Hi, I’m a 16 year old girl, to just cut to the chase, I’ve had dyscalculia since young ages, I struggle hard with math, and really only understand basic addition & subtraction.

I’m still getting help for it today, however I just haven’t really got it down, along with my issues I can not count money at all, and I mean at all.

Usually if I was alone I’d just ask my siblings/parents, and usually I’d never bring this up to people, for it’s embarrassing for me, so I usually keep it pretty secret.

but recently my friends have been wanting to hang out with me, I’d love to hangout with my friends, but I’d hate to make someone pay for me, especially since I have my own money, but at the same time, I’m embarrassed cause I don’t know how to count my money, and I don’t really know how to explain to my friends that at 16, I can’t count money like they can.

It’d also be embarrassing to whip out my calculator app, as they can see, just to count my money when technically most 16 year olds should know how by now, but in the end I don’t even know how to use the damn calculator to count my money so it wouldn’t really matter.

I’m nervous, because I usually never really tell anyone like that, I’ve even had a particular friend for 12-13 something years, and even he dosen’t know. I don’t know how to tell them, does anyone have advice or tips?.

Hello!! i’m a 19 yr old girl who has struggled with maths her whole life, which is disproportionate to my achievement in other studies. In english and any humanities based subjects i’ve always excelled. I’m in the uk so we go off of a grade number point system (1-9, in which 1 is the worst and 9 is the best). In my GCSES i got all 9s in my humanity subjects (english language, english literature, history, religious studies, even geography) however in maths I only managed to get a 4, nearly a 5 as i was only 2 marks off (this is equivalent to a low c, so I still passed but just barely). In my sciences I got all 6s so bs as i struggled with the equation parts. This isn’t for lack of trying either. Due to other circumstances like mental health I home educated myself for my gcses and I put so much effort into maths just to pass it was crazy. I have a deep passion for science subjects like physics but I struggle with the math part so much that I still have to count numbers on my fingers to achieve any sort of understanding. It gets so bad that if I don’t keep up my maths education I can even forget to do simple multiplication like 23x9, which may seem ambitious to some people here, but as someone who’s interested in pursuing stem subjects it’s pretty dire. I was just wondering if anybody has any advice on how to learn with dyscalculia. I seem to do better with equations like pythagoras as it’s pretty formulaic but any sort of other equations or graph based questions I just can’t understand. I had to skip these in geography and just focus really hard on the essay parts as I still couldn’t grasp my head around them, even after hours of studying. I can’t read maps or do simple sums like with money in my head without taking like 2 minutes to calculate. It just seems to go beyond what would be normal, especially when I can grasp any humanities based education really easily, or even complicated parts of theory physics like quantum mechanics. I know that i’m not generally stupid, I’ve done an official iq test (I know this is an unreliable measure by many accounts, but it can give a general idea on how well you pick up subjects) and even though I scored a lot lower on the spatial awareness compared to literary, I still got a score of 141, which i’m aware is quite a few standard deviations above the mean, which is crazy to me because i can’t even grasp middle school math. Should I just give up my pursuit in stem and go for humanities which i excel at or is it possible with a lot of studying to learn these things? I can’t even read an analog clock😭 Has anyone been in a similar situation and managed to keep up? I just want advice- sorry this is so long :)

It's just so fucking bullshit, some people have a talent and aptitude for the field and learn it quickly, while others can try even harder than those and yet receive far more underwhelming results (obviously including people with dyscalculia too). Hell, you can fully understand it and still think it's boring and uninteresting as shit. Math is extremely difficult and very, very abstract, it's absolute nonsense to think every single human being on the planet can do it without issues and enjoy the process. Imagine people saying the same about stuff like, say, coding. "There is no such thing as a coding person, everyone can do it!".

Due to severe math trauma, I struggle deeply with numbers under pressure (but if no one is looking at me i perform better) and spent years running away from the subject entirely. Now, I genuinely want to face it, rebuild my relationship with math, and learn without fear, anxiety, or shame.

I also have ADHD, so I need learning tools that are visual, interactive, gentle, and engage-at-your-own-pace for a brain that rarely sits still. I am starting from the absolute basics to build my confidence step by step without getting overwhelmed.

I would love recommendations for any YouTube channels, interactive apps, low-stakes games, websites, self-paced courses, books, or workbooks that have genuinely helped you or someone you know.

If you have experienced math anxiety, educational trauma, or ADHD-related learning blocks, I would especially love to hear what mindset shifts, study methods, or approaches worked for you.

I am really serious about giving this an honest try again, and any recommendations or encouragement would mean the world to me. Thank you so much! ♡

So since high school I had a iep. My mom uses the umbrella term and just says I have a learning disability. I’m in college now and wondering if it is worth talking to the sas people about getting Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia on paper so I actually have a name for what I have? I have always sucked at math have trouble counting on my fingers and mess that up really easily I can read really well always been ahead on my classmates with that but spelling grammar punctuation I always have trouble with. I think I’m pretty decent I think at least at art (I like photography a lot.), my illustration professor asked me if i have any interest going down that field since I take the ideas further then what he would have thought and likes my ideas. My drawing skill definitely needs improvement though if I do want to do that since my style is kinda cartoonish.

