My world without numbers | Line Rothmann | TEDxVennelystBlvd
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2015
- The percentage of the population with developmental dyscalculia is estimated to be between 36 percent, or one in twenty individuals,” says Line Rothmann, and she is one of them. As a dyscalculic, she has difficulty understanding anything and everything math related. Her talk offers a glimpse into her reality and all the quirky systems she developed to get on in a world that is largely based on numbers and calculations. From her story we learn how our disabilities, small or big, can become our strengths.
Line Rothman is a recent graduate from the creative business and design school Kaospilot, Aarhus, Denmark.
What is it like to live in a world where the mere concept of time does not exist? Line Rothmann has dyscalculia, a disability in math and anything math-related. She has absolutely no sense in time and timing. She will tell about her quirky systems on how she navigates through the world and everyday life, how her disability is her source of strength, frustrations and tears.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
My childhood years were destroyed by this evil curse called Dyscalculia. The humiliation and shame of not understanding how to tell time as quickly as my classmates, trying to understand and remember my times tables, standing up in front of the class and being the last one to finish Math problems on the blackboard, and my answers were wrong every single time. I went to super strict Catholic schools, and I would pray so hard for help so I could understand and do well. The nuns told me to keep praying. What a joke. Every time the teachers would read out the Math test results, my test grade was always a F, and the lowest grade in the class. I had contemplated suicide countless times. I was so tired of trying to understand, trying to do well, exhausted from hearing from my teachers, and parents that I was lazy, and didn't WANT to learn Math because I didn't like it. The things I would have loved to do, like finish high school, go to college to become a pediatrician or veterinarian but couldn't because of what I honestly believed was stupidity. I had no confidence, only a few friends. It was in my 30's, when one of my children was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyscalculia, that I recognized I had ALL of the symptoms while filling in the questionnaires at the Neurologist's office for my 6 year old son. My parents and husband still refused to believe and accept that I have it. I still have problems with low self esteem and confidence, and struggle in social situations.
This made me really heartbroken to read. Hugs to u as Im afraid I cant do much else.
We have the same childhood education experience...☹️
I also have Dyscalculia and I remember the day my math teacher HUMILIATED me for not knowing how to do a simple math problem
Diane Moore same babe
I really wish I could give you a hug. I honestly see a little bit of myself in you because I always had trouble memorizing the times tables and never really understood math concepts
Has anyone else noticed that this effects their learning of music notes? I had a really hard time learning music notes in college. It felt like learning math to me.
Brittany Bell I barely made it through band. I never could really read music. I’ve realized that people with dyscalculia have bad hand and eye coordination to so that may be why I struggled
Brittany Bell yes!
I'm in music school. It has taken me a loooong time to read music but my big struggle is music theory. Numbers are deeply rooted in the the way music is written like time signature and music note duration. Because of that I've developed a great ear so that I can figure out pieces. I have been told it would just be easier to quit but I'm still here. Wish me luck...
Me too. That and dancing are ridiculously hard for me to learn.
Yes! I had to drop out of choir because my dyscalculia held me back from not understanding my Music Theory class. I was heartbroken.
I am CRYING. I have dealt with this "disorder of the brain" my whole life. And it so true that it does not only effect your ability to do math but your everyday life. I cried when she talked about the fear of someone inviting you to play a game with a pair of dice. THAT IS A MAJOR FEAR. The fear that someone will make fun of you for something so simple. I also have learned to embrace it and figure out what I am strong in and work on that. It is the ultimate version of body positivity to be able to love yourself even with a brain that has to work twice as hard on the little things in life.
Yes!! Same here like exactly the same. It feels good to know that you are not the only person dealing with this.
For so long I always thought I was alone and idiotic for being the only person I know who struggles with numbers like this.. tearing up at the words of this woman who is describing aspects of my life as if she had been following me around.. My brain feels funny.
when i was a kid i used to lose my temper all the time playing board games and card games because i couldn't remember all the rules. the frustration would boil over as people got annoyed with me not getting it right and i'd just explode. looking back, i have a feeling it was the dyscalculia that was causing it.
i still don't play complex games that require any numeracy or complex rule structures, that includes computer games that require intricate button combinations and hand/eye coordination.
holy shit i've always hated and avoided card games (well anything more complex than like, 'snap' and 'go fish') because it's so difficult for me to learn and retain the rules and i can never keep up with the other people playing. i've suspected i have dyscalculia ever since i first heard of it but never considered that that could be another symptom
Does anyone have an tricks they use at work or in school to deal with dyscalculia? I am super interested.
I just avoid maths , don't care if people say I'm stupid. Because I know I'm not.
There's been studies, telling that brain activates for doing math(or any other subject), if one believes he can, and it doesn't for those believing it doesn't. And also a study, saying, that you can do all levels of math, if you are able to count(how many things there are) and discern "right from left"(spacially, i mean, where the things are). So intelligence is there no matter what you were made to think. And you avoid it, cause wrong education makes it painful to deal with. (And people sometimes just count wrong, =X, being taught a false way, thus the rest doesn't make sense, as it builds up step by step.) It isn't your fault, at all.
same lol. Anything with calculations, I avoid.
