Not all brains are created equal.

Written by Marni Spicer @ dyscalculia.me

Young children want to learn. We’re all born with a desire to progress and do well. But what if the way your brain works isn’t conducive to the way you’re taught?

Now imagine….

You are 5 years old. You are shiny and new, cute as a button in your oversized uniform. So far, you’ve made new friends and enjoy school. You don’t yet realise you’ve landed in an education system unsuitable for a brain like yours.

You soon notice all the other kids just seem to ‘get’ maths more easily than you. You worry - ‘what’s wrong with me?’

No matter how hard you try, concentrate or want to learn, you just can’t. Numbers don’t make sense to you. You don’t understand how all the other kids can remember which number is which and what symbol means what. Already you are starting to believe - you’re not smart enough.

Ring any bells?

Learning how to become small in maths class to avoid attention.

Experiencing the humiliation of standing at the chalk board, clueless of the answer.

Feeling anxious during maths exams.

This is just the start of a journey for a child with dyscalculia. Math lessons eventually leave them feeling inadequate, misunderstood, incapable, ignored and worst of all - stupid.

That’s why - for those of you with dyscalculia who have forged a successful life and found a way to make numbers and arithmetic work - we applaud you!

You faced many mental challenges from a young age. You grappled with self-doubt, inadequacy, confusion, and you were singled out from others at a time in your life when you needed to belong. You were often ignored during maths lessons. The help you needed was not available to you, and maths and numbers became a lifelong problem.

Most people don’t realise, in almost all westernised countries, by law, every child has the right to an education that works for them, regardless of their learning style. It’s one of our most important laws and yet, one of our most ignored.

In most of these countries, the education sector acknowledges the growing need to accommodate both the neurotypical AND non-neurotypical child. But so far, this isn’t reflected in the classroom or the curriculum.

We know a more structured and multi-sensory approach to maths, works for all children. But schools are slow on the uptake.

Moving away from century old teaching methods, will make a huge difference to an important minority whilst still teaching the majority. How can we expect NNT (non-neurotypical) students to do well if we don’t create a level playing field from the very beginning.

People are discovering that there’s no such thing as being ‘bad at maths’. It’s the poor teaching that’s been our true failure.

At dyscalculia.me, we believe not every brain is created equal. So why do we teach every brain like it is?

Sprinkled amongst us are what we like to call the super brains. The brains that aren’t classed as neurotypical. What happens if we teach those brains too? Give them the tools they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond. What will those non-neurotypical brains produce when supported and nurtured?

It’s time to find out.

To help us make some noise - sign our petition HERE and/or come and join me for a chat about your experiences with dyscalculia HERE. Knowledge is power.