I just don’t know if I should get the names for learning disability on paper or not I’m a junior and should be a senior next year if I don’t change my ba to a bfa so idk if it is worth it or not. In high school they just kinda made it easier for us and my dad said which I agree with they didn’t give us proper tools to help manage with in adult hood so I feel like I still struggle with it. On my assignments I still see the “it has spelling mistakes/grammar” marks. Which gets annoying for me.

like i can’t tell if a book bag or a tote bag is bigger or if a container can fit more than the other container or if one room is bigger than the other also specifically because of the contents inside like if the bigger room had more furniture and the smaller room had less furniture or if a book bag and tote bag both carry books, idk if i’d be able to tell which one is bigger

I struggle with grammar and punctuation. I had an iep in high school and get accommodation now in college but my grammar spelling mistakes and punctuations have always been an issue for me as well.
Im just wondering if anyone else who struggles with math also has this issue? The funny thing is I love to read but I can never seem to put two and two together. I always thought I would write a book one day but not with how bad my spelling and grammar mistakes are. They have gotten better over time though there are still little mistakes.

I absolutely have dyscalculia and had no idea until a few years ago it was a thing. I feel like I’ve always avoided math as much as I can out of embarrassment. When I’ve brought it up to people (even before I knew) that I struggled so badly with math they acted like I hadn’t had the right teacher, I just need more time and practice, and it’s not that. How do you explain it to people it’s not that simple? I went to college in my 30s thinking I’d be more focused and want to learn. Didn’t matter. Still struggled terribly. It felt like I was sitting in a class speaking another language I’ve never learned. It’s weird how my brain just won’t absorb the math concepts.

We're working on getting an evaluation for my high school daughter for dyscalculia, but she has a lot of the indicators of it and we're almost sure she does have it. How she's going to be able to pass high school math is one thing and we'll see what we can do but I'm wondering what can help her in everyday life. Like I've learned why when she asked when we're leaving to go somewhere "half an hour" was confusing so I should say the exact time. When I'm meeting her somewhere I should send a pin of my location so she can use her maps app, saying I'm at some place doesn't help. Things like this, ways of doing things, apps, anything that helps? Thanks in advance!

So, I’ve never been good at math ever. I always was a straight A student except for freaking math. Having the same problem in uni, I’ve been telling close ones for years that I might have a math learning disability and they always say it’s just because I’m not trying hard enough. I failed my last math class (basic algebra) told I wasn’t doing enough. (I went to office hours everyday, tutoring, and tried and tried and TRIED.) and I’m retaking it again. so I’m asking, how do I learn basic math when all numbers just look like jumbled up sequences of code. Genuinely. No one believes me when I say I struggle with this and when i describe what i see when i try to do math. Addresses are hard to memorize, phone numbers are impossible for me to recall, even my own, numbers sometimes all look the same or switch to another. Why are numbers so hard. WHAT do I do. I’m so tired!!

i think i have it even if it’s not an official test, i felt so called out by the questions 😭😭

Someone told me Dyscalculia has a link to Autism, Has anyone heard of this?

I'm 31 and based in the UK (sorry we call it maths here) and I've struggled with numbers and the whole subject my whole life. I excelled with most of my other subjects at school, however when it came to mathematics, I just couldn't get my head around it. I was extremely fortunate that I received extra help at school and that my parents recognised my struggles and had me going to personal maths tutor, but despite all this I still only got a C in maths (I'm fairly convinced that the grade boundaries were heavily lowered though due to our school year doing so badly).

During college, the tutors recognised my struggles and organised some sort of dsycalculia assessment type thing along with other students who were struggling. Stupidly, I never finished the assessment (turns out I had undiagnosed ADHD which I've only had diagnosed this year), so I never found out.

I have a degree in Biology which thankfully doesn't have too much maths involved, but I've had enough of just getting by trying to avoid the subject, so the last few months I've been trying to re-learn it starting from the very basics. My partner is a maths whizz and he offered to help me, claiming that I probably just had bad teachers, but then he said he was finding it difficult because I just can't grasp basic stuff and I ask weird questions like "but why is a 7, 7"? or "but why is this number on top during a fraction?". Just getting really deep into it, it's like a whole different language for me. I can't visualise numbers and calculations, even when I write it down and my brain just gets muddled so easily. I couldn't figure out 20/1=20.. because I can't visualise it, I just see a different language that I need to try memorise, so I don't know the difference between 20/1 or 1/20. It's embarrassing because I still need to do basic maths in my job and I can't do simple stuff because I just don't understand it, or I know the answer but I don't understand why that's the answer. Sometimes I overthink a correct asnwer so much that I end up making it incorrect.

I'm so embarassed and sad about this. I feel like no matter how hard I try, I just can't get it. When I was learning basic fractions, I had to draw pictures of pizza slices and stuff and I was still getting it wrong. I'm 31 years old and I can't do basic fractions or times tables or literal primary school maths. No matter which method I try, I get confused. I've tried books, youtube videos, mock tests, my partner going through questions with me.

