LETTERS FROM THE DYSCALCULIA WEBMASTER's MAIL BAG 1997-1998:
(SHARED WITH PERMISSION)

Dear Renee,

I had hoped to keep this short, I apologize and will keep making the
effort to shrink things down.

I need some advice for my 12 & 1/2 yr. old daughter. We had our yearly meeting with the school and I have just rec'd her Ed. Plan. Their
remediation in math is basically accomodations and I don't feel that
this is enough or will help to improve her math skills. The school
feels that she is functioning effectively in math, therefore direct
services are not needed. We have had this discussion for a number of
years and after getting her 3yr test scores, It has become obvious that
any help for my daughter will have to be provided by me.

My areas of concern are as follows:
Woodcock Johnson Scores
Calculation scores in 1993-89/23%****in 1998-82/11%
Applied problems scores in 1993-106/66****in 1998-93/32%
Broad Math scores in 1993-96/39%****in 1998-85/15%

The other subtests of the W-J that were done included:
Quantitative concepts scores 1998-84/14%
Basic Math Skills scores in 1998-79/8%

BTW her full scale IQ is 109...
These two scores give me the most concern. I have met with the Sp.
teacher 3X to have them explained and what specifically causes my
daughter to breakdown and he just glides it by. It's no big deal, that's
why we have calculators, etc.
How do these two subtests relate to a seventh grade student??
What are basic math? + / - / X / division??
Quantitative concepts??

According to the school she did not meet the -1.50 deviation to qualify
for services in 1993. She now qualifies, but because they say she is
"functioning" she still does not need direct services.

I don't know if I can get services or if they will even be worth it.
What would you recommend as far as a tutor IE: qualifications, type, how often, etc.

By the way, on the letter for the Math Teacher at your site, my daughter felt that all applied except for #'s 3, 8, 9, and 11. I handed her the letter and asked her to circle the ones she agreed with!!

Thank you for this site and any info. you can give me. It will be
greatly appreciated.

Working particularly with able students who may or may not have degrees of dyscalculia.
Handsworth Grammar School, Grove Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands B20 1JT, United Kingdom
WorkPhone: 0121 554 2974, FAX: 0121 554 5405

March 20, 1998
From: Linda Mentor scootjj@worldnet.att.net

Hi Renee,
I received all the info and did as you suggested- I printed it out
immediately. The next step will be to visit your page and get into all the
links. The problem with this is I am so new at the computer that this will be an exciting challenge. I can't thank you enough for your help!
I tried to get a listing of different journals or articles on dyscalculia
from the ERIC database but was unsuccessful due to my lack of knowledge on the computer! It was really nice talking to you on the phone-thanks again!

How are you? Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote. It's been quite a hectic time here, tried to digest the whole dyscalculia thing, spent a
few days wondering whether there was going to be a war here or not (That's always fun!) and after that went home to visit family for a few days. Again thank you so much for your letter and reassuring me, I needed to hear all of it. It's so good to know that this is not about stupidity, being lazy or anything else annoying like that.

As for me, I think I `m still trying to figure out what I`m gonna be best
at with this new information in mind...Right now I think I'd like to get
into the PR and Advertising field...

One last thing: Are there books available about Dyscalculiaia, academic or non academic? I would really be interested in reading more about it, it's causes etc???
Many Thanks again,

March 17, 1998
From: Helen Kritzler helenk@idt.net

My son is 7 and already he is having problems with math..
He doesn't get it.. Feels awful in class that everyone else knows what's going on and he doesn't.
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO WORK WITH HIM??

I have received all your information about Dyscalculia for what I thank you very much. For the moment, I think that is all I need but I will let you know if I need something else.
Thanks again for all your kindness and please receive my best regards,

Quisiera recibir informacion acerca de los ultimos escritos acerca de este tema. Agradeciendo el sevicio que me puedan dar.
Muchas gracias por la valiosa informacion.

Hello, my name is Jennifer Wierski and I am a student at York
College of PA. I am writing to you today because I am currently looking for information on the topic of dyscalculia. I'm doing two research projects on this math learning disability and I'm trying to find as much information as I can on the topic without getting really technical. I was wondering if you could be so kind as to pass along some information to me. I am doing a project on dyscalculia because I have this learning disability. I'm very interested in finding out about this.
Thank you for your time.