I feel the same but what is really weird I can do chemical equations easily but simple math problems are difficult for me to do. 🤷🏻♀️
I was always terrible at math despite having years of tutors trying to help me. I felt like all of them were easily frustrated with me because I couldn't grasp the formulas and concepts as fast as the other kids. Dyscalculia needs to be discussed more in schools
I really can’t do basic math in my head and just the thought of doing algebra makes nervous. But I can remember random numbers as if my life depended on it. Like last week my mom spent $72.43 at the store. But I cant read an analogue clock, multiply, subtract, divide or make the correct change for the life of me. I still have to use my fingers to count most of the time and graduated with geometry as my last math credit, which I barely passed after having to take it three separate times. As if being dyscalculic isn’t already the worst, im also dyslexic
I feel you. I hope you're doing great in your life and I hope you always stay positive😊
I noticed that so many of us have had traumatic experiences with numbers and directions :(
I absolutely hate having dyscalculia. If I didn’t have this disability, I’d probably be in a decent career with my own place to live but no I’m still living with my parents trying to find a career that I can do well in. People straight up don’t understand how much this could mess up your life. I recently did a career change and absolutely flunked out because I couldn’t pass the math certification exams and now I’m back to doing dead end jobs, lost tons of time and money in the process. I’m sick of struggling. It’s been like this my entire life and I don’t tell anybody about it because of the stigma. I just want to be like other people my age, the people who have successful careers, who’re making decent money, who’re falling in love and moving on up in the world. But no matter what, I’m not going to stop being a good person and being kind to others. And I’m going to find a way out of this mess somehow.
Sorry I’m just ranting because I don’t talk about this to anybody but it’s been building up for awhile now.
I understand this all too well :(( dyscalculia has derailed my dreams and aspirations. Your persistence is very inspiring and you seem like a very kind soul. I think things will work out for us some how, some way.
You can find many options working with words: Communication, Digital Content, Copywriting...there are many options oustide the world of numbers.
I have struggled with dyscalculia my entire life. The fear that you might have to go to the shops, answer a maths question, give directions, give someone the time. I would not be able to breath and have daily panic attacks. I broke out into full depression, having to see a councillor because I couldn't take sitting in a lesson for more than five minutes. I felt like nobody understood me, I felt like I didn't understand myself. Trying to wrap my brain around it, to understand. Convincing myself that I was just plain dumb
Sophie davies trying to figure out a tip on the spot at the hairdressers. I am a huge over tipper, which is great for them, makes me look good but feel like total crap. I always joke it off. or when the Dr says, how long have you had this problem (not dyscalculia, but regular colds and stuff), I say I have no idea because I don't want to make up a number, but get that superior Dr look like I'm crazy and a liar when I explain it. I also hate it when someone says go two miles, or its only 3ft tall, or some other measurement of space. Those things literally mean nothing to me. Again I get the idiot look. nice to know there's a reason and a name for it. good luck to you
I have the same problem trying to imagine distances without looking at a ruler and addition and subtraction problems take longer to do in my head. I wish the disorder had more awareness, but I feel like the people who don't try in math are masking our problems and making others think this is just about "lazy people who seek validation". And just because it seems like less people experience it doesn't mean it's not just as important. We are literally STRUGGLING to be useful members of society. It's not fun or cute.
Just like me :(
@@dancingheart6224 i could def. Relate to you.. I have thesame problem and i am 30y.o.. i struggled all my life with math.. when i was in elementary and highschool whenever they give me a math exam.. with problem solving i don't have any clue what to write on my paper even though i have a calculator with me.. i always end up passing my paper without any answer.. my math teacher is always thinking that i am just lazy to learn,solve or too lazy to take my exam but she/he didn't even know that i was struggling and i was having an anxiety attack while having a headache because i have this problem.. i was only diagnosed about having this when i was already 28y.o.. 😔 that is the time i finally understand why i always have a failing grade in math all my life.
I have severe (?) dyscalculia and I can't tell u how much validation I feel right now, this is a wonderful, brilliantly done speech. my learning disability has caused self-hate and countless tears. I get frightened buying things on my own. I failed my maths gcse and this May I will have to retake it again, I dont think ill pass. maths is my enemy, it means everything to know im not alone, I love this girl
U are definitley not alone xx
ge I felt alone myself, thinking that I was the only one with it but u r definetly not alone
me too
I do have Dyscalculia,OCD and ADHD don't worry my friend you are not alone.
I'm writing a novel about living with Dyscslculia, I plan on making a teaching program to be used for kids with this problem. I also plan on illustrating the major ways it has impacted my life for good and bad.
Have you wrote it yet???
I am writing a novel about dyslexia, I haven't got very far.
Please answer when your book is finished.
I'll be patiently waiting.
@@thenextshenanigantownandth4393 just do an audio book
Only this year, at age 58, do I finally learn that my curse, this puzzle, has a name. I hope finding out about this can help heal the lifetime of humiliating memories which haunt us. Dad telling me how "ashamed' he was of me while watching me and five other summer school guitar students onstage "You were the only one who didn't know any of the chords1'. and so on.
I'm a freshman in college and wasn't diagnosed with dyscalculia until senior year of high school. I don't know why I didn't look up "dyscalculia" on UA-cam before, but I'm doing a speech on it and wanted to find some inspiration... man, this girl touched me. I'm tearing up rn bc she articulated something I didn't know I had for years. Feeling so validated today.
I am 13...I believe that most people here are adults or at least older than me and I really cry almost every night about this...My dad has said that he had it and can apparently do so much more than I can and yet refuse to believe that I have this condition ...I love him but it hurts so much to have this problem ...I felt so alone always hearing “oh what’s that” and worst of all “oh I must have that because I hate maths haha” almost no one knows or understands how hard it is ...I’ve never met anyone with it ...And these comments made me feel so much better...just the fact that someone else can relate
Thank you 😊
Just remind yourself that it's something you can work with and or around. It's just takes WAY more effort than it does a person without dyscalculia. Also, don't beat yourself up over it, you already know other will do so. Also remember, others say brutal things about it because they simply can't relate. It's like trying to understand what it's like to be a nudibranch if you're not one. Look for True Facts & Nudibranchs. Enjoy life.
