Thursday, 9th


November 2017


info@eastcorkjournal.ie


35


Might You Have Dyscalculia?


like a new jigsaw - it was immensely satisfying. And everyone


likes


annoying and upsetting things to have an expla- nation! But also there was some


by SALLY O’REILLY


I used to take it per- sonally when my beloved would be constantly late. Constantly. Or when he would forget about me, at least that’s how it felt, and would spend thirty min- utes longer working on his latest track when he said he’d be ready in five. Or when he would miscalcu- late how much something would cost and end up paying far more than we had agreed because he couldn’t be bothered do- ing the sums. And so when we real-


ised he is one of the 4-6% of people who suffer from Dyscalculia it was, strangely enough, a re- lief and actually exciting! Finally everything made sense. All those little frus- trations, and the big ones, fitted snugly into place


sadness. And quite a lot of infuriation - because had it been spotted earlier he could have avoided years of anxiety as well as deri- sion for not being good at maths, time keeping, map reading - it’s quite the list actually. And while


he


is a textbook case, it just wasn’t spotted. The incidence of dy- scalulia is about as high as dyslexia , but I bet you hear about that more of- ten? Its better understood and better resourced. And so often miss the signs. Here


are some signs


that you may benefit from a dyscalculia assessment. And then when you’re through, read through the questions with your kids in mind : • Are you constantly


late? • Do you freeze when


asked a maths related question or to make a cal- culation? • Do you dread ques-


tions at work that will in- volve numbers ? • Do you find spread-


sheets challenging? • Do you overspend? • Are you or have you


been told that you are poor at guessing speed of traffic and other moving objects? • Have you been told


you drive too fast or too slow? • Might you be poor at estimating distance


be-


tween your car and cars in front or behind you? • Do you experience


difficulty with analogue clocks and watches? • Do you get lost easily? • Do you lose things


easily? • Have you difficulty re-


membering names? • Difficulty keeping


score at games (Are you often accused of cheat- ing??) • Do you need to write


down phone numbers, dates, measurements, numbers immediately - to avoid misremembering them? • Have you poor coor-


dination and possibly a poor dancer - even if oth- erwise musically gifted?


• As a child, were some


sports too difficult to en- joy? • Are you poor at plan-


ning of times when cook- ing?


Now, I know most of


you reading this don’t know my husband, but for those of you that do... ya....


(And yes, he knows I’m writing this and has probably even made di- eting suggestions. He’s very good with words, has his own music blog and teaches. I’m not trying to get divorced here...) So this is quite a differ-


ent condition from dyslex- ia - although some refer to it at dyslexia for numbers. Although research pub- lished just this week sug- gests that the two condi- tions could not be farther apart. (Link on blog later today!) That said, dyscalculia


often coexists with dys- lexia. Other conditions like dyspraxia can be ob- served in the same per- son too. You might also query ADHD, anxiety or depression. But if you think about it, those could be regarded as perfectly


normal responses to what can be quite a debilitating condition given our maths and numbers friendly so- ciety. If you think about your


self, or your partner or child with this


informa-


tion as a context, does that change your outlook of some things that hap- pen regularly? Things that bug the hell out of you? Or even hurt your feelings? What can you do? There is no medicating


this condition but there absolutely is help out there. Before you think medication, please I beg you, get an educational psychologist’s


assessment


first. You may find that the anxiety or depression or rage you see in your child is simply a human response to feeling differ- ent, less able, less than, afraid. (You’ll like find that dyscalculia or not). The frustration that kids with dyscalculia expe- rience is enormous. It effects their play, their visual concepts, hand eye coordination, number concepts, memory, all the things they will see their peers get better and better at every day. Imagine that.


Winterise Your Make-Up Bag! by JOANNE DELANEY


There’s something truly magical about the winter cold and snow. Unfortu- nately, so blinded am I by this childlike sense of wonder that I forget


that


snow is basically rain with really good PR--it’s cold, it’s wet, and it ruins your hair and makeup in nano seconds…. Still though, it’s beautiful, and word has it that here in Cork were in for a rather cold Christ- mas. You need to think wa-


terproof products. Who wants to risk getting caught in a minor bliz- zard and ending up with your brows running down your face? So on dreadful


winter days, I keep my eye makeup simple and 100% snow-proof. Even though cat-eye lin-


er WAS NEVER my look there’s something really beautiful about a swipe of graphic black on an otherwise snow white day. The fact


that Smashbox


Liquid liner absolutely re- fuses to run, fade, or flake off through even the worst weather makes this one a total no-brainer. Last summer I discov- ered the wonder that


is


Maxfactor 2000 calorie curl addict, and my water- proof mascara game was changed forever. Not only does this give me the to- tally jet black, non-clumpy lashes of my dreams, it


@eastcorkjournal / #eastcorkjournal


also stays put no matter what slushy, sleety condi- tions Queen Elsa throws at me.