Renee,
Very encouraged to find your website and the information about
dyscalculia. We're in the UK and to echo what a few others have said,
the level of knowledge here about dyscalculia is dismal. Our daughter,
who's 11, has dyspraxia (motor learning problems, clumsiness, poor
organization and concentration etc) but her most pronounced problems are in what we call maths and you call math.

She simply cannot retain concepts and still confuses +, -, x and
division for simple calculations. Panic ensues. If you're aware of
anyone in Britain who is working along the same lines as you, we'd love to be put in touch ... before our daughter gets much older. (Or any specific software which deals with the concept side). Schools of limited use, no tutors up to coping with something so fundamental, you know the sort of thing.

I just read your "Letter to my Math Teacher", and except for the part about mis-seeing the numbers it could have been me. I am 59 years old and for years everyone has told me that with my intelligence I should have gone to college. I always replied that I never could have passed the algebra. I don't know how I ever passed it in high school. Only thing I can see is that it was a very small Catholic girls' school and it was probably not too demanding.

Three years ago I decided to take the plunge. Everyone said things like,
"You'll get it, I had a little trouble with it too." Or why didn't I get a
tutor, etc. Well, I got a tutor, I got extra workbooks, I got tapes, I got
herbal supplements, I got vitamins, I prayed, and nothing worked. The very first test I took, I thought I had done pretty good, but it turned out I failed it. I didn't even have the ability to know when I was completely off track. On another test, the first problem left me a little confused, and that ruined me for all the others. The whole hour went by and I couldn't put a single thing on paper. (Except a mess on my scratch paper.) What agony. It was all I could do to get down to the parking lot before crying.

I passed all my other courses with A's and B's and had nothing left but
math. My teachers seemed to think that if I worked a little at it, I would get it. I took three tries to pass developmental algebra, and tried three more times at Algebra I, and finally had to stop wasting my time. To my instructors' credit, none even hinted that maybe I was too old to learn it.

It still galls me. But my point is deep down I knew there was something wrong, but had no idea that there was even a name for it. What a relief to see your article!!

My question is: Is there anything more I can do? I would still be game for one more try even at my age.

I stumbled across this website while cross referencing math
and learning disorders. I am a 21 yr. old college student that has had
problems since I can remember with math. I did poorly in high school
and on my ACT, I received over 30 in every score except math--I
received a 14. I am a zoology major, so I must take algebra, trig, and
a calc. course, but I took college algebra 4 times now and finally
barely finished with a D. I cannot add numbers in my head, and I
switch the order of numbers when I go from the book to paper. I start
to cry during exams because I lose place or do dumb mistakes like
switching the order of numbers and x and y around. The proffesers here
and highschool teachers always said that I just had a math anxiety, but
I believe that it may be this dyscalculia. How do I find out more??
Thank you for your time.

Dear Renee:

I think that I may have dyscalculia. I am 18 years old, and still do
not know my multiplication tables exept 2,5, and 9. I do well at all
other subjects, but math is so hard for me that I have no time to do any
other homework and my grades are becoming low in them as well. My
scores on the PLAN Science, Reading, Vocabulary, and others were
97 - 99th %, except math, which was 76 percentile...I only got that high
on math because we were allowed as much time as we needed to do the
test, and I spent a full day working on the math after the others
were completed in about 30 minutes...I would like to know if any
organizations provide free help, because I have no money, and I don't
want my parents to have to pay for yet-another-class.
Please help me if you can.

The following recommendations are reasonable and adequate for compliance
with Federal Educational and Disability rights laws for protection of people with
the SLD (specific learning disability) in math, known as Dyscalculia.
CAUTION: Each student must be evaluated individually and an appropriate plan made.

(1.) On tests, allow scrap paper with lines and ample room for uncluttered figuring.
Also color coding ( with colored ink) of operations, and the use of a ruler to keep
columns or rows of numbers isolated.

(2.) Give instant feedback on answers and a chance to do the problem over if wrong.
(Often mistakes are the result of "seeing" the problem wrong. ) To AVOID this, watch
the performance of each problem and correct any mistakes in recording and flaws in
logic as they happenen.