A HUGE part of dyscalculia is that you think and process differently. I tried to do the classic study methods but "harder" and it didn't help much, just made me miserable and honestly bored.
Ask for the weeks materials well before class, say you would like to work on it and write your own notes - use coloured pens, do drawings - whatever way you learn. Anything to translate a number into something else :) I adopted this method and I am currently doing a science degree (with good marks) and I have dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia so there is hope!
Also keep in mind your cognitive ability/function has to be high, with comparatively lower academic output/function to be told you have dyscalculia, meaning you are very smart!
I hope this helps.
What a great speech - I wish more people with dyscalculia would come forward like you have done. The condition is so misunderstood and you describe the struggles and associated stigma very well.
when I read the book My 13th Winter by a Ms. Samantha Abeel ( a dyscslculiac) I wept, and I cried, after that I admittedly bawled for a few chapters, then, I'm not ashamed to say, I cried some more. Just knowing that a fellow dyscslculiac could be such a good and transparent and relatable writer.. Gave me hope. I baptised that book under a flood of " been there, felt that " tears!! Her memoir of dealing with this diagnosis encouraged and inspired me. She turned me from feeling like a suicidal loser doomed to low paying jobs, one step away from a lifetime of not being bright enough to even hold down a McDonald's job ( the cash register has too many number buttons on it)...to realizing I just might be able to write a novel or two. So, fir that I must say a resounding, "Thank You, yes, thanks Samantha!!!" Furthermore, I wish to add the following.. wait.., I CAN'T add, so I'll just SAY this instead...I'll merely say we Dyscslculiacs need to unite or divide or multiply or....or..or.. which direction was I going with this?? And, whose turn is it? What day is it??? ...oh heck I give up.. we should just write . (and do so with passion)
I'm going to order the book from Amazon
Yessss!! I always knew something was wrong with me but I had no idea there was a name for it until I read that book when I was 17
"Whose turn is it?" Once I played a game that had a metal token with the words "IT'S MY TURN". More games should come with "IT'S MY TURN" tokens. If you're crafty enough, you could make one yourself.
"What day is it?" It's a good day to go and buy a calendar watch. That's what I use because I keep forgetting. (And, no, I don't have dyscalculia.)
Wow ill look for this book.. 💕 thankyou!
I'm 24 with a 8 year old math level and cried everyday in math classes with my dyscalculia
Thank you for sharing. I have struggled all of my life because of dyscalculia. Just didn't know that there was a diagnosis for it. My Parents got tutors for me and did everything they could. I repeated third grade because of it. Tried to get through college algebra numerous times; ultimately I never did complete College algebra. Now it appears as though my children have it. Brings tears to my eyes. It takes so much more energy to achieve a D on a test than many of my fellow students had put in to get an A. I would often feel frustrated at this fact. There was never any laziness on my part. When insensitive non-understanding people suggest such ,it is very hurtful. With age I have somewhat improved my capabilities, but my dreams may never be realized as far as a career is concerned.
Exactly! I have had multiple tutors in my 18 years of life, and I would get a D or C on all of my tests to the point where getting a C in math felt like an A to me. My dream job was to be a midwife, but I can't even do that because I am scared of failing, and I'm scared of even working a cash register. So instead I'm studying to be a speech therapist. At least I can understand their struggles since I have a learning disability too, but why is it that math disabilities do not have as much awareness as communications disorders and dyslexia? I wish we had more awareness of this disorder so we can get some type of help because getting a job or even finishing school with dyscalculia is so hard.
This is very enlightening and I am in search of answers for my 16 year old. Thank you!
I am not dyscalculic, but I also cried when I listened to this talk. This young woman is so open, so sincere and so heart-felt that she moved me to tears. I have also had many problems in my life, starting when I first went to school and continuing on since then. Listening to her made me realise that everyone has problems, but to see and hear her talk about herself with such honesty and to characterise her outlook with such spirituality convinces me that there was never any need for me to give up, cave in and accept my own disorder as a kind of spiritual death sentence.
This beautiful ten-minute talk was completely inspiring to me and her entire manner and content was like a magnificent emotional tone poem. I say Bravo!
I've dealt with this disability for my entire life, but no question was made that I had it until high school, and no diagnosis until my freshman year of college. I, until that point, had assumed I was bad at math, that I would never get it, and that all of my anxieties to do with it were nothing big. Knowing that I'm not stupid is so amazing.
I was wondering did you get your degree? Im in college now
I can't adequately explain how emotionally difficult I found taking basic math 4 times from grade school through high school and only getting a D the fourth time. I also can't explain how feeling that pain forced me to figure out my own way of dealing with this problem. However, 59 years of this has taught me that it's possible to succeed it's just often not an obvious path.
Thank so much. Its so hard to explain this to people, because most people don't understand or know what Dyscalculia is. People think I'm rude, or careless, or inattentive because I can't remember time, numbers, or dates. I also have ADHD which makes my Dyscalculia and my short-term memory even worse. Thank you for sharing.
I have ADHD and Dyscalculia as well, and I have been bullied, laughed at, and cast out. Teachers would get upset at me for not understanding the material and would always call my parents to tell them that "I'm impossible to deal with". My math teacher once told me that he was surprised that I managed to pass his grade because he thought that I was "not normal".
I also grew up with ADHD and Dyscalculia. I also struggle to remember birthdays, ages of family and friends, anniversaries. It's awful.