And no eye makeup


look would be complete without perfect brows. I am completely in love with SOSU, which is the PER- FECT natural Brown/ black shade. It gives me the perfect amount of defi- nition and hold, and better yet, won’t ever melt off in the snow. And trust me, Ireland


offers extreme conditions in which to test these prod- ucts.


Don’t go nuts colour-correcting. ‘Tis the season for every man and their dog to tell


eastcorkjournal you to use green-toned


concealer to hide redness, or to pick a foundation a shade darker than you nor- mally wear for a “healthy” glow. Please take all of that advice and throw it in the garbage, because it is ter- rible.


it’s best


Unless it’s very subtle, to use concealer


that isn’t tinted some cra- zy pastel shade. Like mad contouring, colour-correc- tive concealer works best under very specific light conditions. In the winter when there’s more blue light about, what works in your bathroom mirror can look dreadful in the real world. Suddenly the green concealer shows up as a ghastly pale dot on your


skin. HARD PASS. Likewise,


that too-orange slightly


Please don’t do this. It doesn’t make


foundation. you look


healthy; it makes you look like a terracotta bust. PLEASE use concealer


and foundation that match your actual skin tone. If you, like most people, are a little paler in the winter, why not custom mix your products for a perfect skin tone match? And if you’re dying for a gorgeous glow, use a light hand and a bronzer or highlighter in- stead. There’s no rule that says shimmer and colour is just for summer! I really like DERMOCAL in 218 for this--it gives me a slight hint


of colour without


And adults who, for


whatever reason, don’t understand what’s hap- pening can unwittingly reinforce the “you are less than” by being impatient, making comparisons, taking things personally, making things personal and so on. So, adult or child, what


can you do? • Source a registered


apist


educational psychologist. • Source a speech ther- -


math can be difficult for people


the language of with dyscalculia


to articulate and speech therapy in conjunction with educational work may help. • Source an occupa-


tional therapist - this can help with visual spatial re- lations and coordination work. • Source a psycholog- therapist or psycho- because what-


ical therapist


ever age the person, a diagnosis always brings with it feelings that can be difficult to manage. For kids, it might be feeling different, inferior, stupid - core self esteem stuff. For a late diagnosed adult there may be rage, grief, sadness. All normal, I as- sure you. If you’re reading this


overpowering my natural pallor.


Protect your lips! In winter when the winds are high, there is a zero percent chance that I’ll be wearing sticky or fussy lip glosses. Hair get- ting in my gloss is one of the grossest things on the planet, especially on a cold day. So in winter weather, I usually stick to matte lip colours…which are


not


always super-forgiving to dry, chapped lips. My lips get peel-y if left


to their own wintery devic- es, but luckily I’ve found ways around that. I’m a big proponent of mild ex- foliation every day, and lips are no exception. When I’m done washing my face, I use a cotton washcloth and rub my lips in small circles until they tingle. A


and thinking hmmmm.... here is an online test


try out - it’s not a medical diagnostic tool, but it


to is


interesting and might give you some clues: http://app.education-


al-psychologist.co.uk/ screening/dyscalculic/ Here’s another: http://


panamath.org/test/con- sent.php I’ll post links


to both


on my blog today! Just to let you know – hubby and I took those tests and got similar results. The big difference was in our reaction times. This is because people with dy- scalculia often adapt and find new ways to problem solve. It’s really quite in- teresting – give it a go! Thanks for reading and


see you in two weeks! Sally O’Reilly is a Psy-


chologist, Psychotherapist & Clinical Supervisor in private practice in East Cork with twenty years’ full time experience. She has a special interest in working with teenagers and writes for Voiceboks. com, FamilyFriendlyHQ. com as well as her own blog sallyoreilly.com. For more


info contact


her through her site, on 0872338804 or on Twit- ter @psychosal.


lot of special lip scrubs can be way too rough, which will only make dry lips worse, stick to warm water and gentle exfoliation. Straight


out


of the


shower, I apply lip balm. I ALWAYS have some- thing on my lips to keep them protected from dry winter air, even if I’m in- side watching TV. Carmex Strawberry is my favourite. It’s hydrating, comfortable to wear, and it keeps my lips feeling and smelling lovely.


And when it’s time to get


fancy, I can either apply the lipstick straight over- top the balm for a slightly sheerer look, or wipe it off and wear the colour in- stead. Whichever I choose, I am secure in the knowl- edge that my lips will be in beautiful condition even under a matte lipstick.


Tel: 021 463 8000 • Email: info@eastcorkjournal.ie • Web: www.eastcorkjournal.ie


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