(3.) Problems placed too closely together on the page cause mental confusion and
distress. Allow spacious layout of math problems.

(4.) Make test problems pure, testing only the required skills. They must be free of
large numbers and unnecessary distracting calculations. These side-track the
Dyscalculic into a frenzy!

(5.) Allow more than the standard time to complete problems and check to see
that student is free of panic (tears in eyes, mind frozen). The number of
assigned problems may need to be reduced, to a number within the
student's capacity for completion within the time allowed.

(6.) Exams must be taken on a one-to-one basis in the teacher's or
assistant's presence. The student should be able to verbalize his
reasoning as he performs math problems. And prescriptive feedback
should be supplied when needed. (Verbal self-prompting is required to
keep him on-task, as he will forget what he has just done and what to do next.)

(7.) Approach the SLD math student with the assumption that he WANTS to
learn and retain the subject matter. But realize that math is very DIFFERENT
than other subjects for him. It is traumatic! The slightest misunderstanding or
break in logic overwhelms him with tears and panic. Understand that he has
attempted and failed math many times and that math is a highly emotional
subject for him. Pity will not help at all, but patience, reasonable
accommodations and individual attention will. The SLD student does not
understand why math is so hard for him. It is as if his math memory bank
keeps getting accidently erased. And he cannot figure out how to correct
the system errors!

(8.) Work together after class with the instructor on the material just presented,
or, if that is impossible, sometime that day for at least an hour. Credit should
be given for this time spent in extraordinary effort to master the subject matter.

(9.) If the student can handle extra practice problems, give them, and assign a
special TA (teaching assistant) to the student.

(10.) Realize that working with the SLD student will be frustrating.
There are no logical patterns to his mistakes. A lot of them are in recording or in
"seeing" one part of a problem in another. Sometimes he reads 6x(x+3) as 6(x+3).
Sometimes he reads 9 as 4 or y as 4 and 3 as 8. For this reason, keep problems
as pure and simple as possible because the SLD brain creates enough of its own
frustrating diversions.

(11.) It is typical for the SLD student to work with the teacher until he knows the
material well- and then get every problem wrong on the standard test! Then 5
minutes later, he can perform the test with just the teacher, on the chalk board,
and get all problems correct. For this reason, full credit must be given for effort
and performance during on-on-one teacher-student sessions. To save face, and
protect student privacy, the student can reasonably be required to "appear to be
taking the test" with the rest of the class. But his performance on the test is not
counted as the actual grade. It is a helpful tool for comparing results of two testing
situations. (Think of it as testing a blind person's ability to navigate a city walk
both with a guide dog, and without one. The performance on one of the tests, the
one without the guide dog, is not a true indicator of the blind person's mobility
potential. But with the proper accomodations, we can expect more of him.
The same is true of the SLD students with accomodations.)

(12.) When presenting new material, the SLD student must be able to WRITE
each step down and TALK it through until he understands it well enough to
teach it back to the instructor. Credit should be given when this level of
mastery is reached and the SLD student can successfully teach the
instructor the concept. ******

(13.) Go over upcoming lessons with the student. Then the lecture is more
of a review and the student is less likely to be sitting there in tears.

(14.) Lastly, formally acknowledge that the SLD math student is NOT
trying to "get out of doing" what is required of the rest of the class.
He is not making excuses for not "pulling his load." In fact, he is
willing to put WAY more into class study than is required of the
average or better student. He is not lazy, and feels really smart in
everything but math. That is what frustrates him the most! Everything
is easy for him to learn, but Math makes him feel stupid! Why is this
one subject so hard? It doesn't make sense. Even trying harder and
studying more is futile. He probably will forget everything he learned
once the class is over. (That has been his experience with numbers in
general- they just slip his mind.) But he will apply himself as fervently
as necessary to achieve an above average grade in this class.