Exactly like me. What a nightmare.
I was finally diagnosed with dyscalculia nearly a year ago... after years of struggling with the concept of numbers and not noticing a difference in numbers unless they were highlighting in colours I could understand. This just speaks out to me! Thank you x
same :)
hey just curious but how did you get a diagnosis for this? it would make my life so much easier to have an official diagnosis
A series of epiphanies has recently led me to investigate this learning disability. I haven't gone down the road of diagnosis yet (and I'm not sure I ever will) but there's a lot about the symptoms of dyscalculia that echoes throughout my life - the maths issues at school; the financial management anxieties; the constant lateness and time management issues; the spatial curiosities and poor balance. I am beginning to reevaluate some of the assumptions of my life and some of the things I've always thought just came down to personal stupidity. Perhaps I'm not after all. Thank you, Line, for your wonderful talk. :-)
Scale, time, calculations, quantities, scale, budgeting, spending, dimensions, everything. I can't remember how old I am or how many bottles of vinegar are in my pantry. I can't count backwards or remember dates or how time passes in minutes or hours. I can't feel what ten minutes feels like cuz it's all either forever or immediate to me. Doctors ask when was my last period and I can never say cuz it could've been yesterday or last month. I often forget to write anything down due to my ADHD and autism. I forget how many meds I took just a moment? ago and I couldn't tell you how long it takes me to commute to the grocery store from the home I've lived in for three years. Communication is difficult and people are impatient. I struggle with video games because I always run out the clock and can't complete the mission. I love immersion but dread calculations.
Almost cried watching this video bc I have never heard someone explain how I feel about math so accurately, it is scary and interferes with so many things that I want to be great at, and just having to feel like you are the dumbest person in the room bc everyone else finishes a test so much faster than you or bc they raise their hand so proudly to answer a math problem meanwhile you have no idea how to even start to solve the problem. I FINALLY FEEL UNDERSTOOD
it would take me 18 hrs in college to complete my 100 questions of homework in my basic Algebra class ( 9 GRS on Saturday, 9 hrs on Sunday) with my very patient mathematician fiance looking on over my shoulder to be sure I didn't drop numbers, mess up order of operations, transpose numbers,or substitute numbers ( which I did on EVERY problem.. no matter how carefully I read it.
First of all, I apologise ahead of time for this lengthy reply.. I just need to rant a bit.. Sometimes the Dyscslculia makes me so fricking mad at life!!!
Yes, mathematically gifted significant others can be great, however, it does have its drawbacks,
For instance my fiancé ( who was once my husband, but we divorced and are now engaged again) well, you see, he has Aspergers syndrome and I am his only friend.
In almost 20 years he has not gone and done any social activities outside of work functions.
I have been able to at times drag hi m to some of my own outings or functions, be it a small party or a family gathering, whereby he would proceed to just wait anxiously by the door asking when we could go home.
Or, if I had people over, he'd make them feel so uncomfortable by going around putting coasters under their drinks, turning off lights as soon as they left. A room.. asking them to be sure to use cold water to wash the dishes, putting their coatscin the garage,..Just bring weirdly controlling and He's also incredibly cheap.
His logical, level headed, non emotional personality drives me insane. It's like being married to a Valcan.. like a Dr. Spock from Star Track.
I often say that if I were a normal, professional women with a career, I wouldn't be with him,
Yet, sadly, I also realize, that if I were a "normal", woman capable of obtaining and holding down a career, then I wouldn't be stuck with a guy like this. Believe me, he's dated other women, and if they had the ability to be independent, they didn't put up with his weird ways for long.
We both SUCK in certain areas, (him socially me, professionally), Sometimes I convince myself that our strengths help outweigh the suck ass parts of ourselves. But usually, I realize that I am setting..And in a way, so is he, but he's happy to settle since he has all the money, therefore all the power and control in the relationship.
I stay with him for the security, the math help, and for the simple fact that I have had a struggle my entire adult life making anything more than a sustenance level income, due to this disability.
Two lost souls who found each other, it's co-depending at its best.
If I ever win the lottery, I'll get my own place again, but I would still visit him for congigal relations and for investment advice ( which I probably wouldn't actually take, because he'd be opposed to me spending ANY money on my family or friends..He doesn't "understand" the concept of family and friends.
Thank You for letting me vent..
I needs that..
I've been feeling really, really, sincerely and genuinely trapped in life lately due to the fact that this curse of dyscslculia has held me back from having any sort of meaningful career. I'm too old to become a world famous athlete or actress...😶
Yikes.
@@sissyrayself7508 I have both social anxiety disorder and dyscalculia like yours. What a curse 😂
I have dyscalculia. I struggled with math all my life, I had to take a math class three times. I was denied being tested by a psychologist at the junior college I attended because I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I saw another psychologist who helped me, and because of him I was able to get to my dream uni through a program there that helps people like me. I graduated with my bachelor's in history almost two years ago, and now I work with adults with special needs. We can do anything, we are only disabled because that is how society sets things up for us.
I have also Dyscalculia.... When I was younger I didn’t understand why I wasn’t good at math or at anything that uses Numbers,Then I made a test because of a video I discovered and got Severe Dyscalculia.... I didn’t believe but then my mother told me that it was in the family..... I took 9 to 8 years to remember my mother’s phone number,I still can’t even remember the times table... I can’t understand nothing in math,I still can’t do simple things.... But still I try as hard as I can to live with this and try to do my hardest...and still no one understand the effort we put into every test every Math problem...But people still don’t know what we have and the name is Dyscalculia...
This touches so deeply with me.
