British Military Service and Dyscalculia

VISITOR: I am joining the British Military as a potential Officer, Reserve.

At the same time I am applying for many professional roles such as
investment banking, management consultancy, law and civil service.

The roles I am applying for include numerical and other online tests
which are posing me difficulty even though I have a PhD in
biochemistry and have a self-tested IQ of 133.

I was wondering whether you were able to give any advice as to whether
I would be disallowed from entering the British Military or whether it
would be hard for me (or come with stigma) - as I believe that I do have
some sort of mild impediment and that extra time or mark adjustments
would allow me to get past the online testing stages where I can shine at the job interviews.

Also, do you have a UK counterpart that you might be able to direct me to?
DYSCALCULIA.ORG: Avoid jobs requiring number facility if you are dyscalculic. 

We cannot advise you on policy of the British Military, however, we suggest a general inquiry about admission for those with disabilities. 

As far as extra time or academic adjustments, you'll need comprehensive assessment and thorough documentation of disability.

There are several dyscalculia experts and research centers in the UK. (We also can assess you for dyscalculia.) 

UK Resources:

University of Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology - Dr. Roi Cohen Kadosh - Dyscalculia Study

University College London - Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience

Dr. Brian Butterworth  (London, England) +61 3 8344 6377 Cognitive Neuroscientist AboutDyscalculia.org Tony Attwood (England) Chair, The UK Dyscalculia Centre Practical Activities...Dyscalculia Dyscalculia in Schools Methods of Teaching...Dyscalculia Tests for Dyscalculia

Number Sense (PC Games, APPS)

University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience The Mathematical Brain Univ. of Melbourne Mathematical Cognition Institute of Education- London

12-year-old can't do her math! How will she graduate?

VISITOR: I am mom to a beautiful, artistic 12 year old daughter. She was born at 28 weeks, although her size (1lb 15oz) indicated she was closer to 26 weeks. No major complications occured while we spent two months visiting our preemie baby in the NICU. Her eyes and all other body parts are perfectly formed. Our daughter has always experienced anxiety with the unknown, stress, and math. Learning disabilities became quickly apparent by 1st grade. 

Thank goodness we had a teacher that had a special education background and could guide us. She qualified under reading, reading comprehension and math. Math has always been a struggle for her. She has many holes in her math connections dating back to kindergarten. It takes us working together every night to conquer her math homework. While her teachers have been phenomenal in supporting our daughter we are afraid of what the future holds. 

We have looked over the checklist for dyscalculia and are very confident that our Read daughter is battling through this. She will be heading into 7th grade in the fall. Her teachers, resource teachers, and us have worked diligently to try to offer as much support as possible as she heads to junior high school. I never like to say one of my children can't do something BUT, I feel that making her have to take all required grade-level math is a recipe for disaster.  This is why I'm contacting you. 

Will having her formally diagnosed give her and us time flexibility as to what her fulfilment will be for graduation? I love helping her with her work but when I'm holding her hand throughout most of it, something needs to give. Most everyone I've asked about dyscalculia has not had a clue to what it is! I would love to have some guidance from someone who has "been there and done that", so to speak. Both of our daughters do attend a public school in Michigan. Thank you for taking the time and patience to help us answer these tough questions.  

DYSCALCULIA.ORG: You already have a dyscalculia diagnosis, but school called it a specific learning disability in mathematics. You need to understand what causes the math difficulties and what to do about these. She needs 20 minutes per day working with money to acquire place value understanding and understanding of counting, multiplication, subtrsaction, and division. She will be able to do these mentally with proper training. You will need to employ several strategies to work through arithmetic with dyscalculia: reasoning aloud, illustrating, using money to act out concepts, counting using visual patterns, color-coding operations, and having quick access to references to compensate for retrievel/memory difficulty (mathisfun.com). In high school, if she is unable to do the algebra required by the school district, she can get a PERSONAL CURRICULUM, which may substitute Consumer Math for the required algebra. She will get a diploma, but will need special advising and advocacy at the college level, because she'll need to address the college algebra requirements. For everyday help, start with these resources and adopt these practical strategies:
Manage It | Conquer It | Fix It | To Do | How to Learn Math | Accessing Math | Appreciating Math | Best Math Tools | College and Dyscalculia

If you'd like comprehensive testing for learning disabilities, including dyscalculia, see these instructions.

Watch a video explaining dyscalculia symptoms and global research. 

If you'd like a phone consultation or individualized help, text your name, location, and requests to (313) 300-1901. 