15.) Allow the use of a calculator to perform calculations, freeing the
student to concentrate on the application of concepts, rules, and
operations. IMPORTANT: Careful watch must be made of the student
as numbers are entered. If numbers are entered incorrectly, transposed,
etc., results will be incorrect. If student has a perceptual problem with
numbers, it is NOT FAIR to count computational mistakes against him.
Also, the student MUST DEMONSTRATE mastery of use of the calculator
as a tool for problem solving. Direct explicit instruction in the use of the
calculator as a tool for solving content problems must be given and
mastered, prior to unattended calculator use! NOTE: If student has been
carefully and thoroughly tested and has been found to have NO
perceptual, or mechanical problems with numbers, AND has
demonstrated competency with calculator use, computation CAN BE
fairly counted against him when he is allowed to use the calculator
as a computational tool. Unless this is known without a shadow of a
doubt, computational errors should NOT be penalized where diligence
and sincere effort and desire to succeed are demonstrated.

If I can be of further assistance, please contact me. ©1997 Renée M. Newman

Dear Renee:

Thanks for replying so quickly. I really appreciate it.
I was wondering if there is any cognitive approach to dealing with
dyscalculia. Is there a method of 'reprogramming' dyscalculics
to do math? It seems to me every time I teach her something
realting to math (or she 'learns' something), the information is not
retained for the next time we approach the same situation.

We just want to make sure we are doing everything we can to
attack the problem rather than simply 'cope' with it. I think
carrying a calcualtor around is a great idea and I will suggest it .
I'm just afraid she will never 'learn' to make the calculations if we
use such an approach. We play simple card games to practice basic
number skills, but they are by no means math 'exercises' that
facilitate her long term capabilities. Is there any hope for even
minimal improvement in the cognitive aspect of the disability?

In any case, thanks again, I feel like a found a gold-mine of
information in you, I hope my questions don't take up too
much of your time. Thanks again, Mike.

HI Renee. I saw your name on the dyscalculia homepage and
I'm wondering if you could give me some advise. My girlfriend
is a brilliant 23 year-old that excelled in school while studying
political science. She finished her degree with honors and now
works as a secratary in a high tech firm.

She suffers from dyscalculia, and has trouble with simple math,
equations and other math related subjects. This literally cripples
her at work as she gets stuck on the most basic tasks. Obviously
it ruins her private life as well as she is unable to complete
standard chores like leaving tips at restaurants, copying phone
numbers and playing simple card games. There is a great deal of
mental anguish that she suffers from and I wonder if there is any
treatment that can facilitate her strife. She was not properly
diagnosed as a child and it is now a sensitive issue that she is first
learning to cope with. All I hope for is a means by which to make
some progress in her ability to make elementary calculations,
recognize spatial forms, shapes, etc...

If you have any advice, tactics, treatments, methods of treating
dyscalculia patients, I would love if you could send me an email.
She was recently tested at a learning disability center for the first
time and they confirmed that she suffers from dyscalculia. However,
they did not offer any conclusive (or even speculative) solutions for
coping with the disability. I am looking to exercise any and all channels
that can offer the slightest possibiltiy of improving her situation. Thank
you so much for your time and God bless you for working in such an
important field of study. Be well. --Mike Beldie

I have a son, age 12, who is very bright but
I suspect he suffers to some extent from
dyscalculia. He gets extremely frustrated about
why he is good at most subjects but has a problem
with math. He is highly articulate and verbally
advanced for his age. He has a math tutor who
comes to the house once a week to help him out
with school. My son is not failing in math.

In some topic areas in math he can get as much
as 95%- say, in fractions. When a whole math
paper is set before him, he scores lower.
He struggles with certain concepts and his retention
seems to be short. His recent end of term exam
result was 59%! He gets so frustrated and I really
would like to be able to help him more.

I had him assessed by an Ed. psychologist in the UK.
She found him to be of high intelligence but did not
mention dyscalculia. I read up on this subject
and mentioned it to the psychologist but she did not
seem to respond to my questions- telling me that he
just was better at other subjects, and that math was
obviously not his strong point!

I know that I had similar math problems when I was
at school, and would like to prevent my son from giving
up entirely on the subject. Do you have any suggestions for
reading material or methods that can help him
retain facts etc?

We are living in the Middle East in Dubai,
United Arab Emeriates. My son attends a British
Curriculum secondary school. His date of birth is 1st
July 1985. I would appreciate any advice that you could
give. Thanks in advance.

