Dyscalculia Day
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Dyscalculia Gets Its Day: March 3rd, 2011
March 3rd is World Dyscalculia Day. This is a global event that began in 2008 as an effort to improve awareness about dyscalculia, also known as "math disorder" or "math disability". Or to put it more simply, "math dyslexia".
Dyscalculia, a disorder which primarily effects a person's ability to work with numbers and mathematical concepts, is a virtually unknown learning disabilty. It is so little known, in fact, that World Dyscalculia Day was not started by a research institution or large non-profit advocacy group -- we dysclaculics don't have any of those in or corner (yet!). World Dyslcalculia Day is a grassroots effort by members of the Dysclaculia Forum online community. World Dyscalculia Day is as effort by dyscalculics, for dyscalculics, to educate others about this learning disability.
Notice how Dyscalculia Day is on March 3rd -- 3/3? That's because it allows us to safely get the day and month confused (and we will ... we will) -- but we can't screw it up.
To celebrate World Dysclaculia Day, I've collected some Dyscalculia Day videos by members of the Dyscalculia Forum. I've also included links to the Forum as well as other dyscalculia resources on the web. Thanks for helping to get the word out about dyscalculia!
Dyscalculia, a disorder which primarily effects a person's ability to work with numbers and mathematical concepts, is a virtually unknown learning disabilty. It is so little known, in fact, that World Dyscalculia Day was not started by a research institution or large non-profit advocacy group -- we dysclaculics don't have any of those in or corner (yet!). World Dyslcalculia Day is a grassroots effort by members of the Dysclaculia Forum online community. World Dyscalculia Day is as effort by dyscalculics, for dyscalculics, to educate others about this learning disability.
Notice how Dyscalculia Day is on March 3rd -- 3/3? That's because it allows us to safely get the day and month confused (and we will ... we will) -- but we can't screw it up.
To celebrate World Dysclaculia Day, I've collected some Dyscalculia Day videos by members of the Dyscalculia Forum. I've also included links to the Forum as well as other dyscalculia resources on the web. Thanks for helping to get the word out about dyscalculia!
Contents at a Glance
Dyscalculia Day Poster
Print it out, hang it up, pass it around!
A member of the Dyscalculia Forum made this poster. You can download a PDF version of it by clicking on the image. Print out a bunch and hand them out at your school, your district office, your university, the mall ... wherever you want to spread the word about dyscalculia!
What Is Dyscalculia?
Think "math dyslexia" and you're most of the way there.
Dysclaculia is defined by a person's difficulty with numbers and arithmetical concepts. It's estimated (by people who are good at that sort of thing) that between 4% and 6% of the world's population has dyscalculia, but that only 1% has even heard of the disorder.
People with dyscalculia struggle to perform everyday tasks, such as remembering addresses and phone numbers, figuring a tip at a restaurant, or determining exactly what that "10% OFF!" sale will get them. We tend to transpose digits (reading 67 for 76), invert digits (reading 6 for 9), or just get plain confused (3 and 8 might look like the same symbol to a dyscalculic). All that, and we haven't even gotten to using numbers to do actual math!
People with dyscalculia struggle to perform everyday tasks, such as remembering addresses and phone numbers, figuring a tip at a restaurant, or determining exactly what that "10% OFF!" sale will get them. We tend to transpose digits (reading 67 for 76), invert digits (reading 6 for 9), or just get plain confused (3 and 8 might look like the same symbol to a dyscalculic). All that, and we haven't even gotten to using numbers to do actual math!
Does Dyscalculia End At Math?
Oh, I wish!
Dyscalculia is a math disorder, but the problems it causes do not stop at numbers. Dyscalculics often have difficulty when reading maps or trying to follow street directions. We generally don't get along well with the formal aspects of music education, such as sight-reading and theory. We're likely to have trouble with physical coordination, and as if that didn't make gym class hard enough, a lot of us can't remember the rules to games.
To Learn More About Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia defined, described, and detailed
For more information about dyscalculia, take a look at "What The Heck Is Dyscalculia?". In it I discuss definitions, diagnosis, and the impact this math disorder has had on my own life.
Famous People With Dysclaculia
Some of us overcome our disability to go on to great things. This video highlights some famous people who are known to have dyscalculia or who struggled with math.
