Number Stumblers; Dysnumeracy or Dyscalcula

Most people have heard of Dyslexia.  This is the difficulty in reading and writing.  It does not effect intelligence and many dyslexics are quite brilliant.

Most people, however, do not know about Dysnumeracy or Dyscalculia, and might think it doesn’t exist.

This is a brain-based condition which makes it quite difficult to make sense of numbers.  I know about it, because I have it.  I see no logic in calculations, often write numbers backwards,  so that am as likely to write 8/9/1948 and I am to write 9/8/1894 and not notice.

Because persons who are dyscalculate or dysnumerate are not going to have an easy time of math, they resort to logic.  They reason things out and can comprehend them in visual manner.

Where you can sit and do a calculation a dysnumerate reasons it.

This is one of the reason dysnumerate people never fall for Ponzis or any kind of scams, because they can’t grasp the way that I can give you $10 today and you give me $20 next week.

I can understand if you are making tee shirts and you are selling them for $100 because they cost you $20 to make.  I can understand the 1:5 retail trade; that is $10 for the goods, $10 for the worker, $10 for the utilities, $10 to get back your money and $10 just in case the price goes up,  and putting the price on it to make sure you make a profit.

Dyscalculate people never make a mistake with money.   They count it, and count it, and separate it into bundles, and although it may take ‘forever’ they get it right.

Just as a dyslexic will have to read an item slowly and cautiously, and uncover facts that those who virtually skim never grasp, the dyscalculate, who has to rely on other methods of numeracy will envision possibilities that math geniuses will miss.

Hence the coping methods used are very much alike.