The Shocking Truth About Learning Disabilities and Math

[@iñigote]

For a person with learning disabilities, it takes twice as much time to read and write, and surely having the reassurance that you’ll have double the time helps relieve that burden of stress. This allows you to think more clearly and also feel the support of the teachers.

[@krollic]

the whole point of tests is (or at least was) to evaluate individual students results relative to the rest of the class. if someone is less capable and you give them double the time, congratulations you've somewhat mitigated the impact of their disability on the test and made them seem as capable as the others at the cost of being fair to everyone i.e meritocratic.. but at least you feel good about it, right? universities and colleges used to mean something because the only people who got in were the smartest and most intellectually capable. they received the resources and went on to make the biggest improvements to society. now you have people who are extremely euphemistically referred to as "learning disabled" and they get priority and extra resources like this despite being the least likely to be able to contribute in a meaningful fashion. this is a big part of why academic institutions have been increasingly regarded as a joke for decades now. without politically motivated economic incentivizes employers aren't interested in hiring people who take twice as long to do the work as normal so it makes no logical sense to prioritize such people in academics institutions either.

[@Da_Great_Unsubscriber]

​@@krollic assuming you are right, what is the "fix" of such disgraceful situation? What are consequences for both normal people and people with learning disabilities in case of such fix? Will society benefit from it? If it will, in what fashion? etc.

[@krollic]

@@Da_Great_Unsubscriber the solution is give people the same tests and don't play favourites and people will inevitably be filtered by capability. that's how it used to work. people with learning disabilities should be supported elsewhere. trying to cheat them through higher academic institutes doesn't help anyone, including the disabled people

[@IsntPhoenix]

7:30 that and the stress of a smaller amount of given time. Some people really struggle under pressure.

[@douglasstrother6584]

In the 90's, I worked as a Physics and Math Tutor at "The Learning Center" in Eugene, Oregon, which specializes in tutoring, etc. for young adults with various learning disabilities. My clients were exclusively men with dyslexia. Often I would "work myself out of a job" because the Student would "get it".

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Great story, thx for sharing this!!

[@haroldwood1394]

I spent nearly twenty years involved with adolescents and young adults with mild intellectual and learning difficulties. On the rare occasion that I met pronounced dyscalculia, it was starkly evident. Such a student, who might be able to pass in other areas,albeit at a lower level, could not learn to add 5 plus 5 after several months. Dyscalculia is real. Sometimes, no amount of extra help will change things.

[@ApostateMike-41]

I wish more people were like you. I have comprehension problems sometimes when i read. I know this has nothing to do with a classroom setting but people on social media, specifically Facebook can be very cruel if i dont completely understand or comprehend something right off the bat. I love reading and learning but it takes me just a little longer to get material to stick in my thick brain. Thank you for being a good, understanding and empathetic human being.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Thank you for this wonderful comment:)

[@Amazoninspiration]

I experience what this video talking about to me is more of when I see other students doing the test super fast, I get anxiety. So putting me in a environment where I get more time and isolated, it really help me to think, to figure out problems. Also when many state that this is not fair for other regular students, after the fact I have some sort of accommodation I realize that is not the case, if I did not study, I don't know much of the context that the test asking me to know, no matter how much time I have I won't be able to figure it out. Especially in a more higher math there is no way a person can figure without understand the stuff regardless the duration of the test. Me personally, if I know I can't figure out something I won't bother. I won't be like let's sit there wait for some magical stuff happen then all of sudden I know that problem!

[@SabrinaMarquez-rw2xb]

I am epileptic and dyspraxic. And am currently a math major. My cognition is fine, but my motor coordination is poor. My dyspraxia is severe enough to affect my speech, my motor skills in my hand and cause me some trouble walking. Although with enough daily practice and extra hours studying I have done decently well. Your tip about studying and doing problems without notes helped a lot in that regard.

[@hl7892]

Thanks for this story. Kudos to her for not just giving up but finding a way to do it. That is encouraging.

[@stephenmcnamara8318]

Diagnosed ADHD late in life. Was always very good at computational math, with huge issues in Algebra and Calculus - once letters replaced numbers. Same sort of issue with physics, very good at the intuitions, and calculations - but would often end up inverted, or going in the wrong direction. But had a 760 on the math part of the SAT. The extra time might be for some plug and chug approach - to get a real sense of what happens with the variables when they go up and down...as a method to approach it. What really is challenging is initially understanding what the question is looking for - sometimes way overthinking - and doing a bunch of unnecessary steps or going past the answer. Dyslexia and ADHD also often have people messing up 2 terms like left/right or numerator/denominator - it really helps if we see an example. I see it with my kids as well - who sadly do not get much accommodation (we now live in Europe) But yes - accommodations can definitely help - and stop this being a huge limiting factor on what they can achieve - especially if this might be more of a distribution requirement course than a major.

