#Learning disabled

[moominpunx]

people keep thinking that dyscalculia is just flipping numbers around but it is so much more than that

it makes me so mad that people still think that

i can’t tell directions. i can’t do algebra. i have to count things 3 times to make sure i did it right, because i probably didn’t the first few times. i have to pause everything i’m doing to count quantities over 10. i can’t play board games, and i can’t strategize. i have to repeat number combinations over and over and over again in my head before i type it in somewhere. i can’t tell dates, or the space between them without a calendar.

it’s not that i just need to study math more. it’s not that i read numbers wrong. i fail every math test because i am physically underdeveloped in the part of my brain that comprehends numbers.

people ask me to count anything or ask me to solve an equation and i just straight up tell them that i can’t count. because i really can’t.

it’s more like if you had noodles shaped like numbers, and you cooked them way too long so they arent identifiable anymore

and then someone lined them out and asked you to solve it. but those aren’t numbers at all. that’s how dyscalculia is for me. i have mushy number soup in my brain.

[arthyritis]

I have an intellectual disability. Mild bordering on moderate in most areas, according to my diagnosis.

What this means for me is that all sorts of communication gets lost in my brain. I process things slower, social interactions get jumbled, and tasks that I should know how to do sometimes require a little extra help, like eating, cooking, hygiene, etc, but especially things I'm unfamiliar with.

Setting and having non-stagnant reminders handy helps with my scheduling, as in not doing the same things at the same time but instead with a more specific cause, like telling my partner at bedtime that I need to brush my teeth, which is more likely to make me do it, or having food already prepared that I can just heat up instead of cooking a full meal.

With things I'm unfamiliar with (like cooking a new meal, or doing something at someone else's place) it means walking me through it step-by-step. My family friend is blind and has a more specific way of doing things that I'm unequipped for, but that my mom knows, so she tells me what I need to do/where to put things that he'll be able to find them again.

I'm also independent, so sometimes I will struggle to ask for the help I need and will have a freeze response. Comorbid with my AD(H)D and anxiety, this can lead to panic attacks and meltdowns, so it's oftentimes important to pay closer attention to things I'm doing that I am not aware of until after the panic has started.

All this to say, even a "milder" diagnosis requires a lot of help sometimes. MID is my diagnosis but this honestly works for autism and adhd peeps, too. For me, there's an overlap between how my symptoms of MID work with how autism works (something I'm also suspected of having), but with the added bonus of being learning disabled, which autism doesn't guarantee, because that's specifically a developmental disability, while intellectual disability is a learning disability and a developmental disability.

I'm two years diagnosed as of June 30th, I'm learning how to cope with this still. But it remains a disability! Happy disability pride month to my fellow intellectually disabled peeps :)

[pet-shop-of-horror-fan]

I always hate it when transmisic people say things like, “Won’t neopronouns be hard for the neurodivergent?” 

Because it’s not a real question and they never have nor will ever listen to us about our problems, they just want to rationalize their hatred of trans people.

But hearing, “Wouldn't singular they be confusing for people with dyslexia?” was outright surreal.

Like, mate, I am a singular they dyslexic. 

Yes, disabled people can struggle with singular they and neopronouns, and those who do deserve patience and understanding, but that does not mean I need to be saved from my own damn pronouns.

[themogaidragon]

Dyscalculia Pride Flag

PT: Dyscalculia Pride Flag /end PT

ID: A flag with four dark green stripes coming from its corners and meeting in the center. Where they meet, their sides are flat in a way that forms a pinwheel-like shape. The spaces between the stripes at the top and bottom of the flag are light green and the spaces at the right and left of the flag are green. End ID

ID: The same flag but this time in the center a the flag there is a symbol of a white calculator with light green buttons and screen, which is sliced in two. End ID

ID: The calculator symbol on a transparent background. End ID

Original posts of the learning disorders flags I made a while ago here (link) and here (link).

Symbol design from this dyscalculia flag (link) made by distinct-disability-flags (link). I did not design the symbol, just made a high png quality version of it.

For archival purposes, here is under the cut the flag template with each part as its own separated png. It can be used to make your own flags with the design. But please keep it related to only learning disorders flags and give credit.

ID: An image with green pieces at the right and left. The background is totally transparent. End ID

ID: An image with four dark green stripes coming from its corners and meeting in the center on a transparent background. Where they meet, their sides are flat in a way that forms a pinwheel-like shape. End ID

ID: An image with light green pieces at the top and bottom. The background is totally transparent. End ID

[stilesisbiles]

Non Verbal Learning Disorder (among other things) like whaaat

[magpie-murder]

it's so frustrating when people start to condescend you and treat you like a child when they realize you have some sort of disability. they never assume that you know they've stopped seeing you as an adult, even after they "randomly" start calling you things like "bud" and "dear" when they need to make clarifications and stop emotionally engaging with you at the same time. coincidentally this only happens after you tell them you have a disorder

[charliejaneanders]

I've written a lot about Ms. Pennington, the special ed teacher who saved my life when I was kid. I was struggling with a huge learning disability and she worked with me to help me master schoolwork --- but she also encouraged me to nurture my creativity and used creative pursuits to motivate me to try harder in school. I was so happy I got to hang out with her yesterday, and I'm so grateful that we're still friends. She and I are proof that a dedicated and supportive teacher can make a huge difference in someone's life. I got to tell her once again that I'm the person I am today thanks to her. <3

[devinsturk]

Reading has been really hard for me since breaking down/burning out/getting sick/etc.