Dear Renee,

Happy New Year to you and all your family for 1998.
Thank you for the information you sent in your last
message concerning the approach to dyscalculia in
the USA. We have had a meeting with our daughter's
school but, unfortunately, with only mixed results
due, largely, to their ignorance of dyscalculia as
a recognized learning disability.
We are not going to be deterred!

Subject to a formal assessment by an educational
psychologist, they have agreed that our daughter
could be given some extra time to complete her
forthcoming written and oral mathematics exam.
We are desperately concerned, however, that this
will not be enough. It seems to us that our
daughter carrying out a math examination
unaided would be a little like asking a blind
man to drive a car!
Her math 'recall' ability is non-existant.

We wonder if, in the same way as dyslexics are
able to have an exam 'assistant' (reader?), a
student who suffers from significant dyscalculia
should also be able to receive this kind of
support while the exam is in progress in
order to 'trigger' the appropriate function for
each mathematical problem.

We will shortly be discussing our daughter's
case with school staff again. Her Headmaster
has welcomed the information (copies from the
internet) which (thanks to you) we were able to
provide him and has indicated that he is
receptive to novel examination strategies
(for our daughter and any other
similarly disadvantaged students).

The purpose of this note is to ask you a
specific question: "Is the use of such
exam assistants permitted for dyscalculic
students in the USA?" If so, what are they
called? What is the permitted scope
of their involvement?

Once again, thank you for your help in
the past. If you are able to cast any more
light on this specific aspect,
we would be extremely grateful.

I am a 19-year-old Special Education major at
National Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan.
This semester my teacher wants me to write something
about how people with LD overcome their problems.
Therefore, could you tell me more about your
experiences with Dyscalculia? Does it run in
your family? How have you coped? I live in Taiwan.
Thank you for your help.

Two girls here just committed suicide
because of poor academic performance and the
shame it brings. This is a cultural difference.
People here do not beat their children if they
do poorly in school. They try to find the cause,
like Dyslexia, and search for help and information.

I am nearing the deadline for my project. Please
send info on how you have coped with your learning disability.

I have a fifth grader ( both ADD and LD) that does
not seem to have the ability to memorize addition,
subtraction, multiplication or division math facts.
Is bypass the only solution or do you know of some
alternative strategies to enable her to learn her facts?

Well that makes you a great resource ... it means
alot for parents to be able to talk to someone
who has lived it.

> Do you test for Dyscalculia?
It's not a specialty, just part of the whole psych
battery I give kids. I don't give that part to them
unless they have a math problem. About treatment, etc,
did you see all the postings on LD Online about math
strategies? ... it's on the forum Teaching Students with
LDs, dated about Sept./Oct, starting with the word Strategies.

And I posted the reference for a good article, from the
Journal of LDs, I think. My posting was titled something
like "Good Article: Teaching Math to LD Kids", and goes
back a month or so. If you can't find it, let me know.
As a grad student you likely have access to all these
journals, but it's also on the web, on the Infonautics
Electric Library: www.elibrary.com

>I think that my difficulty with math stems from some
>chemical and/or physiological anomolies in the brain.
>I hope to be a catalist for research into these
>hypotheses on the origins of math LD.
>I am actively seeking a physiological explanation
>for the dyscalculia syndrome in otherwise
>academically talented individuals.

Well, they have found organic physiological
differences in dyslexic brains,
so perhaps they same would be true of dyscalculia.

You've done a really nice job of presenting info
on dysclaculia on your site.
How did you get interested in it?

You might add the Key Math - (Revised Edn) test
to your list. It measures tons of different math
skills. The publisher is AGS.

Dear Renee,
I discovered the Dyscalculia web site yesterday morning,
over a cup of coffee at 06.00! I even gave my printer
indigestion - by printing out 25!! pages of letters.

I wholeheartedly agree with all of these comments:
I have spent my whole life struggling with math (I'm 40).
I did scrape through my O level math ( I'm English) but
have always found any sort of math, even everyday
"mental arithmetic" very hard.

Anyway, I must be a glutton for punishment. I have
embarked on the preparatory study for an Open University
degree course. I already have a degree - in the arts.
This time, to coincide with a proposed career change, I
need to study Science. And as part of this I must or need
to do a math course. I start the course proper in February
'98 but am wading my way through the prep. work. Boy,
is it hard. Nearly all the symptons of dyscalculia fit
me exactly. But a few - navigating, and visualisation, for
example, I'm not just average at - I rate these as two of
my biggest skills! Is this unusual?