What Is It Like to Have Dyscalculia?
To find out, watch this video.
Maybe you liked math in school. Maybe numbers always made sense to you. Heck, maybe you work with math all the time because you're an accountant or a rocket scientist. Or, maybe you're just a person who is able to read a street number and do basic math in your head.
But what if numbers made no sense? What if the people who explained it to you sounded like they were speaking a foreign language?
This video is avery short, hilarious clip from the British series Mitchell and Webb which really captures the dyscalculic experience with all things math. Oh, and if you speak German, try to pretend you don't.
But what if numbers made no sense? What if the people who explained it to you sounded like they were speaking a foreign language?
This video is avery short, hilarious clip from the British series Mitchell and Webb which really captures the dyscalculic experience with all things math. Oh, and if you speak German, try to pretend you don't.
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A Day In The Life
You've gotta laugh.
Dyscalculia is a learning disability, right? So once you're done with school, it's not a problem anymore, right? Wrong. Dyscalculia continues to have an impact long after school is officially over.
- How Many Dyscalculics Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?
- Here's a post from my blog about one of the many things that can go horribly wrong, thanks to dyscalculia.
Dyscalculia on the Web
We're slowly but surely making our presence felt.
When I was first diagnosed with dyscalculia in 1995, I could find very little information about it. The only source I had was the copy of the DSM-III in my college library. Thanks to the web, it's much easier for people with dyscalculia to learn about the disorder and to connect with others who live with it.
- Dyscalculia Forum
- An international community of dyscalculia and the people who love us.
- Wikipedia Article on Dyscalculia
- A basic explanation of symptoms, definitions, and possible causes.
- Dyscalculia and Development
- This LD Online article describes how dyscalculia manifests in different developmental stages of life, from pre-school through adolescence and adulthood.
Dyscalculia Educational Poster
Print it out, hang it up, pass it around!
A member of the Dyscalculia Forum made this poster. You can download a PDF version of it by clicking on the image. Print out a bunch and hand them out at your school, your district office, your university, the mall ... wherever you want to spread the word about dyscalculia!
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Thank you to Arncyn for the Angel Blessing!
It's especially timely now that I'm trying to work on Dyscalculia Awareness Month.
Countdown to World Dyscalculia Day Is Coming!
World Dyscalculia Day Is Coming!: March 3, 2011
Thanks for Supporting World Dyscalculia Day!
By reading this lens, you've helped make a difference. You are one more person who has learned about dyscalculia. The more people hear about math disability, the more dyscalculics will be diagnosed, and early detection makes all the difference. Please help spread the word!
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Lolza
Feb 15, 2012 @ 12:44 pm | delete
- Is there any were u can go to talk with other people who have got this 😊
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Liz
Feb 16, 2011 @ 4:27 am | delete
- Hi, I have just read this lens and it has made me laugh and cry. It's actually been very theraputic because I have been feeling very low about my dyscalculia and how it effects my life. Your lens has cheered me up no end. Three generations of my family have dyscalculia and it often has a severe inpact on our day-to-day lives however we all have creative abilities and two of us are highly literate. I especially liked your blog about the lightbulb as it illustrates beautifully how a creative and practical endeavour can be stymied by dyscalculia. Believe me I've been there! I do think it is vitally important to spread the word about dyscalculia because there is so much ignorance & prejudice about the condition - especially in the UK. And so many people (in my experience) seem to equate learning difficulties such as dyscalculia with low ability in general - and this is very disheartening and demoralising for those of us who trying to cope with the condition. So well done, you've made me feel a lot better today.
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AddaptAbilities
Feb 16, 2011 @ 5:45 pm | delete
- I'm so glad I was able to make you feel better. We all need that from time to time, especially those of us with dyscalculia.
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Lolza
Feb 15, 2012 @ 12:43 pm | delete
- I have got dyscalculia and believe me it ain't easy but thanks for the info on the poster I should it to my dad and he said ohh that is why you are losing things! 😃
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miaponzo
Feb 13, 2011 @ 9:18 pm | delete
- Thanks for this lens from a mother who suffers with a son who has it, and it remained undiscovered for his first 16 years!
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