ABOUT KIDS WHO HAVE LEARNING DISORDERS LIKE ME...

While I have never officially been diagnosed with dyslexia, there is no question that I struggled with school larnin' issues in my formative years and continue to compensate for it to this very day.

You know -- short-term memory lapses, slow deliberate speech, tip-of-the-tongue words suddenly failing me, saying one thing and meaning something entirely the opposite (i.e north and south, left and right), having to read something multiple times in order for it to sink in, difficulty grasping mathematics in general, problems with focusing or concentrating (a day-dreamer), all of which result in low self esteem from an early age. Slow and methodical to this day, always learning from rote.

Sad to say, kids with learning disorders were given a short shift when I was in primary school in the 1940's. Relegated to bottom-of-the-class level as hopeless, hapless dummies, teachers generally gave up on kids like me. We were labelled as lazy and disinterested. Smart kids were the teacher's pet and it was my first exposure to second-class citizenry. We were left to fall further behind with each passing school year and to eventually drop out in an attempt to leave failure and humiliation as far behind as possible.

Accused always of not applying myself, I became disillusioned, fed up and cynical about anything pertaining to school, yet determine to eventually prove them all wrong...somehow. Mature student courses, experimentation and nose-to-the-grindstone dedication to learning while on the job, enabled me to enjoy a degree of career success, in more than one line of endeavour. 

Succinctly, I had to leave school in order to discover and develop what few special skills God had given me. Dear knows how much better balanced and happier I could have been if only I had guidance in applying myself much earlier in life.

I am convinced that children are much more energized when they envision a future that is in line with their own values than when they dutifully do whatever they believe they have to in order to live up to their parents’ or or teachers' expectations. We don’t inspire our kids through fear. We inspire them by helping them to focus on getting better at something, rather than being the best, and by encouraging them to immerse themselves in something they love.

Because this subject has been rather a sore spot for me, I have given it considerable study, leading me to believe that I really did not have a reading problem per se. My issue was more mathematical. I do not think that I ever passed a math test or exam in my entire life.

Proficient reading and mathematics skills, in particular, are an essential tools for learning a large part of the subject matter taught in schools today. With an ever increasing emphasis on education and literacy, more and more children and adults are needing help in learning to read, spell, express their thoughts on paper and acquire adequate use of readin', writin' and 'rithmatic skills.

Formerly called developmental arithmetic disorder, developmental acalculia, or dyscalculia, I am convinced that I was inflicted with a learning disorder in which a person's mathematical ability is substantially below the level normally expected based on age, intelligence, life experiences, educational background, and physical impairments. This disability affects the ability to do calculations as well as the ability to understand word problems and mathematical concepts.

Mathematics disorder was first described as a developmental disorder in 1937. Since then, it has come to encompass a number of distinct types of mathematical deficiencies. These include:
-- difficulty reading and writing numbers
-- difficulty aligning numbers in order to do calculations
-- inability to perform calculations
-- inability to comprehend word problems

The range and number of mathematical difficulties that have been documented suggests that there are several different causes for mathematics disorder. In addition, several known physical conditions cause mathematics disorder. Mathematics disorder is often associated with other learning disorders involving reading and language, although it may also exist independently in children like me whose reading and language skills are average or above average.

The causes of mathematics disorder are not understood. Different manifestations of the disorder may have different causes. Symptoms of the disorder, however, can be grouped into four categories: language symptoms; recognition or perceptual symptoms; mathematical symptoms; and attention symptoms.

The number of children with mathematics disorder is not entirely clear. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the basic manual consulted by mental health professionals in assessing the presence of mental disorders, indicates that about 1% of school age children have mathematics disorder. 

Other studies, however, have found higher rates of arithmetical dysfunction in children. Likewise, some studies find no gender difference in the prevalence of mathematics disorder, while others find that girls are more likely to be affected. Mathematics disorder, like other learning disabilities, however, appears to run in families, suggesting the existence of a genetic component to the disorder.

In defense of all dyslexics and acalculiacs (or dycalculiacs), it has been determined that they have many strengths: oral skills, comprehension, good visual spatial awareness/artistic abilities and creativity. More and more of these children have potential to become talented and gifted students if schools worked not only with their specific areas of difficulty, but also their specific areas of strengths from an early age. To do this we have to let go of outmoded viewpoints that a child with any type of learning disorder must first fail, in order to be identified.

Above all, there must be an understanding from all who teach them, that they may have many talents and skills. Their abilities must not be measured purely on the basis of their difficulties in acquiring literacy skills. All children thrive on challenges and successes in the classroom. At no time should they be made to feel that they are inferior and face the possibility of developing a lasting complex like mine.

Be all that as it may, if only I could have been spared going through life and finding myself in positions where I was required to appear smarter than I really was. It can be damn uncomfortable keeping up perceptions.

"To thine own self be true." -- William Shakespeare.