This is literally the first time I’ve heard a name for it.
I believe I have adhd and now I think dyscalculia. I’m a pretty observant and visual type of person andI’ve always had a hard time with mathematics because up until now I would describe “ I have hard time visualizing numbers”, it’s more alien to me than if I were to see any other language that I don’t speak written down in front of me.
Thank you for sharing this. 🙏🏼
My first panic attack was actually during match class! How do I get diagnosed if I suspect but I'm not sure? I find counting challenging. Finding out how much stuff costs when it's 45% off... I know the basics but I continuously forget. ADHD is my main concern as of late, but dyscalculia sounds quite familiar too! Thanks so much for talking about this, Line!
As a maths and eletrpnics teacher with aspergers' and ADHD in my 30s I find it interesting to learn more about dyscalculia. I have met many interesting artistic people with both dyslexia and dyscalculia It seems to make the mind work in other ways, possibly enjancijg creativity.
However If would ask a person about dyscalulia and right/left brain it would be a way dor me to show interest and understanding for that person rather than trying to focus on their disability.
Personally I would see my ADHD and aspergers' so deeply intertweined with my personality that they are me. My social impressiion being mostly ADHD and my interal way of functioning being a mix of aspergers' and ADHD.
Of course I can understand they emotional aspects of living with a disorder and show empathy by asking, did the math test make you worried today or how did that make you feel when being forced to play the number game.
However for me being very interested in the workings of the brain and using my own diagnosises as a way to understand the way my own mind works asking about how dyscalulia works or buying app that makes dealing with numbers easier is also a way of showing affection.
This was a very interesting TEDx talk and gave some insights on the emotional sides of living with this condition.
/Richard
I am a dyscalculiac with Asperger's and ADHD. Would you say that there could be a way to bring about numbers in different approaches and perspectives? I seem to understand algebra a bit better after I learned German (the syntax work like a puzzle pieces, balancing out), and I also understood a bit further with rhythms in music (not writing out the time signature but grasping it by playing and getting used to the rhythms to further explore concepts). Since I was young I have always wanted to be a physicist but dyscalulia have deterred me. You being a math teacher, perhaps we can discuss further about this. I want to be able to do math. I need someone to help.
Asperger's master race
Had dyscalculia all my life...this year it was determined officially because I never knew why I couldn't do math. I also have non verbal learning disorder parallel to asperger syndrome
Autisum?
+iceman2Sam yes Aspergers syndrome is on, what is known as, the austistic spectrum :)
in one of my classes we had to skip desks either one or two at a time i got confused so my friend knew and yes told me where to go but one day some guy yelled at me and said is it that hard to count i yelled back and said yes. i have had always accepted it made jokes about it but you still feel stupid and that one thing i don't think people understand
mercedes m i joke about it all the time as a way of coping but honestly it kills me
When your family says that you are just lazy and don’t focus but you actually have a condition.
What a brilliant eloquent speaker, very interesting.
I am dyscalculyc. Love mathematics. Number mean nothing to me but mathematics not always about number. Conceptual mathematic
same here!
I never got officially diagnosed because my parents thought it was too expensive. I’ve struggled with math as long as I can remember. The amount of shame I have experienced for everytime I did something seemingly simple totally wrong like saying a number with more than 3 digits and saying it completely wrong. Or all the times I’ve almost cried because I really didn’t understand a math problem…. The times in math class I was convinced I wrote down the right answer just to hear later how extremely wrong I was and not understanding why. Still not being able to see the difference between certain numbers. And so on…. Thanks for talking about this topic people should know more about this horrible condition.
I have dyscalculia and dyslexia but my discalculia is alot worse than my dyslexia, but I struggle to spell some days and other days I spell fine, one day I speak fine and then I turn my words around the next. It can be so annoying. The maths I remember by images mostly things I loved can help. I can do hard maths but not easy. I can do hard English like poetry and literature but not grammer. But remember your special and unique. You were made that way for a reason.
During entrance exams, i literally draw the table in multiplication table just to be guided with numbers. Gosh. Numbers for me is a mystery. Thanks for this.
As someone who has this and had to drop out of high school because of Dyscalculia; the anxiety and depression it contributed to along with many other factors makes me feel even more hopelessness. .. The only jobs I can get is as a cashier and that always kills a part of me everyday(I know.... I at least have a job so I should be grateful)
I have some trouble reading an analog clock, can't keep track of sequence of days, dates, times, months, years ( if I did something yesterday, and didn't write it down) the next day I'll recall WHAT I did, but can't recall if it was 1,2,or 3 or 40 days ago. I can't keep track of sequences.. don't remember who's turn it is in games if more than 2 people are playing, spelling is very challenging, I'll have all the right letters, but can't get them in the correct order, poor hand eye coordination, very strong wit good endurance, but balance is poor, clumsy, can't read or write music though I've studied it and tried for over 29 years!!!!! do recall most birthdays of family and friends, have problems reading a map, .maps confuse me, its like looking at a map of a foreign planet,but good with puzzles, charts, tables and graphs are like a hypnotic swirly to me When I look at the these the numbers just jump all over the place.. numbers move in my visual field and dissipate, vanish if I try to visualize them. if I try to close my eyes and mentally " see" any number bigger than 1 digit at a time all I see is a white blank I am great with languages, very aesthetically aware, can tell you what color certain parts of famous paintings were ( exact color swatch match) from memory even if I've only seen the painting once years ago. I have an extensive vocabulary,I can accurately identify over 75 minute differences in facial expressions by just a mere glance, extreme awareness of my environment, can't get lost in the woods, great shot with a bow and arrow, can sew ( though not with a pattern).. great cook, awesome mom and wife( or so my kids and hubby say) very good at figuring out why baby is fussy and can soothe it when no one else can.. (baby whisper-er)..so, I have a distinct set of strengths as well as weaknesses... just like everyone else.