[@tjcochius6331]

I’ve had dyslexia all my life from childhood. The shame I felt was so heavy that I worked harder to hide it than to work through it. This lasted until I was in my early twenties. As a kid I would always read the last sentence first and work my way back till I could guess the gist of the text, that way I could stop reading when everyone else did and seem appear to have read the whole thing. Now I read for pleasure and collect sci fi books.

[@fluffurbia3501]

I remember reading a study which looked at the difference giving extra time in exams made to those with learning disabilities and those without. Those without scarcely benefited. If they could not answer the questions in one hour, they could not do so in two either. It was a different story for those with learning disabilities for whom extra time made a significant difference. It seems a good way of finding out if students have mastered concepts in principle.

[@kevinbuenoartbywave]

I have ADHD and I can attest to this, for some reason our brains just need to marinate on a slow flame, it's a chemistry thing after all. I swear I wouldn't be able to learn set theory if not for the slow cooking methods of self education. I really helps to go for walks when I study and visually think and practice. Little internal conversations help. And what works best is a history of maths a chronicle or story to hold on to.

[@Meghana_Nallamilli]

Ikr! Same!

[@kevinbuenoartbywave]

@Meghana_Nallamilli once I discovered that there is such a thing as "the history of mathematics" everything changed about my attitude for it is true that I love a good story. But also yeah "slow and steady wins the race" just show up a little everyday.

[@MarkV007]

Its ironic that some authors of math books warn you in the preface that reading math isnt like reading a novel - I think they must never have read a really good novel, the kind you read again and again, seeing ever more deeply into with successive readings, and having your mind filled with it even when youre not reading it.

[@nomatman8352]

great comment.

[@Meghana_Nallamilli]

@@kevinbuenoartbywave we do need walks to assimilate what we’ve read and to think about it for a while. I’ve recently gotten into the history of mathematics as well and it’s really interesting knowing how people came up with such ideas- under what conditions, after what earlier theories were established did this come about… as opposed to the usual problem solving approach I used to take towards mathematics

[@GymCat14]

I was talking to my brother about this yesterday! He has dyslexia and needs extra time to do his very best. i was also dignosed with dyslexia and have trouble with reading as well as math. Having more time and a quiet inviroment helps tremendously!

[@RegularGuy-bo7tv]

from my experience with timed tests, she might have known she wouldn't be able to pass in the time given and just cruised through the test to get it over with. it's what i did. put in little to no effort because it's the same outcome as putting in a lot of effort and still failing.

[@AMVH2012]

For me, the easiest way to explain it is to imagine you are in class and the song "Popcorn" comes on every 10 minutes but you are the only person who hears it. I have learning disabilities, hearing loss and tinnitus, sometimes so loud it drowns out everything but generally a constant mid volume ringing all the time. Anyway, the song comes on and you try to focus while all this other stuff is going on at the same time. The only thing that really saves me is that my memory is very good, which can also be extremely annoying because if I'm paying attention it is locked in forever (I know the words to so many songs).

[@subtlefeatures1087]

I have adhd. Couldn’t do math in school. Was horrible. Dropped out. Went back to school. Went to university and got a science degree. About to start learning math. KZbin IS A GAME-CHANGER.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

AWESOME!!!

[@MarkV007]

What happened, that you were unable to learn before, and became able to learn afterward?

[@subtlefeatures1087]

@@MarkV007 so maturity is the big one. I got kicked out in year ten. I wasn’t mature and I needed to grow the fck up. I watched my sister graduate and it lit a fire inside me. So I went back to school at 22. Passed VCE (I’m in Australia, so I got my GED) and went to university. Maths is not my strongest subject but I really want to work on it. In fact it’s my weakest, I know hardly any of it. But I’m interested. I also realised the teachers are not the best at delivering content for neurodivergent people. I actually performed significantly better working from home and utilising the internet and KZbin. There is just so much pressure on kids to perform, it takes time. I’m also very very lucky I’m in Australia. Going back to school was free and my university course was substantially subsidised. At the end of the day, you have to want it.

[@MarkV007]

@@subtlefeatures1087 Something Im wondering: if adhd isnt an obstacle to learning once youre mature and motivated, then in what sense do you have adhd ? I get distracted too, when Im tired, or when Id rather be doing something else ... Its only when I try to force the issue, make myself learn something that just really doesnt interest me or makes no sense to me (example would be philosophy) that my brain just completely freezes up in a way that could be called ... what? Something neuropsychiatric which I think is probably just a red herring since it wouldnt happen if I just respected and honored my limits.

[@subtlefeatures1087]

@ I’m fully adhd. Diagnosed at 30 by a psychiatrist who said “I have no idea how they missed this”. I don’t think they did miss it, it was just never addressed. Don’t get it twisted, adhd is a massive obstacle. Struggle big time with maintaining focus, fidgeting, hyperactivity and a fair few other things. Neurotypical people tend to think oh yeah I get distracted or fidget but I don’t think they fully understand just how bad it is in adhd people. I also don’t solve problems the way normal people do. Stick adhd diagnosed patients in an fmri and the core executive function areas of the brain tend not to light up. I manage my hyperactivity and symptoms with exercise. I know so many doctors, nurses and paramedics with adhd. It’s really common in the healthcare field. Because it’s exciting, everyday is different. But in adhd you also get hyper focus. So if you’re interested in a subject it’s all you think about and want to do. For instance the only drug found in Kobe Bryant’s system was Ritalin. Dude was hyper obsessed with basketball.

[@Meghana_Nallamilli]

Autism and adhd here. I feel like I do bad in a classroom setting but self study works for me. I also prefer autonomy so I only do things that I want to and not what I’m supposed to do ;-;

[@raspberry897]

thats relatable for me; i, also, have autsim and adhd, and it doesnt make me different or slower than everyone else. just shows that i learn differently and require different settings to perform at a's. (if i studied). it doesnt make u less intelligent, yk i also self study too and tend to do things that interest me

[@jxmint4458]

Im also autistic, just finished my first semester at university. The main thing I've learned about myself is I can't treat myself as a neurotypical student and follow the normal, neurotypical way of things since i'm not neurotypical. I have to be fair to myself and get the accommodations and support i need to put me on a level playing field. It's not that i hate education (i like it actually) or that i'm dumb etc, i just want a fair chance at success and to gain knowledge like everyone else. I just need the accommodations made due to my differences

[@Meghana_Nallamilli]

@@raspberry897 that’s absolutely right, it doesn’t make us any less intelligent; we just need more flexibility in what courses we can choose and how they’re taught and assessed

[@raspberry897]

@@Meghana_Nallamilli Exactly. Regardless, i am still proud of us for managing our neurodivergence so well ☺

[@wisemath1084]

I'm a math major in my senior year with a 4.0 gpa. I have some serious learning disabilities, ADD, processing disorders and failed every math class in high school . I got diagnosed as an adult, from there my life changed and I was able to asked for special accommodations, as it takes me twice as much time to finish en exam. I need prerecorded lectures as I loose track easly during lectures. And Finally, I do all my all my exams in a testing centers, as it feels like a control environment where I can concentrate and manage my ADD better. Also in the testing center, I don't feel the intence pressure of trying to finish on time like the neurotipical students. In my first year of college when I still didn't have special accomodations, I remember I took an exam inside the classroom and it took me almost 3 hours to finish, while it took everyone else an hour. I remember feeling ashamed and embarrassed. I got my text back and got an A. If you are struggling ask for help and get accommodations, this also means knowing how many classes you can handle, if it takes you twice as much time to finish the work, then really consider taking less classes per semester.

[@ChimiChuri-k2o]

Wow, I have adhd and struggle with keeping my focus so badly which impacts my efficiency directly...

[@BarbaraPrice-s1p]

Teaching math at a Community College, I had several students who panicked from adding time pressure to fear of math. Doing math by stopwatch never appealed to me. When I gave a test, I let everyone know that I would take them over to the library to finish if they needed more time. It was just as secure as the classroom, with me monitoring. It seemed to help some, and some expressed gratitude at being heard. That last part made me sad.

[@TheMathSorcerer]

That's really good of you to do that for your class!!! Thank you for sharing this:)

[@anthonyp8955]

Specific learning disability, is hard to accept. But the sooner you accept the better your life gets.

[@Lukas-cm2b]

1 million subscribers, wow congratulations

[@CalebAchsah]

@Lukas-cm2b - Yes, he's very popular because he's really that good!

[@BlueberryBumblebees]

It could just be the anxiety of worrying she might not have enough time to finish- which itself eats the time away.

[@jmextrom]

I can totally attest to this, I took a “calculus readiness quiz” in my calc 1 class and I was so stressed that I only completed 17/30 questions. Then I got extra time and did great

[@CrisOnTheInternet]

I don't have a learning disability but I noticed that for manual things I'm really slow, it has to do with my energy levels or that I need to train the speed, either way I'm convinced people can thrive in the right environment, and that involves accomodations of any kind.

[@gadlicht4627]

So something to to say is some testing centers have more distractions than non-testing centers because they are nto setup well and have people moving in and out or other distractions. Some places are really hard to book in ways that make no sense. I have had teachers/professors let me stay extra time in an office or classroom (not always possible) and that can help a lot. I have problem with neatness that makes anything rushed and spelling/grammar can make rushed things hard to read. They are many reasons for extra time, but you may also want to think about take-home and other assignments not in class at times to bypass need for accommodations as getting them can be very hard

[@julians9763]

Learning disabilities should be solved at home. Too many distractions will not solve any learning disability. Abuses and threats prove the limited level of thinking of the persons who do these behaviors towards people with learning disabilities.. It does not require rocket science to notice that if a person begins to show signs of learning disabilities, one possible solution can be to create an environment that learning can be enhanced. Find out what type of learning disability is hindering. Avoid the education assessors, who have become narrow minded. and are quick to mention special development school.

[@trongtue8384]

This make me remember about Sir Roger Penrose story. From a kid who did bad at school become a successful physicist and get a nobel prize. He even invented his own diagram help him get over messy Algebra stuff

[@georgephillips2600]

I have PDD pervasive developmental disorder also known as autism and I’m going into computer engineering so I hope i don’t have troubles with advance math

[@codework-vb6er]

My university required tutors to watch this training video. It discusses the negative assumptions (biases) we assumed about people that have learning disabilities. The section "Visual Preception" at 16:17 will change your life: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWqxl6J9nrF-mqM&ab_channel=DrCavitt

[@celeste3100]

I was getting really frustrated that I couldn’t grasp math I was desperately looking for a neurologist to do a CAT SCAN or something to see if there is actual damage to my brain due to childhood trauma and of course bumping my head as a kid. I still want to know the health of my brain.

[@CalebAchsah]

@celeste3100 - I have always been afraid of math too, but I recently discovered that I am not dumb and I can do math if I take my time (as much time as I need). Just realizing that has helped tremendously.

[@celeste3100]

@ I never said I was afraid of math. All I said I was getting frustrated not getting it so I thought I may have physical damage to my brain that’s hindering any learning. When it comes to testing, I don’t need the extra time because all I’d do is over think every answer and probably not even finish the test. I like the low testing time to keep me going on the test.

[@CalebAchsah]

@@celeste3100 - Sorry my mistake. I was afraid of math but you are not. I used the word "too." Erase that. Keep living your life. 🤗

[@surrealistidealist]

I strongly recommend the book "Ungifted" by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman. The subtitle is "The Truth About Talent, Practice, Creativity and the Many Paths to Greatness". The author himself struggled with learning disabilities and wrote this book specifically so that "anyone who feels trapped by a label can be set free". Please read!!!! 🙏

[@MarkV007]

I got distracted by having been given the label "gifted", and especially by crushing the SAT. When I got to College I decided to test this like any good scientist would: if I was really a genius, then I didnt have to do any work, it would all come naturally and easily. I successfully demonstrated to myself that I was not in fact a genius. Unfortunately my College concluded I shouldn't be in College at all. I did learn something about the SAT though. Whatever its testing, its not testing the ability to learn. (And thanks for the "Ungifted" recommendation)

[@surrealistidealist]

@ Oh man! I’m so sorry! True genius still actually takes a lot of work to draw out its full potential. Learning, thinking, problem-solving and expertise are all lifelong works-in-progress. You might also like books by Keith Stanovich (“What Intelligence Tests Miss”) and David Perkins (“Outsmarting IQ”). None of these books trash the idea of IQ, but they give a more measured appreciation of it and show that there’s a lot more to education and intellectual development than just one big test score.

[@lnrdspns]

Yes. That's "Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined"

[@pega7us]

Thank you

[@omP-pf1sg]

hey math sorcerre im 16 but have started studying discrete mathematics and it has distruebed my school so should i quit please advice me

[@TheMathSorcerer]

Focus on school first, then discrete math:)

[@omP-pf1sg]

my school teaches bs subjects like moral science wasting 1 hour of class

[@Far_Suit_3842]

I think u should learn to manage your time and work accordingly.....spend a good time of day on higher maths and other at your school material and try to study overlapping topics, which will help u in school too.

[@Far_Suit_3842]

@@omP-pf1sg then try to solve questions in the back of class of the concepts u learned last day or in morning.....i used to do that and utilize my time....else try to complete school work so that u have time to do higher mathematics at home

[@omP-pf1sg]

@@Far_Suit_3842 thanks but they give a lot of assignments like there are 18 subjects to study 10 every day and they all give loads of assignmnets

[@lordfrieza2848]

I failed all fours years of high-school math, granted that's my fault being young and not taking it serious. I have zero confidence in it and it's always held me back in so many ways. How can I go about teaching myself? Where can I start?

[@arfaxad2137]

Online classes thats how i learned english 😁

[@laureanooliva7836]

I am a student now and tbh it feels unfair. Because there are some guys that can do tests super fast even when practicing the same amount that other people. I flunked a lot of tests because of time, and I passed test that others flunked because of time. Should I get more time? I don't like the idea of not passing exams based on time restrictions, it feels dumb. But it also feels unfair giving more time to some people and not to others. If you are kind of average is where you get the most unfair testing because if you had a disability you could get extra time, but if you are fast at test you can do it within the time limit. So the people that are in the middle are the only ones that might not pass tests because of time.

[@laureanooliva7836]

I actually have a friend that had a disability during high school. And he is also studying engineering like me. And I always felt envy towards that, because he is not the only one that might get distracted by being in a classroom and he is not the only one that would benefit from extra time. He always did good on tests, on many of them better than me. But I could have done similar to him if I also had the opportunity to get more time or a better environment. I can understand that if he was in my situation he would do very poorly, but because I can do fine when he can not I am getting a worse end of the deal.

[@laureanooliva7836]

Sorry if I sound insensitive, but it's what I feel. And I wouldn't want anyone to do worse, I just would also like to have the opportunity to do better.

[@quicksilver2923]

Your opportunity to do better is to get better at tests and get better at learning the material.

[@MarkV007]

What is really unfair is being forced to try to do things that youre clearly not good at, and being deprived of opportunities to discover and do what you might turn out to be very good at indeed. See John Holt "How Children Fail" or Peter Gray "Free to Learn".

[@laureanooliva7836]

@@MarkV007 I agree

[@keeganandre1708]

unrelated to the video. i haven't been recommended this channel lately like i used to, and clearly many aren't either. why are some videos only getting a few hundred views despite 1 million subscribers? also why does the channel upload so frequently? and why are some thumbnails AI generated? the whole situation is a little strange

[@CalebAchsah]

Some years ago, I met a Civil Engineering undergraduate who was crying in the snack hall because she was facing potential dismissal from her major. Her boyfriend came out to the parking lot in distress because he didn't know how to comfort her. So I said, "Can we pray?" And he said, "Anything will help." So I went in with him and we prayed. The student calmed down and explained that she freezes during the test and cannot remember the material. She only needed to write a petition to be submitted to the College through her academic advisor, but the prospect of writing the petition caused even greater anxiety. "I love Civil," she said, "I don't ever want to leave Civil." We wrote the petition, she submitted it and was granted special permission to utilize the Testing Center. At the Testing Center, she made "A's" on all her tests and graduated with honors. I don't know anything about learning disabilities either, but as a Math-phobe, I felt that her tears were my tears, and I could completely relate. Sometimes, the solution is just empathy and understanding. Thank you, @The Math Sorcerer, for this video. We appreciate you.

[@youruniquehandle2]

Wow, so brave of you to go away and waste time while she calmed down and you feel like you did something.

[@yeshipeice8600]

I swear youtube is spying on me

[@angelajohnson4666]

No learning disability here

[@ChristianHoltz-ti2pp]

Iq 200 and learning disability (trauma, adhd) here. I failed at univeristy math age 22 because of my missing executive function. Was a philosopher and started my Manhattan Project. Do well now (im rich), want to go back to university again (physics, harvard).

[@Meghana_Nallamilli]

Thank you for your story.