Saturday, August 6, 2011

Is it possible for someone with a learning disability in mathematics to become a health professional?

I have dyscalculia, which effects my math skills, cognition, spatial reasoning, and ability to follow patterns. I can do math and get the right answer, but it takes me longer than most. Where someone may be able to answer a math problem in 1 minute, it would take me around 4 or 5 minutes. I'm in college now and majoring in speech pathology and audiology and want to get my doctorate in audiology to become a clinical audiologist. I graduated 3rd in my cl from a prep school and completed a pre-college program which allowed me to take college cles in high school, so I graduated high school with 24 credits and a 3.5 gpa, so I'm not dumb. My problem is that it takes me longer to catch on to things and figure things out than it does for most people. This includes jokes, riddles, patterns, instructions, and rules. Since my disability was doented I've been able to receive special treatment with math cles, such as free tutoring and extended time for quizzes/exams in a private room. I just finished my first semester as a full time college student and did a college-level math course (not remedial, but not college algebra) and got a B in it. I still have to take statistics and college algebra. I'm sure I'll be able to p the cles as long as I continue to be allowed the accommodations, but once I actually get into my clinical phase and have to be there without special treatment, how badly will my learning disability effect me? Will I still be able to function as an audiologist? Would it be easier (i.e. less math) to become a speech pathologist instead?

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