“A psychology student watching me write 1200 for 2100 asked ‘Are you Dyslexic?’ ‘I am not’ I countered. ‘I have been reading fluently form the age of 4. I write copiously and correctly too”
When I discovered that I had Dyscalculia, or a learning disability involving Mathematics
years ago, I heaved a sigh of relief. All the anxieties and frustrations that had tormented me ever since I could remember fell neatly into place. At the grand old age of 27!
My childhood bulged with recurring nightmares, except that they happened during the day, with may eye wide open. My father trying to teach me basic Maths on Sundays, my mother enquiring “Have you finished your maths homework?” My Maths teacher in school asking me a question in class.
Maths always eluded me. I read voraciously, loved writing, but the Third R (‘rithmetic) was a goose around my neck. I dreamed that I had murdered my Maths teacher while she asked me to solve a problem on the board about boats going upstream and downstream. One week before a Maths test it was tears, tears, all they way. That is. Until I discovered Geometry which accounted for half the Maths. I scored 50/50 in Geometry and 0/50 in Arithmetic. This led my long suffering father to state: “You are definitely not dumb. Geometry is logic and if you can reason logically you’re bright.”
My mother stepped in and taught me a convoluted method of long division, which had worked for her. It involved starting backwards from the right, and estimating. This I mastered to a fashion. It is only now that I’ve realized that Mom is also somewhat Dyscalculia, and had devised her own coping strategies.
At 13, my parents decided that I needed home tutoring in Maths, Mom zeroed in on Sharmaji, my saviour, because he was kind, patient, and never lost his cool, even when I asked the same question for the nth time. Sharmaji, a simple soul, realized that I lacked sequencing ability (which is at the core of Dyscalculia) and created a pattern.
For example. If 10 apples cost $5, then what does one apple cost? A square was divided into four section. 10 went into the top left corner. Five went into the top right corner, 1 was in the bottom left and the question mark was in the bottom right. I multiplied the number in the bottom left and divided by the top left.
Whee! I was not unintelligent. I could do problems. To date I follow this “square” routine blindly, even in real life.
Sharmaji let me work at my own pace, ask questions interminably, and developed similar “tools” for me to memorise. Six months later, with his bi-weekly sessions I went from not being able to multiply 8 into 2, to scoring 80% in Arithmetic. I went on to top my class in Mathmethics and discovered a life long passion for Physics.
My other bug-a-boo is direction. I am befuddled by North, South, East, West which has become a matter of much hilarity with my family and friends, who allot me extra time to get lost on my was to an apartment. I break into a cold sweat when somebody tells me ‘swing North on so-and-so-street. A geography map reading left me trembling I knew where each of the locations lay relative to each other, but yikes, I couldn’t remember which way was East. Resourcefully I memorized the lines “East lies to the right of west and North lies above South.” I learned to tell my left hand from my right by my wrist watch, Sssh this is the first time I am making my bashful secrets public.!
There have been funny moments too. A lot of interesting places turn up when I’m walking around in circles. And woe betide if you ask me for directions they are as complicated as need, but far too detailed for your comfort. If you ask me if the train I’m waiting for goes North or South I can truthfully say “I don’t know” in which case you will think I’m loony. Or I can flush and guess and send you scurrying I the wrong direction.
My lack of sequencing ability also shows up in athletic coordination. I am sporty. And in school I used to run the 800 m and 1500 m, and horse-ride. I enjoyed rock climbing (still do) and completed the basic course at the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering in Mabali at 15. Bu, also, I could not remember the climbing knots and way forever wearing my harness the wrong way around. Here too, I applied my small steps principle. I broke up the procedure into steps and memorized the pattern, but always climb with somebody who can check out my knots. I use a harness sans buckles and straps.
“I learned to tell my left hand from my right by my wrist watch”
I cannot do any activity that requires co-ordination racquet sports, basket ball, volley ball. Not even Kathak dancing with its intricate steps. I couldn’t ever participate in a wedding sangeet with all the kids.
