My Dyscalculia Story: Grace Tindall

Can you tell us about your experience with maths and how difficulties with numbers have affected your everyday life (for example at school, work, or home)?

Going back to when I was at school, I was first diagnosed with dyscalculia when I was in Year 8 at secondary school at the age of 13. However my school had never heard of it, so it was very difficult for the remaining time I was at school as I felt like I was on my own and even now at the age of 22, I still feel like I'm trying to navigate dyscalculia and find what works for me. 

At what age or stage did you first notice challenges with maths, and what experiences or signs led you to suspect you might have dyscalculia or maths learning difficulties?

As soon as I started secondary school, as maths lessons got much more difficult than primary school. I noticed it would take me a few extra seconds or even minutes to work out a maths problem. 

Have you had a formal diagnosis or assessment? If so, how did this change your understanding of yourself or the support you received?

It was my maths tutor outside of school that picked up my struggles with maths. So I had the assessment at school, and it took weeks to get results back. Then when I did, none of my teachers and family had heard of dyscalculia nor had I. 

What kinds of support, strategies, or adjustments have been helpful for you (such as teaching approaches, tools, technology, or workplace adjustments)?

Unfortunately, my secondary school gave me very little support, and I was never given my diagnosis in writing or physical evidence. So it made it very difficult to put support in place. 

Have you experienced misunderstandings or a lack of awareness from others about your maths difficulties? How did this affect you emotionally or practically?

Yes, but I can't pinpoint a specific scenario. 

Can you share a specific moment, breakthrough, or achievement that felt significant in your maths learning journey?

When I understood Pythagoras Theorem in a maths lesson straight away.