I would get a B, if I think I might get a B, I’d get a C, etc.. English is my second language, however, I speak it fluently, and I have forgotten my first (korean). I have not spoken my native language since I was 7 or 8. All through out high school, I would swear durring a test or quiz that the question was asking something or showing somethign ( symbol graph ) and I would answer it as such. After taking the test, the memory of that problem would persist and I would be sure that that was what the paper had written. However, getting the test or quiz back I found to my suprise that I did poorly on that problem and it had asked something differnetly. Even if I check the test over repeadetly, it won’t help. It feels like, to me, that no matter what I do, I could never recieve a perfect in any math exam. At first I thought it was logic. But my logic dosn’t fail in subjects such as Economics or most sciences ( although I still struggle with the ladder cause I am defecient ). I am almost superstitious of taking exams, I have no idea how I do, because my intuition is useless to me. This is only a fragment of the problem, when I was younger, I rememberd that I would waste so much time ( and even now I am a slow test taker ) on counting and recounting my arithmetic. Even though I understood simple quantities I would struggle through it. The paradox is that I’m not incompetent, I do well in many subjects and even in math I can manage a B ( If I were to practice everyday and study I may be able to get an A ). I do not practice as much as I should, and perhaps I am lacking in my studies. However, I know these problems are not normal. Its hard to explain, but I know that I have something wrong. Generally I think I am good at analysis, but in synthesis, I am not sure. Synthesis being the primary prerequistie of becoming a profecient mathematician, would obviouslly cap me. My bigest problem probably is probably retention durring lecture. Even if I pay attention, it feels like I am not processing the words into anything meaningful, that they are just noise. But if I take my time and read the mateiral I will usually undestand it no problem. Please if anyone can comment or help, please reply I really would like to know what is wrong with me.
Re: I think I have a Math disability please can someone help
I can testify personally that your state of mind can cause that certainty that you’re looking at one thing, when the next day it says something different (at least for some of us!). That obnoxious statistics class…
Is there a chance you are wrong when you say it is not normal to be better at analysis than synthesis? Why do you think it is not normal to only get a B with reasonable studying and review? (I’m not asking this because I think you’re wrong — I’m asking this because it’s the way to figure out how to deal with the problems you’re having). There’s a real tendency for people to assume that the mind should be more evenly developed than it is — but when you scrape off the layers, most people have all kinds of ups and downs and weird ways of processing certain kinds of things. I’m not sure anybody is really “normal.” It may be worth having a neuropsychologist give you an evaluation of memory and thinking. (I’ve done it. It’s fun and the information can be really enlightening. My insurance covered it.)
Re: I think I have a Math disability please can someone help
The ability to do higher mathematics is a gift from God which is not given to every person equally. That’s just life.
Higher mathematics involves good gifts for imagination and memory.
In terms of hearing words and not processing them, sometimes terms like CAPD/APD are used.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~mcoleman/cpdadd.html
Pocket calculators help some people do math a little easier. Good luck.
Re: I think I have a Math disability please can someone help
Sorry I took a long time to see and answer this. I don’t know if this is the entire answer, but it’s probably a large part of it: there is a saying in mathematics faculties “Math is not a spectator sport”. This means that you can’t just watch and listen as an outside spectator; in order to be good at math you have to DO math; you have to be an active participant. In class, as the professor works out a problme, you should be trying to figure out the next step BEFORE he tells you - you don’t just sit back and wait. When reading a math text, you should be trying the example problems without looking any more than you have to. After studying a math chapter or section, you MUST do the problems. And NOT just the quick part A warm-up problems, but you get out the pen and paper and try the advanced ones. You check your answers in the back, and if you’re wrong, you look back for a similar example and you try again; if you still don’t get it, you go to the professor or online and find out how. Once you get into the habit of being involved in math, it will be much less likely to slide out of your brain.
Re: I think I have a Math disability please can someone help
If you think you have a disability GET HELP NOW. Don’t let ANYONE tell you it “will just go away” or “people have different strengths and weaknesses” etc. I let people tell me that for years and by the time I was diagnosed I was too far gone to be helped.
Re: I think I have a Math disability please can someone help
Linda,
Any results using the fish oils ?
One thing that struck me with regard to retention during lecture is that when you are careful to pick up the important points and take careful notes do you comprehend better. Something about the act of writing always helped me. If I wrote something it stayed with me.
Do you think you have a problem with attention? Do you find yourself zoning out in class or even during a test? You know, you are there but your thinking about something else. I always did well enough in school but have learned as an adult that I do have a slight attention deficit. I think in hindsight I could have been a better student but I always did well enough for most people to believe that I was not a person with a problem. When something interests me (and alot of things do interest me) I can perform at a very high level. I remember reading some very complex medical articles while working as a nurse and having to explain the content to my colleagues because they just couldn’t get it.
Things that help me are coffee, increasing my protein intake and I am trying fish oils to because there is some evidence that a lack of essential fatty acids can contribute to this problem.
My son has a similar problem and interactive metronome really helped him. www.interactivemetronome.com
I have considered meds for both of us but have decided to see how far some other interventions will help us.