Special Ed Teacher Needs Help With Smart, Severely Dyscalculic Student age 13

VISITOR: I'm a special needs math teacher in Miami. I just found your website and I'm thankful I did. We have several kids at our school with dyscalculia and we've found that the earlier they come to us the more we can do for them. But I have a particularly difficult case that I was hoping you could help me with. 

I teach a 13-year old male student with severe dyscalculia. He has no concept of time (10 minutes is the same as an hour to him), no understanding of money and his numeration is extremely under developed (he can only do "before/after/between" with single-digit numbers, no understanding of place value, etc). Comprehension, both of written and oral directions, is weak and his memory (working, long-term) is well below average. Needless to say he can only recall addition facts up to "2." Facts beyond that and for any other operation don't exist. 

He works comfortably on a calculator and he can work out most problems, but he doesn't understand what any of it means and he needs to be directed. And this is an intelligent kid. He knows more about the civil war and American politics than every TEACHER I know! 

What I have found that could address some of his issues are really aimed at younger children and I'm afraid he would see them as work for "babies." Plus he's supposed to be heading off to high school in a year or two and time is against us. Is there a program or a curriculum for older students with severe dyscalculia? Is there something I can do that will at the very least prepare him for life? 

DYSCALCULIA.ORG:  Yes, there is hope for this smart but dyscalculic student! Read about the nature of dyscalculia and adopt these practical strategies:
Manage It | Conquer It | Fix It | To Do | How to Learn Math | Accessing Math | Appreciating Math | Best Math Tools  

Dyscalculia.org has developed free money lessons to use with students to teach these concepts: counting, place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, negative and positive numbers, rounding, estimation, long division, trading up, and pre-algebra. See:  Money Lessons.  Our Language of Math & Money Lessons.  

Watch a video explaining dyscalculia symptoms and global research.

Thank You for the Consultation!

VISITOR: Thank you so much for your consultation!  My daughter and I were in separate rooms during the phone call, so I couldn't see how she was reacting.  She was so relieved and excited when she got off the phone with you.  We both agreed that we wished you lived here.. You have a way of making her feel comfortable, and not stupid, but motivated at the same time.  

I ordered the Math on Call book, but have been wrestling with my computer, so we haven't been able to start anything yet.  She's at a church youth event today and has to buy her own dinner, which always makes her nervous.  She was wishing she had been able to work on something, but said she will just give the money to the waitress and hope for the best.  Thank you for encouraging her!!  I am so grateful for you.


DYSCALCULIA.ORG: Read Math on Call for fun. Read math glossaries and illustrated dictionaries for fun. Get math books from the library. Illustrate, map, form an opinion, and talk about the math and the math language in what you read. Start figuring out tips, sales tax, and discounts using dimes and pennies. Carry a pouch of coins and small bills with you, to figure things out.  You are going to be smarter than a math teacher pretty soon. Teach it to own it! You've got this! 

Math Limits Me - But I Can Write!

VISITOR: A very bright and creative older adult, I just needed to be reassured that I am not yet crazy. I have lived with extremely limited mathematical ability all of my life. It affects me in many ways - it's hard to hold a job, keep from getting cheated, remember birthdays and to pay bills. 

I can write books, tell stories and almost anything involved in the arts including singing, but I cannot remember the words to anything, and never have. 

DYSCALCULIA.ORG: Try reading, "A Mind for Numbers, How to learn math and science, even if you flunked Algebra" by Dr. Barbara Oakley. Dr. Oakley flunked out of high school math and science, and later in life, figured out how to learn math, and became an electrical engineer and then a college professor. She shows you how she went from not being able to tell time on a face clock, to successfully tackling math.

Dyscalculia Dx Rejected by College

VISITOR:  I am working with a young man with severe dyscalculia—who is having problems getting into a 4 yr college.  His psychiatrist has diagnosed him with a mathematics disorder—but the school is not accepting it.

Is there a specific test that can be done, to help him prove he has the disability so he can get the math waiver and still graduate with a BA?     Thank you for your assistance.  

         - California Department of Rehabilitation Worker

DYSCALCULIA.ORG:  The school cannot deny that he has a disability. They can request that his documentation meet certain requirements, but once met, they cannot refuse to accept that he has a learning disability. They do not have to grant a math waiver, if math is integral to his course of study. Please see this document about Best Practices for College Math Course Waivers and Substitutions, and our waiver and substitution page.  He can also file a complaint with the OCR using this form. The school should also have an appeal and grievance policy.