The Dyscalculia Experience
How can we better understand what it is like being dyscalculic?
One student recently described it to me as a “hidden'“ disability. She found it easy to talk about her physical disability with peers and teachers, but struggled to describe her dyscalculic experience in a way others could understand.
“People just don’t understand, they can’t imagine that I can’t do what they can so easily.”
Paul Moorcraft is a successful dyscalculic author and professor, who writes about his experiences in the book, It Just Doesn’t Add Up. Moorcraft’s understanding of his own dyscalculia grew when he crossed paths with Professor Brian Butterworth, who invited Moorcraft to participate in some studies at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London. Eventually this led Moorcraft into writing and speaking out about his own experience with dyscalculia.
“I felt as though I was being asked to speak in an unknown language for every minute of my arithmetic and algebra classes in school.” (Moorcraft, p. 23)
In his book, Moorcraft refers to the writings of Samantha Abeel, in her dyscalculia memoir, My Thirteenth Winter.
“I fight to compute the numbers, but my brain feels as if it is searching through empty file cabinets.”
“I feel as if I am staring into the face of someone I should know but can’t seem to remember. No matter how hauntingly familiar the figures are, they continue to remain anonymous strangers to me.” (Moorcraft, p. 25 quoting Abeel)
For those of you who are dyscalculic, how do you describe it to others? Do you have words or an analogy that describes the feelings or experience?
I would love to compile your responses into a blog post, and maybe my next book, in the form below. You can share your anonymous responses here. Together we can shed light on what it is like to be dyscalculic.
When my daughter was in middle school she created a zine art - a small booklet or mini magazine that is used to convey a message, display art, and spread provocative ideas. She created this thoughtful piece around the experience of dyscalculia.
I shared this art in a blog post a couple of years ago, but thought I'd share it again here because it's such a great portrayal to help us understand the dyscalculia experience. To view her zine art and her statements about each piece, visit this blog post.