Do you know of any support groups in the UK?
Should I tell my tutor that I may have a learning disablilty?

I'd be really grateful if you could help/reply/ put me in
contact with other people? Have a good Christmas!
-Alexandra

Dear Ms. Newman,

My Name is Robert Hennigar. I am a 24 year old senior political
science major at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling WV.
In my four years here, I have failed a remedial math courses
three times and am now in danger of failing an intro statistics course.

All of my life, I have had enormus difficulty in dealing with math.
I have never been able to deal with formulas and abstarct theories.
The only times I can remember doing well in grammar school and high
school math was when I took Geometry or when I cheated. I have always
had a problem managing money, balancing a checkbook, sometimes even
counting change in my pocket. When using a calculator, I often have
to type in longer problems many times before getting the right answer,
and I find myself leaving out or adding in numbers that are not part
of the problem.

I have repeately asked teachers both in high school and here for help
with math, and I have only been told that I was not trying hard enough.
I have sometimes run into problems in college with attending math
classes because I developed overwhelming anxieties about being in class
and having to answer questions, even ones judged simple by other members
of the class, for fear of not knowing how to do the work.

Seeing the information on your web page about dyscalculia made me
feel like perhaps there was some hope and that maybe im not just a
moron. The question is, How can I get the University to agree with me
about the problem. I have not been able to get extra time for tests and
class room lectures are difficult to follow. The school has a tutoring
setvices, but the tutors are other students and I have not been able to
learn anything from them. I run the risks of not being able to graduate
becasue of one math class. Any information you could give me or avenues
for help would be greatly appreciated. Gratefully thankful for your time.
Robert A. Hennigar

I am apparantly very good at taking on ten times
the number of stressful life changes one can bear.
I had three children in three years
(the result of miscounting). They are still all under
five and a half. My oldest is in school, and he has
been on time three times in the last three weeks.
We just moved to another area of town, (more rural),
and I am still trying to learn the layout of the town.
I miss turns, and spend a lot of time going backwards.
I just lost my wallet, (permenantly) which contained
my liscence, my children's SSN cards, and my son's birth
certificate. I had just registered him for his new school.

I go to school at night. I have chosen a computer field
and although I love the mental challenge, sometimes,
I just don't get it. The problem I have in the curriculum
is the "virtual" aspect. I do not deal well in abstracts.

I stay home during the day, and my children probably wish
I didn't. I have a moderate amount of patience for the
first waking hour, then I find myself gritting my teeth,
yelling, clinching my fists... over something like a
broken Christmas ornament. I, too, have done a lot of
praying. I really need to get this under control.

Thanks so much! I am going to do as much research as
I can to find the help I need. You referred to this as
a "syndrome". Is there a name for the cycle of
dyscalculia/depression/anxiety ? Is there any collected
study of people with this disorder?

Dear Renee,
I just wanted to say thank you for replying to me.
Your info on dyscalculia was helpful to me!
Happy Holidays!--Heidi

That is so me! I can't even tell you how wonderful
it is to find out that someone else has to deal with
this problem. Thank you so much for your help!

I'm sure you don't remember me, with all the letters
you receive, however, Im from NY and I'm an
UNDIAGNOSED DYSCALCULIC, and now my son is
having the same problems. We are having him evaluated
asap. We suspect other difficulties as well:
social, and sensory.

Your last letter interested me. Can you tell
me what you meant by resources? In MA? Also,
can you please direct me to a listing of
Independant schools for kids with LD?
Id like to look into it but keep running into walls.
Thanks tons!!!! - Karen Binghamton, NY

I live in Charleston, South Carolina and I am very
interested in finding out about this "reprogramming
stuff". Where to I find these resources? Who do I contact?
I do not even know where to start. There is apparantly
little info on dyscalculia when compared to other
learning disabilities. Have you ever heard of the
effectiveness of Wellbutrin on depression/anxiety?

