If you suffer from discalculia, does it mean your intelligence is below norm??

Question

I am really puzzled by IQ tests. I normally come at the bottom of the scale, despite my academic achievements (I have a Ph.D)
Could it be that IQ tests focus excessively on spatial and mathematical abilities?
I suffer from discalculia. My inability to solve mathematical problems has never been a real obstacle, I simply chose to investigate a field that requires a completely different set of abilities.
As to my inability to read maps...I guess i am in good company as most of my female friends are just as bad.

I was diagnosed with discalculia ten years ago.

As a student I received a very special and privileged treatment because despite my math teachers telling everybody that i was a lost cause (I always failed the subject, no matter how many remedial classes i took) I did extremely well in all other subjects, especially languages (my first language is Italian, I studied Ancient Greek, Latin, English, French, German), literature, philosophy, art history, geography, etc.
So, the school principal decided i could skip Math and Physics, given my excellence in other subjects. Very lucky indeed!

My sense of direction is also affected by discalculia. I cannot tell left from right, and must always look at the rings on my fingers to establish which is what.

Maybe my brain is just wired in a different way...which might explain why i am so gifted for languages, and totally hopeless at mathematical logic.

Answer 1

Dyscalculia has little to no correlation with IQ. More anecdotally, the three people I know who have dyscalculia are all above average in terms of intelligence.

Answer 2

Hi. I love this question! I have slight dyslexia (I confuse left and right), so there's no way I can take dictation. Does that make me any less intelligent? I cannot understand Calculus. I had to have a tutor to get a C in beginning Calculus in college. I have trouble typing, because letters are on the left and right side of the keyboard and I will sometimes confuse the letters and type a letter with the wrong hand. Does that make me less intelligent? I also have no sense of direction--I mean absolutely none. I can only orient myself by the sun's position in the sky, kind of. What I am trying to say is that I know I am highly intelligent and that my problem does not change that. It is the same with you. If you have a PhD, I would say you that have to have a high degree of intelligence to have accomplished such a thing. It is not necessarily fair to you to arbitrarily say you have a low IQ because you have problems with math. That is a form of dyslexia (I would assume you already know this). I would like to share a theory I have about this with you. My grandfather was ambidextrous. I am left-handed. My brother does some things with his left hand, some things with his right, and he has had learning difficulties, although he is intelligent, too, and has a fabulous sense of direction. I believe my grandfather's ambidexterity has genetically caused some of the problems I and my brother have. That is why I do not like arbitrary IQ tests, or standards that do not take into account subtle (or not so subtle) differences over which a person has no control and which they have to deal with and compensate for on a continuous basis. I do well on IQ tests, so that is not what I am talking about, but, in general, what is considered "normal" does not seem like an accurate assessment of "normal", or even "brilliant", to me. I believe a female with a Ph. D is to be applauded and I congratulate you and wish you the best.

Answer 3

Short answer: no. Slightly less short answer: read all about dyscalculia at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia).

On the subject of IQ tests: 1) IQ tests were originally developed to help sort children into learning tracks. There's a lot of debate about how effective they are at doing that, but regardless, if you are already successful in your career then you are way past the usefulness of these tests. 2) If you are "below average" on the test, even if that reflected something real, so what? By definition half the population is going to be below average. The point of life is making the most of who *you* are, not being better than everyone else. All this really means is your can't join Mensa, and who'd want to do that anyway?

Answer 4

The IQ tests and other intelligence testing methods are based on certain logic and questionnaire for getting comparative/relative results. Therefore, these results can not be considered as true representative of intelligence. In fact ability to solve such problems can be mastered by experience and little labour. It seems due to your disappointing performance in mathematics you developed run away technique for escaping from it and that is why you remain poor in it. It you would have tried hard , You could have succeeded in solving the problems. AS far as your suffering from discalculia is is concerned it requires counseling from an expert.

Answer 5

What is intelligence other than the speed and variety of methods used to solve a problem? So you don't use mathematics well. Math is just a type of language. Seems like you are gifted in several others. Good for you! If you can try to translate the symbols in math with symbols that you understand better, that may help!

Answer 6

You may enjoy reading about Howard Gardner. Howard Gardner did some interesting work on multiple intelligences. He believed that IQ tests only test limited forms of intelligence and that there are many other types of intelligence that can not be tested in that manner. Therefore, just because you don't do well on an IQ test, it does not mean your intelligence is below normal. His theories are used in modern education to meet the learning styles of different types of students by including a variety of instructional methods in each lesson.

Answer 7

Don't consider your intelligence on your IQ test, especially in
relation to math.
I can't come up with the correct answers to simple arithmetic
but I wrote two very complicated patents, one on an invention
that was considered impossible to put together, then over a
million dollars was spent developing the software and
hardware to make it a working product, and I had to explain to
the engineers how to design the working product.
But, I cannot tell an asker the result of 9x9 without writing the
figures down and thinking them out.

Answer 8

You are right - the brain is wired up differently, but this does not mean your intelligence is lower - it just depends what you are testing. You could have a high IQ and be excellent at general knowledge, many people do not like maths anyway - this does not mean they are less intelligent ....

Answer 9

It has been proven that women are not as good at math as men are, thats why you are in good company. ( I am female, so don't think I am slamming the women) You have to be diagnosed with the dyscalcula from a specialist. This is not something you can just conjure up from looking on the internet. Does it mean your below normal? No, because you may have strong spelling, social, science skills. Math is an acquired method. Many fear it because of the numbers themselves.

Answer 10

No.

You simply cannot be dyscalculic without having a normal or above normal IQ. If you have problems with math and have an IQ below normal, it's called retardation. Simple. And you're not retarded, then you wouldn't be able to write your post.

You need to get tested before you can know for sure.

Go to dyscalculiaforum.com - there's lots of info and people who can help you find a place to get diagnosed.