I'm looking for a calendar made for us dyscalculus folks. I can explain the calendar I get how they work it's just the moment I look away the info is gone. Digital clocks are easy but analog was impossible ( I just bought an analog watch because exposure to numbers has improved my odds of remembering them)
And I got A in math once for trying my poor math teacher he tried soo hard spent most of his time with me every high school year thanks Mr Carter and Mr wise for trying you get A+s from me😊
What she is explaining is an extreme, but I wonder if I have something like this, because I really can't do math in my head, even simple math is a struggle. I can only remember a few multiplication tables, the twos, Fives and Tens, but I can do it as memorization only, like how you type on the keyboard. I can tell you the answer to math problems if I memorized them immediately, but if I try to do the calculation I can't figure it out. So that's how I get around it, I memorize the answer to calculations that I use frequently and because they are used pretty often, they stay in memory. I had a hard time with spelling also and writing parts of words backwards, it's super frustrating. Reading is difficult because I feel sick after a little while and I forget what I read seconds after reading it, I use text to speech all the time instead and to double check that I didn't write the same thing twice or make other mistakes. I retain information better with audio, visuals and repetition.
Happy Birthday Line and thank you x
Today i was diagnosed with dyscalculia after 18 years
I feel seen. Thank you, Line.
i have dyscalculia too
Fellow Dyscalculic here! Can I just say how beautiful and soft her accent is? Like honestly. This has nothing to do with the video, but my Dad was in Germany in the military and my mother wanted to be married overseas (I'm American) but my Dad waited until he came back to the states. My Brother, and Sister and I would have been German citizens and spoke German which I wish I could speak. I don't know her country of origin but Germanic languages are so extraordinary. I feel a distant connection to Germany but sadly, I've never got to experience it. I'm currently studying it and hope to speak it fluently before my 18th birthday.
wonderful and brave, huge heart to help others, thanks for this.
Beautiful,
and the sheath was nice too.
The comparison to it being like math being a second or third language is really good. It's like I can only speak MATH I...Have enough of a grasp to navigate most day to day stuff (might take me a bit longer than for others) but beyond that it's all just a jumble. It affects almost everything. Using MS WORD, no problem...EXCEL - nope. I can sing but cannot read music beyond recognizing the up and down of the notes...Time signatures make zero sense. I can hear harmony but for the life of me cannot sustain it or find it independently. I can add and multiply a bit easier than I can subtract and divide - but all of it falls apart beyond maybe a 4th grade level. Holding numbers in my head to be able to work with them is nearly impossible. Understanding manual camera controls for my photography is also something that holds me back in pursuing things I enjoy as are crochet patterns and such.
I wish I could hear it better. The volume is very low. From what I could hear, thank you for a fascinating understanding of a lived experience of dyscalculia
cutest tedx speaker ever... also that accent, lovely.
I am also Discalculate and was born in September 11th!
It took me years to learn how to tell the time and I just don't understand how numbers go together. This is coupled with my poor sense of direction!!
thanks for the presentation.
I gave up struggling, and eventually navigated through college, grade school and work with dyscalculia. I do, however, still tussle with the time aspect of it. I embrace it in a weird way though. I just plow through any task with no regard to time. Sleep? i get up when i'm done, and go on to work. Work? Finished whenever. Meetings? I can never remember them. I hate them anyway so, what's the harm in getting the crib sheet later..
It’s crazy how she says this and all I can think about is how I’ve had those exact thoughts and experiences and the same birthday
I have it and so does my daughter.
Since I was a kid I've had an insane difficulty understanding math, and as a result kids were mean. Surprisingly for me though, I'm naturally very good at music and dancing, because it's more of a feeling to me than counting rhythm and stuff. I wonder if others have similar experiences.
Same here! 🙋♀️
I have to pass pert or algebra 1 EOC or I do not graduate and get a diploma. And this is been stressing me out for a while and I thought I had dyslexia for a couple months. My letters do not get mixed up. My numbers do appear mixed up or backward sometimes. I have a hard time knowing my left from my right and reading analog clocks I'm not very good with money either. I've been going to tutoring trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong why I'm not learning stuff that I learned yesterday that I forget today. So I just searched dyslexia math and then I found this video. I am very sad because I am hoping I can overcome this and get my high school diploma.
All you people with this condition have my full support, but I just want to say that I thought for many years that I had this problem, I got an F on pretty much Every math test and I struggled to count in my head and to have a perspective of Numbers, my head just felt cloudy and it drive me mad, but then out of nowhere I got really good at math and became one of the top students in it, I got a B on pretty much Every test and an A on some and a C on some, it turned out that I had the wrong teacher who was awful at educating children, then when I got an amazing math teacher everything changed and I am now just a year away from graduating to begin my career in investment banking and fund management. My message to you all is to not be to hard on your selfs, it could very well be your teachers fault.
I can always trust my calculator thats on my phone but what I cant trust is my self getting a pass on a math or science exam
Professional Fangirl I can’t trust myself to put in the right numbers 🤪
But at least the calculators right.
this is all too familiar to me iam pretty well certain i have dyscalculia its a terrible feeling when you can't figure out how to do simple math equations without a calculator or when you lose track of time very easily when you constantly fear the worst because math exams are your worst enemy im a college student and believe me math has never been my friend its always been an uphill battle for me trying to cope with the fact that i'll never have the same learning abilities like my other peers
its a shame because math is so elegant maybe if we could make all numbers into shapes it wouldn't meter
numbers are shapes but it doesn't matter that they're shapes, it's how they work and the way they relate to each other that's the problem.