I have just been through tests to determine the
possibility of ADD. I have had a life-long problem
with attention span, frustration with simple tasks,
and difficulty in organizing, prioritizing and
scheduling things and events. I am chronically late,
frequently forgetful, and lose my posessions (keys,
wallet) on a daily basis. The tests included
intelligence and certain proficiency evaluations and
they concluded that I have a math reasoning deficiency.
What the heck is this?!

My reading and writing skills ranked in the top 1%
of the national scores, but my math proficiency was
at about 48 or 50%. This is something I never knew
and I am 29 years old. The problem is, due to this
very specific disorder, I have developed a lot of
anxiety and depression, as I always feel inferior
to people who seem to "have it all together".

What I would like to know, is, what causes this problem?
How is it treated? Will my life ever run smoothly?

Thank you so much for replying so quickly.
I've been completely overwhelmed the last few
days trying to sort the mess out. It's like
I've fallen down a BIG BLACK HOLE. Since my
last plea for help, we've contacted Corey's
school and requested a full evaluation. The
form has been signed and sent back. We should
know the results in January.

Now that I'm a little calmer I'll give you a
little background. At age two, he stuttered and
was in speech therapy. It helped tremendously.
On occasion, he still speaks too quickly with slight
stuttering, but nothing severe. Preschool was
diffiicult socially. Kindergarten was fine-
still socially difficult. 1st grade: report card
was basically all satisfactory with the exception
of math. 2nd grade has been disasterous!!
Math-F....,writting-D......spelling-B.....reading-C
Her comments to us at the conference were as follows:
HE JUST DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HIS WORK...
VERY POOR EFFORT ...LACKS PRIDE IN HIS WORK.

As his mother I know for a fact, he does care.
That report card really upset him. As I'm sure
you know, there are very few 7-yr-olds who don't
care (if any at all)! Anyway, we also suspect other
problems: Sensory, Tactile defensiveness, and a
couple others but my main objective right now is math.
Hopefully the other things will fall into place.

We live in Binghamton, New York. I loved your pups page.
They are too cute with those sticks in their mouths.
We have a Golden Retiever. Again thank you, and I should
probably stop writting before my machine blows up.
Any other suggestions, comments advice would be great.

My name is Susan and I finally know what's wrong with me!!!
Sounds like an opener for a 12-step program doesn't it?

All during my High School years the math teachers labeled
me as stupid, lazy, not working up to my full potential and
even retarded. The Algebra teacher finally gave me a "D"
just to get rid of me.

I thought that I was too stupid to ever go to College and
vowed that I would not subject myself to the humiliation
of College Mathematics just for "a piece of paper."
Well, I was wrong. I did go back to school after 20 years
of nothing jobs and an abusive marriage: I was told
repeatedly that I was too stupid to be human (that was the kindest insult, the others I can't print). I am now in my
Senior year of a Bachelors Degree and looking
forward to Law School.

I found out this evening that I failed my Statistics class
and will have to repeat the course. I was so completely
distraught that I was filling out the forms to quit school.
My academic advisor suggested that I go "play" on the
Internet. (My favorite pastime when I'm upset is to research
just about anything.) He mentioned that I should look up
learning disabilities and here I am.

Thank you so much for being here! Where can I find out
about getting tested for Discalculia?

Her grades in all other subjects are very high but her
uncharacteristically poor progress in math threatens
to prevent her from getting a place at the university.
She has had extra math tuition (in addition to her work
in school) for the past 3 years. These lessons have been
of 1 hr. duration twice per week. In spite of having an
excellent rapport with her math tutor, working on a
one-to-one basis, she has made NO progress whatsoever.
Her math tutor agrees that it is as if her math 'memory-bank'
is erased at the end of each session. She, too, is at a loss
for a way ahead. Time is against us -
5 months to a vital math exam date.

The school's 'special-needs' teacher is on a steep learning
curve with this subject and has been gratefully absorbing the
information we have been feeding her from the Internet
(thanks to you!)

We are trying to make a solid case for our daughter to be
allowed extra time on math papers and permitted to have
a 'prompter' working alongside to jog her memory.
As dyscalculia lacks formal recognition here, this has been
difficult, but, in the light of our daughters performance
with all her other subjects, the school is being receptive.

