Can a person who suffers from dyslexia do complex math?

Question

I have dyslexia, just recently found out and is a bit sad but at least now I know why I am the way I am. It's research time. =D

I was reading an article about dyslexia and had came across a phrase that says people with dyslexia can not follow sequence and hence can not do long calculations:

"Learning any task that has a series of steps which must be completed in a specific order can be difficult. That's because you must memorize the sequence of steps, and often, there is no logic in the sequence."

"Doing long division: to successfully complete a long division problem, you must do a series of five steps, in exactly the right sequence, over and over again"

I know it's long, but thanks for reading. My question is… do you have dyslexia? And if so, are you any good at math? I mean advance calculations that have to do with highly complex calculations such as predictions and risk management in the financial markets.

Answer 1

You were able to read that article and type it, weren't you? That's a task which must be completed in a specific order with no logic to the sequence, in fact, no sequence. The great frustration you face is continually having to check your writing, keyboarding, and data entry, but you have obviously faced this frustration successfully in order to get this far. Most dyslexics who give up on math give up on it long before they find they have the disability. Once you know that's the problem you can compensate for it. How much effort you have to put into the compensation depends on the degree of your dyslexia.

I'm only mildly dyslexic. I tend to transpose numbers (and letters), which raises havoc with addition and subtraction. This cost me quite a little in overdraft charges. I was, however, able to establish notoriety in Engineering College as a curve-wrecker, and I once could derive Kepler's Laws in my head while walking down the street. So much for inability to do long, complex calculations!

My brother-in-law is severely dyslexic. It takes him about 3 times as long to read something as it does me, or my sister, yet read he does. His perseverance has made him a top-notch Maintenance Technician.

I have no idea how severe your dyslexia is, but your question is an indication of a very good ability to compensate. I don't think you need fear attempting your goals.

Answer 2

I do not myself have dyslexia, but my older brother does. He took a long time to learn to read, compared to my sister and me, but he is in fact very gifted at math, and I would not agree with the analysis presented here at all.

The steps in a mathematical process certainly do have a strong logic behind them, and if you approach a complex mathematical problem from first principles, it always makes logical sense.

Yes, it may be more helpful for you to actually do this, if you have trouble following a sequence of steps without knowing the why. Even without being dyslexic, I prefer to know the logic behind any mathematical procedure I perform: that way, if you lose the sequence you can always backtrack to first principles, and know where your procedure is coming from.

My brother was diagnosed at age 12, and my mother spent many hours formulating English grammar and spelling for him in a way that made sense. He is now 36 years old, a highly successful computer programmer, an avid reader, and more literate than most people I know.

Don't think that being dyslexic need get in the way of leading a successful life, or of understanding anything you wish to, although help and guidance are very important for you in this: in some places you may need to fight hard to get the help you need; it all depends on the educational facilities in your area.

But never forget: the fact that your brain works differently from other people's does NOT mean you aren't as smart as they are! It's just that educational institutions are set up to best fit the majority, whereas really every child has his or her own educational needs.

Research shows that many of the brightest individuals in history had this condition. Albert Einstein and Leonardo daVinci, to name just 2!

Edited to add: my brother's programming job is in the development department of a bank, and is all to do with the kind of calculations you mention: he programs computers to do that stuff every day.

Answer 3

yse. asbolutely !!!

Just kidding, dude....dyslexia and math should not be a big issue. The biggest problem would be spelling/grammar.

I don't have dyslexia, but have helped many others with this issue when I was a Pyschology major in college.

The biggest help is to work on simple memory stuff. As you know, dyslexic people see arrays, characters, numbers in a different sequence.

Anything to help increase memory will definitely not hurt. This could be anything.....one fun thing is playing cards...blackjack whatever (and try to count cards). Reading, etc.

Good luck!

Answer 4

those with TBI (nerve-racking techniques harm) might have syptoms that appear like a sort of incapacity catigories. the main important is memory subject concerns that would result different factors of cognition which incorporate remembering a thank you to envision and write or upload numbers. i don't comprehend if it may be considered real dyslexia whether it ought to embody letter reversals. ought to or no longer that's that because of the TBI the dyslexia is now greater obtrusive? that's complicated to assert without some finished assessment.