I can't tell direction. Except for the sun, I don't know what direction I'm going. Nor can I follow directions. Not even with GPS.
Thinking back to 3rd grade. I memorized my multiplication tables quickly, creating my own mnemonic for the nines. But when we got to long division my problems were REALLY long. Pages & pages. I simply couldn't begin to guess. I tried to learn Algebra 3 times. The school finally gave up on that & moved me on to Geometry, which I did well at. Maybe because I'm an artist. I also did well at Logic. There's pockets of math I can do. I can do fractions when I'm cooking. I can do mental addition faster than most people. But usually numbers get mixed up in my head. If I memorize functions I stand a chance, but concepts are a problem.
No sense of depth perception. I know to turn on my signal 100' before the turn, but I don't know how far 100' is. I can't tell how many car lengths the car ahead of me is.
How many marbles are in the jar? Experience tells me it's got to be over 60. But is it 100 or 500? Glancing at several of an item, I can tell if it's over a dozen, but beyond that I can only guess it's a lot.
I know many people cannot instantly differentiate between right and left. What I don't know is how they deal. My solution is to hold up the hand I write with. That's the one I've memorized as my right.
But time is the worst. I can read a clock but the concept of the passage of time eludes me. I can't tell 20 minutes from 2 hours. My own family can't forgive me. And I would do anything to change that. I've tried literally everything. If you tell me something to try, I can say I've tried that.
"If I could be anything I want I choose to be late all the time so that people would hate me."
What's the thing all these have in common? They seem to come from an inability to estimate.
Shopping is hard but I don't care anymore when using my fingers or just give the money and they push back what I dont need I've found some systems usually some thing close to the heart still trying to figure out a system for alcohol amount for driving ,stories of our lives aye
I just want to point out that people tend to conflate "math" and "numbers". Most of mathematics, especially the more interesting stuff, isn't about numbers--some parts of math abandon them entirely--and when numbers are involved, you can usually save them until the end--at which point you can probably plug them into a calculator. Being bad at numbers and arithmetic doesn't mean being bad at math.
I'm just finding it funny that as a person with dyscalculia your reply made no sense lol
It depends on the degree of dyscalculus. I can't do the problems in algebra because if I look away from my paper I get lost. I can teach the concepts though. I taught my class mate geometry, he did the problems and I copied his work. We went from failing to passing.
I have dyscalculia, and I have no idea what you just said. My mind instantly goes blank white whenever I try to do math concepts no matter which type of math. (I can do geometry/trigonometry as it is more visual(This is common with people with dyscalculia)) My brain is like that monkey clapping the symbols in my brain when I need to remember math processes
I am terrible with memory, with math, and processing info. Given time I can understand, but I can't remember words and numbers again. It is very difficult to hold information in detail even after understanding basics of info.
I have not been diagnosed ...have no insurance while being so long in poverty , and my mother even has prejudices about invisible disabilities among other things. So I may never know why I have trouble.
If I did know would that change anything for better?
I sadly almost feel that even visble issues to even point if ever having cancer is better not knowing in avoiding costs and knowing I can do nothing any how.
I wish everyone else what they need , but I am just speaking for myself.
Yeah! Fantastisk bra Line!
I see myself represented 🥺
have lived in GERMANY from 2010-2012 helped me a lot to learn a lot more of maths. but im still unable to count backwards. and its necessary in music and other areas too. Q: /
In what other areas please explain
I am 15 years old and I k ow how to read a clock but it takes me forever. I have tried for years to memorize multiplication charts but I still can’t get it. Most of the time I can’t do simple math without my brain clogging. Anything with math I am really bad at. I can’t figure out how much change I should get in my head. But I also consider myself very creative. I can visualize very well. I can create original ideas quite easily. And I am pretty good at art. I excelled in classes like English and history. Does it sound like I have dyscalculia?
@@hardcore1742 EXACTLY I am very good at earth science you know stuff like geography and ecology but this year I took chem and I super failed.
Yes, sounds just like me. Im 31 and lived with dyscalculia all my life. I also have adhd.
I pronounce it dis-cal-kew-lee-uh.
i remember the day in 2nd grade i misunderstood an exercise the class was doing, and instead of writing what was on the board, i thought we had to create our own math problems. well the teacher made a humiliating example of me in front of the class, and from that day on i stopped learning well from numbers. i think this girl has it a bit worse than me, but yeah.
i was just asking because i have dyscalculia too
I didn’t know there was a ted talk on my condition :0
I've known I had add since a young age and i thought that was why i struggled with math. Now i suspect i have dyscalculia.
what resources are there for adults like us?
This is what one of the comments below said: "I got tested at my local university I paid 104 buck they looks at ur families income to determine how much they'll charge you . The test is originally like a thousand . You don't have to go to the school to get tested either. Call the psych department at your local university/ college and see if they offer it. I'm in the U.S btw."
A counter theory:
Mathematics, quantization, seeing the world in discrete units, is not "Normal, nor is it science, it's a religion which due to the long duration of its practice has left pathways in the brain. Rather than focussing on the people with natural immunity or resistance to being converted, why not imagine that the numeric approach to analyzing phenomena is a flawed idea? Could it be true, for example, that a tool for analysis which is unable to "see' what 90+% of the universe is made of is just the wrong tool for the job? The answer must be that if not entirely wrong it is certainly incapable of assesing the raw data of the universe that we experience in many other ways. As Jackson Pollock elegantly put it when questioned about not painting from nature "I AM nature"! And so we are.