They have indicated that one thing that would really help
us would be an authoritative statement from a learned body
in the US indicating the extent that dyscalculia is allowed
to be taken into account during examinations.
Would it be possible for you to indicate to us whether
specific exam strategies, such as these (extended time and
prompters) are allowed in the US? You have been so helpful
already that we hesitate to impose on your good will further.
However, if you were able to reply to us on this subject,
the school staff have indicated that your reply would be of
inestimable value in helping build a case for our daughter.

Our daughter has found tremendous comfort from reading your
descriptions of dyscalculia. Thanks to you, she now, at last,
realizes that she is not 'thick' or 'stupid' and for the
first time has encountered someone who can describe -
in writing - exactly how she feels about her math ability.
We are profoundly grateful to you for that!

The symptoms for dyscalculia describe me beautifully. Yea!!!!
I was gratified to learn that the reason I survived and
achieved as much as did, was because I developed the coping
strategies for myself that you describe in the letter to
the math teacher.

My father was in teaching and school administration,
and to this day he denies that learning disabilities
exist. His stance is that I never had the right teacher.
I felt like the freak of the classroom and he would drill
me, grill me and make my life miserable, pushing me to
"be like everyone else, only better."

Thank you so much for finally describing the way I can
and cannot work. I have made copies for everyone I can
think of -- especially my husband, a physician, who said
one day after I threw a book on the floor from frustration
(and me a LIBRARIAN!), "You probably have some kind of
learning disability." That sent me searching, and here I am.
THANK YOU!

"Mathematics Instruction for Elementary Students with
Learning Disabilities", by Thornton, Langrall, and Jones.
Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 30, #2, March/Apr
1997, pgs. 142-150.

Publ. by Pro-Ed (1-800-897-3202) and online in the
Infonatics Electric Library: www.elibrary.com

Sun, 2 Nov 1997
From: Daniela Equinozio Equinozio@aol.com

Hi Renee, let me answer your questions in order:

Perhaps I should tell you something about me and my
experience, to see if I can contribute in any way.
I have a daughter who has been diagnosed as a gifted
and talented/learning disabled student since first grade.
She has dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. Her weak-
nesses are: basic math facts, spelling, grammar and
deliberate memorization. She obviously has a reading
disability but she compensates for it excellently.
Having provided her with books on tape since first grade
has avoided handicapping her knowledge acquisition, and
appropriate tutoring has provided her with the ability to
read "in context". Therefore, she reads way above grade
level, though slowly. Her strenghts are creative writing,
social skills, excellent vocabulary, reasoning, conceptual
association, figurative arts, and motivation. In addition,
she is a senior dancer with the Maryland Youth Ballet.
Her writing is noticeably handicapped by her spelling, and
we are currently exploring the use of voice-input software.

Copyng with the other disabilities has proven easier than
coping with dyscalculia. What I am in desperate need of is
a set of extensive accomodations and a teaching approach
that works (beyond using a calculator and extended time-
these are basic) so that I can press the school for
inclusion in her IEP. She is now a sophomore in high school
and things are getting difficult. I have already visited
most of the sites you mention, and used the "Letter to a math
teacher" with the school.

Learning disabilities is not my field. I have a Ph.D. in
biology and a Masters in Public Health. What I know I have
learned through personal research and experience. Some of
the references I found in the dyscalculia site were very useful.
However, I still have problems in synthesizing all the info
in the form of accomodations and IEP goals. I am becoming
persuaded that individualized teaching by a math teacher,
expert in dyscalculia, is the only realistic alternative...

Can you help? --

Tue, 28 Oct 1997
From: Susan davi0171@server1.natcol-rcy.edu

I finally know that I'm not the stupidest person
in class!!!!!!!

I am a 39 year old woman in the 4th year of my
undergraduate studies- prior to applying to law
school. All my life, simple math (addition,
subtraction and multiplication) was "do-able"
but never easy. My Civil Engineer father
(and his entire family, all math-wiz types,
ie...Nuclear Physics, etc...) could never
understand my frustration, tears and anger
over my inability to understand Algebra while
I could do lower level Geometry. My mother
understood completely (she is also unable to
do Algebra) and kept my father off my back.

I'm so very glad to find out that I'm not alone.
At this time, my biggest challenge is getting
through Statistics I and II for my undergraduate
degree. Wish me luck because I'm going to need it.