There is so much joy, knowledge, and power I’m missing out on because so many of the books I dream of reading are not available as audiobooks.

This is not a mistake. Ableism is an intentional force.

[northlight14]

Me: I’m mentally disabled and have a learning disability

People: what! No! You’re really smart!

Me:

Me: bitch when the fuck did I say I was dumb?

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

Words by Reshma Rumsey, ITV News Specialist Producer

“My biggest regret is ever asking for help”.

Sara Standish is adamant that had she not asked for help from her local authority her son, Josh, who has learning disabilities and autism would not be locked away.

Josh is 19 and in an inpatient unit sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Eighteen months ago Sara asked for support as Josh’s behaviour was becoming more challenging. She was told Josh would be assessed and home within three to six months.

Eighteen months on Sara is still waiting for her son to come home.

Sara said: "I feel like I've failed him because all for 18 years we kept him safe. We kept him out of the system so that none of this would happen.

"My biggest fear was him going into a home. He went into the system he was sectioned and abused."

[icystorm86skytte]

I’m creating a support group server on discord for those in school who have learning difficulties, whether it be a disability, or a disorder of any kind such as adhd, dyslexia, autism or even just social anxiety, and much more! Whether it’s college, community college, universities, high school, home school, boarding school, no matter what it is, all are welcome! It will be a safe place to talk about our feelings and struggles in school. I can’t guarantee my new server will be a success, cuz creating a new server is hard but I’m going to give it big try! Dm if interested, as it’s almost ready.

[pet-shop-of-horror-fan]

People ignoring what you said is rarely due to poor reading comprehension.

People jumping to wild conclusions is rarely due to poor reading comprehension.

People assuming you implied things you did not is rarely due to poor reading comprehension.

People correctly identifying what you implied is good reading comprehension.

And if you think someone actually has poor reading comprehension, they should not be made fun of for it.

Stop armchair diagnosing and stop making fun of disabilities.

[justchronicallyillthings]

Folks with dyscalculia or other nuerodivergent issue that's makes them struggle with time i.e sequencing of events such as when to leave for something. I have found the perfect solution to it. Its honestly so easy that I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before.

Example: I have a flight that leaves the airport at 1:30 PM. I want 2 hours to park my car, take the bus to the airport, check my luggage, go through TSA, and find my gate. I know it's going to take me about 2 hours to get to the airport. And I know I want 2 hours to get ready at my house and finish packing. So 2+2+2=6 which means I need to be up 6 hours before I have to be on the plane.

Past method: I have to leave at 1:30 and I want 2 hours in the morning to get ready so that's means (1:30 - 1 = 12:30 - 1 = 11:30). Next I know the drive is going to take 2 hours so (11:30 - 1 = 10:30 - 1 = 9:30). And then I want an additional 2 hours of time to spare at the airport so (9:30 - 1 = 8:30 - 1 = 7:30). Therefore I need to be up at 7:30 to have time for everything.

But this method has always left a lot of room for error such as; I do the math wrong, I forget how time and travel time work, or etc...

New method:

My flight leaves at 1:30 so I set an alarm for that time.

I then know I want 2 hours in the morning to get ready so I physically move the dial back 2 times/2 hours

Then I know the drive takes 2 hours so I again move the dial another 2 times to get

And lastly I want 2 hours at the airport/as a cushion in case there's traffic so I repeat the above moving the time as much as I need

And boom I've got the alarm ready to be set. This way allows me to see the time pass by so there no way I'll pull a move where I forget how time and travel time works. And it allows me to break it down into steps/estimated time for those steps. Especially if those steps involve half hours.

[chaoticsweetiee]

I’m raising funds for an autism service dog 🐺🥄 I’m 25 and I have debilitating chronic pain & illness, on top of which my autism makes everything worse. I’m autistic and I’ve tried to end my life multiple times because of it. It also gets in the way of getting the medical care that I need. I’m bedridden, little to no support and in chronic isolation. I’m at the end of my rope, I’m asking for help because I cannot do this anymore. Any share, reblog or donation helps ❤️‍🩹

[cattistic]

Use Disabled or Disability, not Difference

I've just been thinking about how the UK labels learning disabilities. They don't call them learning disabilities or label someone as learning disabled, they literally just call them differences.

My difficulties with mathematics, literally almost every topic, are not a difference. They are an impairment to me and i literally cannot do mathematics without help or being placed in a math class for people with difficulties related to math.

I cannot read the time as confidently as i'd like to. I still use my fingers to count how much time or days are left until a certain event happens. I need to use a calculator even in applied mathematics. I still have a elementary skill level in most areas of math. And others.

None of that is me being different, that is me being disabled by my learning disability. Say the word.

[bleachedclownguts]

why did so many teachers have personal beef with me as a small child. like my kindergarten teacher would see me struggling to write from 1 to 100 on a grid paper, when it just came so quickly to everyone else, and i was the only one struggling that bad for so long, and this bitch was like

"yeah this 4 year old is doing this on purpose to try and piss me off, im gonna send them to another classroom to sit in the dark and figure it out by themselves instead of offering any help or trying to figure out why they are the only one struggling like this"

and i suspect its because i only ever had problems with math, not reading, so obviously i just dont like math and am not trying as opposed to legitimately not understanding math.

my teachers taking my learning difficulties as a personal attack would almost be funny except for the fact that it kinda fucked up my whole academic life and there are shitty teachers like this all over the US fucking up kids lives in the same way