It was only recently in South America, where people learn to dance before they can walk, and the first proposition is “Let’s go dancing”, that I decided Enough is enough. I downloaded a salsa instructional video and spent hours working on the basic eight steps, until could do them in my sleep. ‘Her, Mom, no two left feet! Yet if you complicate the routine, I’ll get fazed.
I’ve learned to laugh at myself. When I fumble on the dance floor…… am chronically late, unless I set my watch 30 minutes ahead!
To come back to academia, I did well in my O and A levels. In the SAT and GMAT I scored in the 99 percentile in the verbal and reading section with hardly any preparation but floundered to 60% in the Maths section, despite hours of practice,
I went to Smith and Dartmouth College in the US on full scholarships, where I took dual Bachelor’s degrees and chose to major in Physics. However as I didn’t know that I had Dyscalculia and didn’t know what I needed to do to compensate I dropped Literature and philosophy in which I excelled, for the Science subject s which are perceived to be “intelligent”.
I ran into trouble. The structure of courses, exam schedules, teaching methods changed from what I had become familiar with in Indian schools. There was not enough of time to memorize in the short semesters. I would get A grades in the difficult Quantum Mechanics (that are conceptual but involve very little Math), while I would barely scrape through the popular Introductory Physics and Statistics (which were arithmetic-ridden). My errors usually involved misreading numbers, substituting incorrect numbers, incorrect calculations. Even thought the concepts were correct.
Ditto for Economics and Engineering, which is why my college career was mixed academic scholarship and high grades in certain courses, dismal grades in others. Some of the latter professors called me “lazy”: One intuitive lady finding me misreading numbers and arriving at answers in such a peculiar manner, said “Your working paper looks like hens scratching around in a barn yard. But there’s method in your madness. Your work looks scatterbrained o the surface, but is truly organized.” She suggested that I take up yoga to cam my mind.
I had an average GPA (Great Point Average), but co-authored a paper in Physics with one of my professors which I presented at two conferences, and which was published in the American Journal of Physics. In my senior year with a very average GPA, I bagged a prize for excellence in Physics.
Whenever I felt down I remembered Sharmaji and used his intuitive methods, which are actually learning techniques for people with Dyscalculia. I broke problems down into baby steps and then memorized the sequence, and practiced them doggedly.
A psychology student watching me write 1200 for 2100 asked “Are you Dyslexic?” “I am not” I countered. “I have been reading fluently from the age of 4. I write copiously and correctly too.”
Yet somebody up there loves me. In college, I had struggled with basic computer science, and bypassed courses that required programming. I’m a technoplobe and used a computer and technology as sparingly as possible. I am confounded by the galaxy of symbols on a scientific calculator and could never remember the sequence of buttons needed to perform different functions.
“One intuitive lady, finding me misreading numbers and arriving at answers in such a peculiar manner, said ‘Your working paper looks like hens scratching around in a barn yard. But there’s method in your madness’’’
But when I graduated I realized: If I had some programming knowledge my job prospects would b wider. I met a manger at CADENCE Design Systems, a company that writes electronic design automation software (that is software primarily used to design chips). The Manager said: “I need a software engineer in my team, and I’m offering you the job despite you lack of programming or chip design knowledge, because you are a physicist like me.”
I jumped at he opportunity. On arrival I was handed a “C for Dummies” and never looked back for the three years that I was with them surviving rounds of lay offs, developing a reputation for solving complex and longstanding programmes. Mercifully, my groups wrote physical verification software using Geometry and logical reasoning are the strengths of people like me with Dyscalculia, and I excelled at my work. I also made a serendipitious discovery. Programming is like learning French. If you have the content and understand the basics of French grammar and spelling, your can sit down with a dictionary and translate form English to French. That’s how I converted programming. Once I had solved the problem and designed the flow of what I needed that code to do, I just translated it into the programming language. A copy of the Basic Programming book sat pliant on my side to check on syntax. See how different working life was from college. No answering in 30 minute time slots, no referring to texts. I thrived.
