My Dyscalculia Story: Becky Arden

Dyscalculia and everyday life

At school I had great difficulty in trying to understand mathematical concepts and formulas. I also struggled with memory and recall, so even if I did eventually grasp the concepts, I would easily forget how I came to the same mathematical conclusions the next time I approached the same problem.  

I left school without a Maths GCSE and avoided mathematics, budgeting and accounts most of my adult life, despite obtaining a degree in Social Sciences. When my children went to school, I decided to address my greatest fear of mathematics and gained a Maths GCSE Level 2 equivalent with Learn Direct. This gave me the confidence to support my children who also have struggled with mathematics. 

Early awareness

I was told at school that I was being lazy or that I was of low ability and not particularly bright. I always struggled with maths even as a little girl trying to learn to tell the time - I knew I was different from my peers and felt very stupid. It wasn’t until after I gained my BA Hons degree I realised I wasn’t of low ability and was much more aware of what I was capable of and started to learn more about dyscalculia and how it has affected me.

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

No, I was diagnosed as a dyslexic in the 1980s, dyscalculia wasn’t even talked about or understood when I was a school. Some of the symptoms of both dyslexia and dyscalculia overlapped such as my memory, recall, concentration, organisation skills. I think I have a bit of both really, but it more greatly affected my maths than reading or English. 

Support, strategies and adjustments that have been helpful

Taking my time not to panic when I see a mathematical question or problem. Learning over and over again once I have understood the formula until it goes into my long-term memory. In adult life and especially with Learn Direct, I applied the maths to everyday situations which helped me to make better sense of it. 

Misunderstandings and lack of awareness

Emotionally, I have suffered from low self-esteem and high levels of anxiety due to my schooling. It has taken years of counselling to come to terms with the trauma of going to school. I tried to avoid as much mathematics in my adult life as possible by relying on my husband to do all the budgeting, finances and to help me out when I struggled with anything mathematical until I went to Learn Direct. Although to be honest, I still let my husband do all the financial things in our house.

Achievements and breakthroughs 

When at the age of 50 I finally got my Level 2 in Mathematics!