Hello :)
I am 22 years old, I have been diagnosed with a learning disability since age 8, third grade. I have self diagnosed myself with dyscalculia after doing a lot of research. I have never met anyone with dyscalculia even though all through elementary school I was placed in a resource room with children with learning disabilities.
I am looking to hear from other college students with math LDs, specifically with dyscalculia. I am having a very hard time with my university’s handling of my learning disability. They have offered me longer testing time,a tutor and a note taker and a private room to take my tests in. This is not really helping, and I don’t know what to do. I have at least 6 math classes to pass to get my bachelors degree in social work, which seems like a nearly impossible task. The amount of time and effort it takes me to learn math is like taking several classes, and no one understands that. I forget math so easily it frustrates me.
I have asked the LD center at the university about considering exemption from taking these math classes and taking something in place of them, i am still learning about their exemption process. I am also on scholarship because I get otherwise good grades, so i can’t fail! I have put off math as long as i can to keep my scholarship and GPA. I have been tested and am exceptionally verbally gifted, which compensates for the math. All this is so frustrating! I need help, and no one understands! I would really like to find someone with dyscalculia! Has anyone ever been exempt from their university? What would persuade them towards exemption? Please help me! :(
Re: dyscalculia and math exemption? how?
How do you have to take 6 classes of math? I only took one in college—and it was college algebra.
Later, I needed calculus for graduate school. I took it at a junior college and did really well. It was taught by a high school teacher. Maybe you could do that and transfer it. Often in universities the beginning math courses are taught by inexperienced teachers which doesn’t help if you have math issues.
Beth
Re: dyscalculia and math exemption? how?
Look up materials by Paul Nolting on the subject.
I work with students in exactly your situation (in fact, many of them aiming at a social work degree). Because of their test placement, they’ve got six or seven semesters’ worth of courses — and that’s if they don’t have to repeat any of them, which 89% of our students do!
If you want a substitution of courses, you’ll almost certainly need some documentation of a disability, though sometimes you can simply make the request for a course substitution and it may be worth the attempt. (Most colleges have a procedure in place already for it; check the catalog.) The trick is finding a course that will assure them that you’ve had to work as hard and get the skills you will need for your career in those “subbed” courses.
Or you could come out here and I’ll help you through ‘em :-)
I have a math disability (or maybe math dysteachia), and got thru college fine. I did not exactly get an exemption of any kind. However, there was a math test required to graduate. The teacher who tutored me about 3 times to get thru finally decided that the test should not be required!
I took a wonderful math course for people that did not have 3 yrs of high school math. It was kind of a math survey course which covered a tad of calculus, computers (back when with punch cards), probability, etc. You had to read about math, etc. The teacher was terrific and I was very happy to have taken the course. I ended up taking finite math and doing ok. So I actually ended up taking more math than I had to.
You should look for such survey courses, as I think it is good to be a bit literate in this area.
I did not have great math SATs, but my verbal was high enough to make up for it. Most colleges will look at all things and there are colleges that don’t even consider them. (For a list take a look at fairtest.org)
Of course, this was all a LONG time ago. I’m sure there are ways to take the SATs with calculators and get exemptions or special dispensations but I thought I’d put in my 2¢.
—des