Math and ADD | ADHD Information
I learn concepts well. Right now, I am taking Statistics and it's been easy so far. What I always did in MATHS was rush and make sloppy mistake, in part because my handwriting/numbers/columns were so sloopy or get bored doing repetitve stuff and get lazy sloppy. I was always a low B Math student. Even as an Adult in College Algebra I was B-...I have a 95 average in statisitcs atm...I am sure it's the inmprovements in concentration and the diminishing of sloppy mistakes afforded by the medicine I take.OH!!!!! AND I HATED WORD PROBLEMS, YOU GUYS!!! I would just sit there and read them OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER AND OVER, AND OVER...ETC.........Time would just be ticking by, and i would just be staring at that FIRST DOGGONE WORD PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!
They play tricks with the wording of the problem JUST TO MAKE US ADDers CONFUSED, I BELIEVE!!
Yeah, sonya... my biggest problem was making those "careless" mistakes! (careless, my ass... we can't help it!)
Word problems I hated, too... on that note, have you ever had so-called "best answer" multiple choice exams (math or not)? You know... the ones where they make them tricky! Like, they'll ask you questions with double-negatives and stuff.... like "Which of the following doesn't exclude so and so...." Or, my favorite, they'll give you choices where all the answers COULD be correct under certain circumstances........ in the mind of an ADDer, you have NO idea which one is the "best answer" because they're all good.
I guess that doesn't really apply to math, but I had to rant a little!
Another bad thing I remember about math class was that although I could usually do good on tests and stuff, I was always the last one out of the class on test days. The teachers always looked impatiently at me.
[QUOTE=sonya_h]OH!!!!! AND I HATED WORD
PROBLEMS, YOU GUYS!!! I would just sit there and read them OVER, AND
OVER, AND OVER AND OVER, AND OVER...ETC.........Time would just be
ticking by, and i would just be staring at that FIRST DOGGONE WORD
PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!
They play tricks with the wording of the problem JUST TO MAKE US ADDers CONFUSED, I BELIEVE!!
[/QUOTE]
OH MAN!!!! I hated those
things!!!!!! By the time I'm reading the part about Train B, I've
already forgotten what train A was doing in the first place. Ugh! I had
one teacher who said it was helpful to read the question at the end
first (at which point will the trains meet?), because then you can
re-read the "story" and make quick notes on the pertinent information.
This helped a little but those stupid things were still a b*tch. And I
swear they threw in irrelevant information just to make it more difficult
sometimes. 
I have a keen scence of logic, and have no trouble with mathematics... if I use a little time on it. Straight A, that is :)
Being rushed was always my achilles heel in math. If I took my time, though, no problems. Except fractions... never really could get a grip on those.Being genetic, my dad had the same problem... especially with Algebra. However, he can do simple math in his head, like nobody's business.I, on the other hand, am just the opposite. I can barely do a simple addition problem in my head, and when I do, it takes me 5 times as long to get an answer, as a normal person. However, my algebra skills are slightly above average I think.
My theory is that math is logical, and I have developed an uncanny logical ability - probably as a "defense mechanism" for my ADD. It's probably that, alone, that has given me not much trouble with math (compared to other ADDers I've met).
Of course, I also know WAY MANY MORE normal people who can't do complex math (fractions, calculus, etc).
Your math inabilities may not even be a result of the ADD! I think the overwhelming majority of people, in general, aren't math experts. And I'm not saying I'm one either. It might comfort you to know that my major in college also happens to be with computers, lol.
I think you should realise that you're in the vast majority of people that don't really understand math.
Oh yeah, there was one other thing... I can't remember equations for the life of me! I always had to use the "aid" of my graphing calculator - but just to "remember" the equations. Hahaha... I feel like that's not cheating, because I did genuinely learn how to use the equations, and what they are used for, and HOW they work. And hey, afterall, we are in the information age... if a professional needs to figure out something using the quadratic formula, do you honestly think he/she's gonna remember it? NO! They're going to look it up on the internet!
Hopefully that gives some insight... good luck!I always had, and still do have, a very hard time with math. The one and only test I ever cheated on was on the multiplication table in the 3rd grade.
