Dyspraxia and maths

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zedgonewrong
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Dyspraxia and maths

Post by zedgonewrong »

I struggle massively with handwriting and have frequently found myself penalised in maths exams (which I can't type) because of numbers being indistinguishable from each other etc. I was wondering if anyone knew of any way to type maths, I suppose, or a program that made symbols easier to access or something. Since I'm going on to study maths this is a bit problem that has impacted me badly up to now and I haven't been able to find anything that doesn't also solve calculations which wouldn't be allowed in an exam.
Tom fod
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Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by Tom fod »

Maybe a mind mapping or some sort of application that works like a virtual chalk board but that allows input via a standard keyboard/keypad

Guess you'd still be accessing using a laptop or poss a tablet but they have to give you the benefit of the doubt that you won't try to cheat
Tom
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sjsPuzzler
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Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by sjsPuzzler »

Microsoft Word with LaTex shortcuts. They can disable the internet on a desktop computer with nothing on it but Word for your tests.

Resources:
To insert an equation in Word: press control+equal on Windows or command+equal on Mac.
https://support.office.com/en-us/articl ... 17f25754f8 (A quick guide to start typing equation shortcuts in word.)
https://www.overleaf.com/ . (If you ever go on to grad studies in STEM you'll likely need to use this at least a bit anyways to write formal research papers.)
Also I suggest you enlarge the font since you'll be writing subscripts and superscripts a lot in math, and increase the line spacing to at least 1.15 so no parts of the equation get cut off.

The good part: It's 100% none of the profs will complain about getting typed up assignments. For tests I would wait until you're smooth with using it. You need to memorize a few codes for that, but it's worth it. Then once you're fast it'll likely just be a formality to request math typing accommodation if you're not asking for any extra time and study somewhere a bit progressive. (You still need a formal assessment to show you're actually a really bad writer, a psychologist pretty much just needs to watch you write for a bit.)

The tough part: It's about a 6 month learning curve to learn all of the shortcuts you'll need and the buttons always need to be pressed in the right order to avoid it crashing the program. (Hint: press enter and save at the end of every line.)

The great part: Once you get the hang of it though it's great and most people are oddly super impressed you can type math. I'm a final year university math student who was struggling on my tests and with essay length assignments until I figured out how to type it. I even had to take some time off and studied the social sciences while I looked for a way. Now I take notes on my computer in all of my classes and write faster than most other students, plus a PDF of the textbook that can be searched with control-F and a graphing calculator can subtly be kept open to visualize any explanations in class. I find it's especially helpful for googling a formula that you forgot the details of. Somehow I got straight A's last semester for the first time since starting math.
Raku93
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Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by Raku93 »

Maths to me is like reading a completely different language but I can honestly say I think what helped me was working in a bar. After a couple of months of working with tills and cash I started managing to pick sums up which I never could of before.

I struggle sometimes when the prices change but working with the same numbers over a long period of time definitely helped especially as the till did the sums for you.
Dogheaded
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Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by Dogheaded »

As a child I scored 3rd percentile for shor-term numeric recall. That means out of every 100 people, 97 people will remember math things better than me in the short term. If people give me a series of numbers, it is very difficult for me to repeat it back. Actually, I might have to hear it several times before I even get a sense for it. So, anytime an exam is closed book, I struggle a lot, because I have difficulty remembering what equations are, what similar concepts are, etc. So, for an exam I'd try to study a lot and just keep repeating the most important things (keep it in working memory) until the exam started - then I'd write it all down as fast as I could before I forgot anything. If it's in front of me, I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out.

Waiting for results on my final exam for the last math class I need to take in college. Got a good tutor, a friend of mine, to spend a week of evening helping me learn, but also turned out the exam was open book, so I think I did okay. This was Discrete Maths, which was difficult, because there were a lot of operations and symbols I hadn't seen before. I needed a cheat sheet just to be able to read a problem. I don't think I'd qualify for discalcula, but I have very much struggled because of this memory issue.
FaraHilde
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Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by FaraHilde »

Your perseverance and dedication in overcoming memory challenges are truly commendable. Best of luck with your final exam results, and remember, your efforts and determination will always be valued.
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