We live "IN" an ocean of Dark Matter yet it remains determinedly invisible to mathematical analysis. That's telling us a very big thing. It could be that its very ubiquity defies quantization by virtue of the infinitudes it would demand, or it could mean that humans have developed other faculties for apprehending natural phenomena, that haven't been identified as such. Why for example do humans make Art, in every culture, under the best conditions and the most horrible, from the caves to the present? Is it merely because we like to have nice things to look at, or that it allows us to "Express our feelings"? A staggeringly huge amount of the brains sensory real estate is devoted to seeing and making images. Why? There must be some adaptive advantage, even urgency involved in its continuing presence in our species.Perhaps our reliance on Math has rendered us blind to an analytical function that deals in whole systems rather than in parts? If science is to advance it must soon challenge its reliance on what has essentially become an article of faith while it proves itself only a little better at seeing the big picture than other religions.
MuckOVision yes!
It feels like I don’t “believe” in numbers. And other people do!
I thought this applied to me, but it definitely doesn't. I have absolutely no problem with numbers in my head, but I have incredible difficulty with word problems. They just do not make sense to me... Number sense, mental math, etc is of no issue. I also have trouble with graphs sometimes, and I remember learning to read an analog clock as difficult for me, but I completely understand it now. Doing algebra is simple and fun, but it all goes out the door when it is put into a word problem. What is the name for that?
I could easily set up the problems for you but I can't solve them because the numbers will shift when I'm not looking. I know 3*5=15 but I could easily write down 51.
I have this and I dont know what to do
What accent is that? I really like her voice.
Danish
Im awesome at math. But i cant seem to learn peoples names or faces. Is there a name for that?
Mine is clearly not as severe as hers but I do believe that I have dyscalculia.
What should I say to my math teacher when he tells me that I am lazy and I don't want to lern? My dyscalculia is not very bad (I can read the clock,I am good with directions ),but I can't do math at all.
Please tell me!
Go to the special education specialist at your school if you have one. You need a person to fight for you
How do all of you guys with dyscalculia get jobs? I feel like anything with money or numbers makes no sense to me and I haven't been able to keep a job. My last manager decided to tell the guests all about my disability without my consent, so when i was let go I didn't argue.
I don't know what to do and it's becoming hard to not slip back into depression 😧
I feel the same way. Everyone just looks at me like I'm not trying to understand the math, but my brain is not built for that. I am currently studying to be a speech therapist because that is the one career I found that pays well and doesn't involve much math. As for part time jobs, I am scared to apply as a cashier, but you have to take risks to get far in life. Look for jobs (sales associate, waitress or hostess, apparel and accessories team member) that don't involve math.
Yea same boat of struggle
I love labor. I love digging ditches, carrying lumber, building things. Going down the same path as every one else will be a bad idea but you will find a path that will work for you
I get jobs because I'm great with words. Cover letters and interviews are easy for me.
As for a job that you want to retain though...Find what you're good at and what you like doing. Try as many new experiences as you can.
i thought she sounded danish, and what do you know, shes from århus
Alright, I would like to translate that in french and polish. Can someone please send me a link or something?
Hi Monika! - the TEDxVennelystBlvd, now is TEDxAarhus, and the crew behind, are so, so nice. So maybe contact them?
All the best, Line
At 52 I’m bombing precollege arithmetic for the third time. My dad was a math wiz who went to U of M before most finished high school. I think I’m done with math, enough is enough.......
I remember the numbers, dates ONLY because there were either a traumatic emotional event, or because it was the total opposite : a very sucessful positive event, like in 1995(novemember/december) to january 1996 , when i started playing guitar, and i still do till today. Q: / otherwise i have a hard time. plus, i still play guitar by ear, instead of learnng music theory. Music theory is based on maths. Q: (
How long did it take to learn to play by ear?
@@QuiverWS6 i dont know cause it was natural and the only way that i knew back in 1996 when i started playing guitar.but it needs focus and repeating listening and trying parts.
I'm not ashamed or scared anymore hey I've been 47 for 3 or more years I've found ways around most things I learned 3rd 4th of things working on a farm with rectangle paddocks starting with what I knew a half, took a lot longer to learn where to place sprinklers with a clock system once I understood their 12oclock and it nothing to do with north it clicked lots of laughs at me and me at me andtheir patients I enjoyed the experience ooh learning to back a trailer my system do opposite of what of what I really want to do I pride myself with that and I'm a female so yeah!
Has dyscalculia delayed anyone else from learning to drive a vehicle?
Hey, please talk to me reply
I cant remember paths I have crossed some time even passing through there a hundred time.
Noo
there is an error in the info: you wrote "between 36 percent" instead of "between 3 to 6 percent" as said in the video
PeterAlfonsLoch she has Dyscalculia.She can't do percentage.Niether can I
The stat on how common it is sounds off. Ive always read it was 3-7%
What did you guys do to finish school I suffer from dyscalculia
I’m going through my junior year in high school and I just found out that this is a thing and I plan to get tested.
Know this is late but..
My friend did my math homework for me and I did her literature/history homework. I just knew it was never going to click and instead of letting the teachers fail me, which they were threatening to do, I passed and she's now in college doing fine. Went into homeschooling and it saved my life.
Good luck
I think she's cute, and she's a beautiful human being.
I have dyscalculia and it doesn’t help that I have to do my exams soon.
5:30 - 5:57 this is so me:'(