I was horrible
at fractions, mediocre at basic algebra, and just scraped by in long
division. The only thing I was ever good at was geometry - but that was
ONLY if the list of formulas was provided for me. Today I wouldn't even
remember which formula went where. I could never wrap my mind around
where pi and other such constants came from.I've always been fascinated with physical sciences - like astronomy, physics, meteorology, etc, but the math just KILLS me. I took a meteorology course in university as an elective, just out of interest - BIG mistake. During my very first class, the prof put this mess of numbers and letters on the board and said "here yougo", and the rest of the class immediately got out their calculators and started to furiously work out the problem. I literally sat there dumbfounded, not even knowing how to get started. As soon as class was over, I marched straight to the registrar's office and dropped the course.
So yeah... when I have kids, I think dad will have to help them with their math homework.
Is there anyone out there that has add but also had a hard time learning the concepts of math?
My son add and he had a terrible time with math. My daughter just cannot grasp the concept either, and I went on a website for kids trying to learn the concept of fractions to help her.
After going over it a million times, I tried to explain it but couldnt as i "forgot" how to do it and it was only 20mins later
I've always had a horrible time with math, with the exceptions of geometry and calculus. Can't explain that! I actually took algebra/trigonometry 3 times- two different levels in high school and remedial in college. Then I aced calculus with out even trying. So wierd.
I cant 'do' math in my head, so I count on my fingers and carry a mini calculator in my purse. I used to be embarassed and try to hide it, but I gave that up a while ago.
I told my husband I married him for a few reasons, to reach things off the top of the fridge, fix electrical stuff in the house, and calculate the tips when we went out to eat.
My math is horrible. We take gambling trips several times a year and the black jack dealers just "love" me, they are always telling me what I have. Throw in an ace and I'm really confused.With me, I get the concept right...but I will not be paying attention, and will write in one step, say, the number 3, when I meant to write the number 2 which would have been correct..and then that will throw the whole rest of my math problem off.... then when I got finished with a problem, i would always be eager to move on, rather than do those little, "go back and check the answer" strategies...
My grade school teachers recognized that I got the concept of the problem correct and they gave me good grades...but once I got to middle and high school, the wrong answers would not blow over so easily with the math teachers... they would look in my problem and see my simple mistake of getting one number wrong that threw off the whole problem even though the problem was done correctly, and write little comments, like "CARELESS MISTAKES" and whatnot....I read somewhere that that is a common school comment from teachers for AD/HDers...
sonya_h38418.5175347222 [QUOTE=csr19us] have you ever had so-called "best answer" multiple choice exams (math or not)? You know... the ones where they make them tricky! Like, they'll ask you questions with double-negatives and stuff.... like "Which of the following doesn't exclude so and so...." Or, my favorite, they'll give you choices where all the answers COULD be correct under certain circumstances........ in the mind of an ADDer, you have NO idea which one is the "best answer" because they're all good. [/QUOTE]One of my professors in university LOVED to do this. He'd give us an exam that was entirely multiple choice, or multiple choice plus an essay question. About a third of the MC questions would have "d. both a and c are correct", and/or "e. both a and b are correct", and/or "f. none of the above".
Way to make you second guess yourself!
Oh! And if your answer was "none of the above", he expected you to fill in the correct answer. Arrrghh!!!!!
bcgirl197838418.5228703704
I have always struggled with math.
Always.
But, a few years ago, my consulting job entailed calculations for tube feeding assessments. I was doing at least a dozen a day and I depended on my calculator.
BUT, I kept losing my calculator. (ADD ya know). Along with the spreadsheet with all the nutrient amounts for the different feedings.
SO, I ended up memorizing the spreadsheet and I trained myself to do the calculations long hand.
Don't know the point other than if I can get decent with math, just about anyone can. :)
I am taking college algebra again. I am working on my RN, and although I passed it in undergrad, I couldnt remember a thing!. So I am taking it as a refresher, and as an ADDer, it was terrible until I started my meds. I hated word problems with a passion and that is why i was so afraid of taking the GRE(graduate entrance exam), but with my meds and some ginko biloba, I am doing fine. I could not have done it without the meds, i'm taking straterra by the way. Keep at it, and dont give up!Teach math visually...the best aide I found is brainpop.com...it was the best to show my daughter (adhd too) what I was trying to teach her out of the book..it is the best and has short films on all subjects not just math.