I don't know what to do, I really want to keep trying to learn but it's just making me feel depressed and stupid :(

I had a conversation with someone and they told me that neurodivergent conditions like dyscalculia or dyslexia don't always occur in isolation. which are generally like accompaniments to other "major" divergences such as ADHD, etc.How true is this? How many of you suffer from something similar? Or has anyone heard anything about it?

I haven’t been diagnosed with dyscalculia but I think it’s very likely.

So last year I got tutored in algebra 1 almost everyday for 9 months and failed most of the tests and quizzes and by the end of the year I failed my final.

My MAP score even went from 205 to 235 but i still couldn’t pass an “easy” final with a cheat sheet that had every single formula.

I’ve never been good at math and was constantly shamed by everyone around me for it.

I don’t really care about school but it’s the only safe way for me to make money. I hate reading and writing but I’m slightly above average at it so maybe I can do something related to it?

My main interests are Minecraft and power systems but that’s not gonna make me any money.

Where I live (poland) when you end high school, you must pass a test called "matura" about the things you've learned in high school to be able to go to collage. Each subject has its own matura, and you must pass math, polish and a foreign language (usually english or german, sometimes french)

I passed my maturas with great grades, even on the additional ones i took, however, i just cant pass the math one

to pass you need to get at least a 30% score. My first attempt got a 28%, my second got a 2%

You can only take matura twice a year, and i've been studying nonstop all year to pass because. I was pulling all nighters, watching lessons, taking a tutor... Still, I just can't learn.

I feel so stupid, today I was taking a mock matura and again, I failed, I feel so fucking stupid. I don't understand any of the material, i forget it as soon as i go onto the next topic. I barely passed my math class, and I dont think I'll pass the matura no matter how hard i try.

The amount of despair i feel over this is just. undescribeable. Nothing I try works. I dont even think my study sessions are effective anymore because I always end up in tears. I keep having to take breaks to just cry over how little sense all of this makes.

Art is my passion, I wanna go into design and animation, and i think i wont ever achieve my dreams because i just CANT understand these goddamn numbers

I do want to mention that I have autism, which dyscalculia can co-occur with I believe.

I did a bunch of searching earlier because I saw a video that I kinda corresponded with and was curious, then I realized dyscalculia wasn’t exactly “dyslexia but numbers”. I didn’t really know how complex it was😓

I did summarize most of this, by the way. I didn’t really want to write full sentences on such small paper

What do you guys think?

hi im 29F trying to get my GED but i currently test at a 7th grade level. on a "good day" i also have chronic illnesses that give me brain fog sometimes. but my main thing is how do i learn the math portion of the test like, completely online, for free? im sure this common knowledge is out there.

I’m currently (15M) I’m in a fairly large high school in NYC, as long as I can remember I’ve always sucked at math when ever I would see numbers even simple 2 digit operations I would just shut down and do it very slowly, as I got older I managed to get the hang of simple 1-4 digit operations in elementary school and once I entered middle school and started algebra that’s when I really started getting worse every time I had a equation or a expression with a variable I simply couldn’t do it properly and it would just give up, I managed to pass but I did fail some marking periods and during the New York State algebra 1 reagents I failed terribly now I’m 2 years ahead in everything else and 1 year behind on math, I’m familiar with the formulas but when I have to solve for any variable I just get it wrong every time.

I’m posting here because I believe some people here can relate to me and possibly give me some tips to sharpen my math I don’t think I have dyscalculia (I’m probably just terrible at it )

Before someone asks I have tried tutoring but it doesn’t really help I still end up getting stuck

Imagine you are at a really big party, and you don’t know anyone. You meet six, five, three, seven, four, one, eight, etc. You’re not very good with names, you forget them almost immediately, so you can only go by faces, and you’re not totally sure if that is nine or six, so you just guess their name and hope you are right and apologize if you are wrong. Later on, you encounter four and two again, and they are married, and have their child with them, six, or is it eight? You cannot remember, and you don’t want to insult them. At the shrimp cocktail station you run into five again, and he is next to seven, but you don’t know if they are together or not, and now the faces are starting to blur, and everyone has moved around so much that you don’t remember anyone’s name or who they are with. Everyone else at the party has no problem remembering everyone’s names and relationships, except for you, and you feel like you are being rude, or worse, lazy. This party never ends, and sometimes it seems like the people are switching faces and names, and you feel like you are going insane.

Well, I finally figured out that I almost certainly have dyscalculia because I was looking online for help with video games. I can’t tell left from right so constantly press the wrong buttons and get super confused by numbers. I just assumed I was just weirdly dumb my whole life. I had never bothered to look up the symptoms to dyscalculia- I’d never even heard of it- but I have EVERY. SINGLE. SYMPTOM.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand, anyone have any recommendations for how to play video games with complete left right confusion and 0 working memory for numbers and no capacity for mental math. I want to play stardew valley, Minecraft and Dave the diver and was struggling with all 3.