Dyspraxia and maths

Anything to do with studying at University or college, from classes and coursework to classmates and student life

Moderator: Moderator Team

Post Reply
zedgonewrong
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 1:14 pm

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
Administrator
Posts: 3062
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 9:05 pm
Location: SW UK

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
Moderator/Administrator

With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
sjsPuzzler
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2019 2:28 am

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
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2019 10:35 pm

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
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2023 12:39 am

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
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:01 pm

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.

Admin have removed signature containing a commercial link advertising holidays. This is a breach of Forum rules
Dball
Getting settled in
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:51 pm

Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by Dball »

You might want to check out LaTeX or math typing software like MathType or EquatIO. They can help you type out math equations without the hassle of handwriting.
samij1997scd
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2024 2:23 pm

Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by samij1997scd »

I found Maths difficult as a child and ended up having to attempt GCSE maths 4 times
Georgiaava
New member - welcome them!
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2024 6:41 am
Location: usa
Contact:

Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by Georgiaava »

Dyspraxia, also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), can have a bigger impact on adult mathematical performance than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Surrey. DCD is a prevalent neuro developmental movement condition affecting approximately 5% of the population Dyspraxia, also known as

[url removed by Admin]

developmental coordination disorder (DCD). It affects physical coordination and balance. Dyscalculia is to do with numbers. It makes it difficult to understand and work with numbers, perform calculations and remember facts in mathematics.
Last edited by Tom fod on Thu Oct 31, 2024 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Suspect URL removed by Admin
Tom fod
Administrator
Posts: 3062
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 9:05 pm
Location: SW UK

Re: Dyspraxia and maths

Post by Tom fod »

Georgiaava wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2024 6:45 am Dyspraxia, also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), can have a bigger impact on adult mathematical performance than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Surrey. DCD is a prevalent neuro developmental movement condition affecting approximately 5% of the population Dyspraxia, also known as

[url removed by Admin]

developmental coordination disorder (DCD). It affects physical coordination and balance. Dyscalculia is to do with numbers. It makes it difficult to understand and work with numbers, perform calculations and remember facts in mathematics.
Please provide explanation re the URL in your orig post (removed by Admin)

Any Advertising or otherwise suspicious contravene group rules.
Please read them.
Tom
Moderator/Administrator

With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
Post Reply