Just wanted to share my experience of having (undiagnosed) dyscalculia. In my day, there was no testing or ieps-- that I was aware of anyway. My parents were just happy I wasn't retarded as I went too long without oxygen at birth and shouldn't have survived. So I always attributed my inability to store numbers as related to that. Maybe it was, maybe not. Anyway, all these years later after reading this forum, I stumbled on what sounded like me. Here I was taking differential equations and I still added every thing on my fingers (there were no calculators allowed). I only knew some times tables and until I got to college I thought I'd never pass a math class. But with hard work I survived and even thrived. Dates still don't mean much to me, I can't reliably tell you my own phone number, often forget what year we are in, by good grace I got a SSN that is in a pattern form, so I remember that. I transfered to a great school, graduated with a STEM degree, loved math classes, even took two more higher than were required for my degree, all without any help or special accommodations. I worked hard when it came to numbers, and the more I used them, the more they got stored somewhere in my brain--- but never permenantly. After I graduated and stopped doing math on a daily basis, they slowly died off again.
So things that have helped me-- rely on my strengths which were verbal. Daily practice helped quasi-retain things. Any long break, such as summers would put me back too far. I, and others from what I have read, have amazing memory for song and rhythm and rhymes. I can recite hundred of poems from decades ago still. Anything put into rhyme sticks forever. Use that benefit in everything!
And lastly, just realized that in life everyone has both strengths and weaknesses, and when you get to college, you can do anything with enough love, passion, and hard work if you figure out how to use your strengths to your advantage. Seeing the big picture is an asset. Use that. It maybe harder to get through the elementary years where those skills are the focus, but once through that then your abilities can be used to shape yourself in any creative way you want. Don't see yourself as learning disabled--I never did because I had no idea such things existed. And because of that I kept on going when life might have convinced me to stop.
Please forgive all my typos and poorly made sentences as I'm on a phone and am a terrible phone typer!
