Math skills/deficit Please help i need advise bad????????????? TEN POINTS BEST ANSWER?

Question

I wont go into details because it will take literal years, but i have a "learning disability in applied problems". OK, i went to a psychologist and he gave me an IQ test because i was under 6 yes, thats right SIX different tutors for math and they could not make me understand math even though i tried my hardest...the results were i had an IQ of 93 and he said i was L.D. in math, or "applied problems". I do, however, have a strength in "spelling". he said i was gifted in spelling but was LD in math....I'm sorry if i'm talking in circles but im very stressed. Im seventeen yr. old male and i'm simply looking for answers. Could somebody tell me if its more than just a math disability? could "applied problems" be something "more"? It seems my only ONLY strength is "spelling". but what the hell does that matter if 95 % of life is MATH???...Anyway i would greatly appreciate any info/facts on Math LD and "applied problems disability"...thanks

Answer 1

Have'nt heard the term "applied problems disability", sounds like a fancy name for difficulty applying your skills to a problem such as a word problem. I teach, and I have numerous L.D.'s myself.
My best advice is for you to get the free battery of tests for LD's available at a Jr. College nearby, or perhaps the info. you have is a result of that.
You likely don't test well, most folks with LD's don't, yet we have a higher than average IQ which is part of what helps us out so much in applying ourselves in alternate routes to a solution.
I have such a severe problem with decoding symbols (letters, numbers) that they had never seen anyone with that degree of disability who was actually literate. Ironically, I am so gifted in language that I can read & comprehend material that most laymen cannot, inc. complex medical literature, etc. I may have expressive language struggles prevent my communicating it effectively, but I can get almost anything in context while reading.
So there's just one example of how widely ranging LD/ ability strengths can be in one individual.
Rather than the psych. field, which I hold in the highest regard, my thought would be that you be evaluated by Educational specialists. It sounds like they aren't catching some of the nuances particular to your LD needs, or the tutors may lack the right experience, or both.
Sometimes with math, which at the higher levels is actually the same as learning and decoding a language as you attempt to apply the math (vs. the straightforwardness of basic arithmatic), you do reach a dropping off point.
Not to be discouraging, but for me, I can do College level Algebra, but it takes everything I can give it & I know it would be a waste of time for me to pursue a higher level of math. That is partially due to many years experience with elementary students & recognizing the limits.
Not to be discouraging, 99% of the population has a stopping point for math, some of us reach that point sooner than later, and it is NOT about IQ, effort, or anything else that is controllable.
I will say that I did have to go back on my ADHD stimulant meds for the Algebra. Despite being in a special, 1/2 the material, tutor supported class for math LD's, I just couln't pull it off without the extra neurotransmitters that the Rx provided. It enabled me to reach to the fullest of my abilities. I grew up on the stuff, am not an addictive personality, and with true ADD/ADHD you don't get the high from it anyway, so don't be afraid to research it &consider it as a possibility. Personally, I prefer good old fashioned Ritalin 'cause it's what I grew up on, has the longest track record, and for me, the least side effects.
And btw, spelling is NOT your only strength, the right battery of tests is very encouraging because it tests for strengths as well as weak areas, and so totally validates all your years of struggles through academic & life's challenges, and the terrific coping mechanisms that you developed by using your strengths to get you through things.
Also most LD's don't come alone, ie. I have dyslexia and dyscalcula along with a few others thrown in just for the fun of it.
Most LDers have tremendous fortitude, stubborness, creativity, and heart. These traits are often hidden due to social pressures (being different & not understanding it, etc), but are all the stronger for being relied upon so heavily to compensate for the weaker areas.
I do find that my own difficulties make me a much more sensitive and "on the same page" teacher than I would be without them.
One example that comes clearly to mind was watching a 5th grade teacher try to break down math difficulties for my group of remedial students. As she was explaining, long and patiently, I wathched her lose them between the first and second steps-out of a list of 8 steps!
She was wonderful, but my ability to actually BE on the same learning plane as my students enables me to spot her losing them when she was completely unaware.
I took those same steps, broke them down more slowly into 25 steps, and they got it, no problem.
My point is that you may do best with a tutor who also has some type of LD or ADD/ADHD.
There truly is an extra plane of communication& understanding there that I do not find with my "regular" students, like an extra way to interface.Hope that makes some sense & gives you some encouragement.
I am unable to work right now, and would be happy to speak with you further if I can be of any help or just a good sounding board, please do not hesitate to contact me.
God's blessings on you and a prayer for you on this joften frustrating journey. Don't give up, YOU ARE WORTH IT! You can do it, it's a matter of finding the right answers and support system.

Answer 2

First, I suggest you should relax. I know, I had the problem once. I was very slow at adding numbers. But as I grew up, I got better and better. From what? PRACTICE! Are the tutors starting something too hard for you? I don't think you need tutors at all. All you need to know are the simple facts. Practice those alot, then increase the difficulty. You might think this won't work but it does! If you want to increase your standards in math you should practice.

Plus, you are thinking you can't do math because you believe you have L.D and applied problems disabillity in math. Break through that belief! No one was born to be bad or good in math and I'm sure you are no different than any other person in the world. Don't believe in your math is bad and your spelling is good. Concentrate on your true goal: SUCCEED IN MATH!

Answer 3

Sux, I have the same problem, I only need 2 math courses to finish my degree, I'm a strong reader so that helped a lot in everything but math, Math seems to work in reverse for me, therefore appears "Illogical" to me, I just see things different than others (complex problems), I took a boating course and the instructor was dumbfounded at my perception of how to make various knots, she said "He attacks the problem differently than everyone else making the knot in a backwards type fashion from everyone else but, the end result of the knot was the same as the rest of the class", you just have a different type of way to
categorize information, that's all, if I showed you how I remember things it would blow most peoples minds, however, I always remember them. Math has certain rules that cannot be broken, our way of thinking does not work with others applied idea's of how to solve them. I guess I'm just weird, I have a slight hearing loss yet I have the ability to recognize different makes of cars/ aircraft, and trucks just by the sound of the engines without looking at the vehicle, each motor has a slightly different tone to me, to everyone else it sounds like "Justanotherengine"