However I still misread numbers, wrote 14 instead of 41, and often caused programmes to crash while compiling them. My team indulged me: “She’s always making silly misreadings, but can solve problems that mystify others!” So they patiently answered endless questions when I couldn’t remember programming syntax a la Sharmaji .
And then three years ago when I was talking to a Professor in Business School (I was taking my MBA in INSEAD, France) about how I hate statistics, she said “Have you heard about Dyscalculia?” I looked it upon up on net. I learned this is a learning disability in Mathematics, which has been identified just about a decade ago. I had all the classic symptoms: Problems with arithmetic and directions, punctuality, counting out change, combination locks things that came naturally to others. Frustrated, I had wondered why. Whew! At last I knew what was wrong with me!
There are two reasons why Dyscalculia goes unnoticed in schools and I had experienced both first hand.
“I had all the classic symptoms: Problems with arithmetic and directions, punctuality, counting out change, combination locks. At last I knew what was wrong with me!”
One is that arithmetic is considered such a basic skill, that a person who has difficulty in simple arithmetic is labeled unintelligent. The stigma is further compounded by the fact that high scores in maths are essential for mainstream academic and professional success, so children with weak arithmetic are not encouraged to pursue science and commerce.
Two, students with Dyscalculia have excellent reading and writing abilities and may perform brilliantly in all other subjects, except maths, so are described “lazy’ or “not trying hard enough in subjects that don’t interest them. “They are thought to be absent minded and disorganized, or why else would they 51 and lose their way to their uncle’s house?
Children with dyscalculia do not need to steer clear of Maths. Like me, they just need to be taught it slowly and need enough time to memories and practice what they have learned. Arithmetic should also be considered just a branch of Mathematics. We can be very good at mathematical concepts but struggle with basics arithmetic. We can excel in scientific subjects and Higher Mathematics when arithmetic is no longer the focus, as logical reasoning becomes important.
If my story sets of a responsive chord do get our child (or yourself) tested by a therapist or go on the Dyscalculia is a life long challenge. But with alternate learning methods you can achieve success. Like me.
FIGURE IT OUT Dyscalculia is a collection of symptoms of learning disability involving the most basic aspects of arithmetical skills.
It occurs because of a glitch in the brain which does not process the reception, comprehension or production of quantitative and special information.
In other words, a person may have difficult in processing what the eye sees or trouble processing and making sense of what the ear hears.
It can be quantitative which is a difficulty in counting and calculating; or qualitative, which is a difficulty in the conceptualizing of mathemathical processes and spatial sense, or mixed i.e. inability to integrate quantity and space.
ARE YOU DISCALCULIC?
Watch Out For These Warning Signs
In young Children
- Difficulty learning to count
- Trouble recognizing printed numbers
- Difficulty tying together the idea of a number (4) and how it exists in the world (4 horses, 4 cars, 4 children)
- Poor memory for numbers
- Trouble organizing things in a logical way putting round objects in one place and square ones in another
- Transposition and substitution of numbers
In School children
- Trouble learning math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
- Difficulty developing math problem soling skills
- Poor long tern memory for math functions
- Not familiar with math vocabulary
- Difficulty measuring things
- Avoiding card and board games that require strategy
- Poor co-ordination in athletes and dance sequence
- Difficulty in sight reading, music fingering
In Teenagers and Adults
- Difficulty estimating costs like grocery bills
- Difficulty learning math concepts beyond the basic math facts
- Poor ability to budget or balance a checkbook, count out change, tipping
- Trouble with concepts of time, such as sticking to a schedule or approximating time
- Trouble with mental math
- Difficulty finding different approaches to one problem
- Trouble with directions reading maps, left/right orientation
- Mistaken recollection of names Poor name/face retrieval, substituting names beginning with the same letter.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }