Do anyone suffer figure blindness?

Question

Does such a thing exist officially? I have always had trouble, with math, if i was given a column of figures to add up 3 times, i would get 3 different answers and they would all be wrong. I have difficulty remembering phone numbers, and reference numbers.

But im brilliant at spelling and English Language.I Guess i cant be great at everything

Dyslexic is word blindness is there a word for figure blindness or is it not recognised.

Answer 1

It's called 'dyscalculia' and I suffer from it too.  Welcome to the club!

In my case, it was discovered when I was in university, some 15 years ago. I also am dyslexic, and was subjected to an IQ test - the real one!! not the ones on the Internet! and tested for dyslexia at the Derby office of the Dyslexia Association.

Before that, it lead to my being written off at school as a slacker, a no hoper and useless.

I'm given to believe that it came about as a result of a head injury when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I was launched off of a see-saw and landed on my head, on the concrete base of the see-saw. It does however, have a number of causes, just as does dyslexia.

It can be worked around, and I can retain PIN numbers, Social Security Number, drivers licence number, bank account numbers and vehicle registration numbers etc.  

I just can't do the mathematics without adapting my strategy to the condition.  For example, I can add-up and subtract quite easily, but have difficulty in multiplication and division, so to multiply say,.. 16 x 12, I just convert it into a sum, i.e. I add-up twelve lots of 16 - it's the same answer!

In my time working in Occupational Therapy, I encountered a patient with the exacty same problem, and showed him my solution. It worked for him too.

At College, my mathematics tutor was mystified by my method, and asked me about the little figures in the margins of my excercise books. I explained what I was doing, but she still remained baffled.  Not until I reached university, did I find out that I had this condition, and what it is called.

Answer 2

Well I've learnt something today - thank you Grey Mare. I have this Dyscalculia but didn't know it was a recognised condition.

I'm c**p with numbers but love words and languages.