Dyscalculia and engineer

Can I Become An Engineer Being A Dyscalculic?

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Last Updated on October 7, 2023 by Editorial Team

A befitting idea can lead to a custom-tailored solution to a challenge. The procedure to implement these ideas can be equally important. Consequently, People who can employ these concepts in practice are often preferred. Being an engineer is much more than just being a concept generator and executor. 

Comprehending the same, some young aspirants may look forward to turning into successful engineers. Can every aspirant turn into an Engineer? In this post, we will explore some relevant insights to infer if you can become an engineer being a dyscalculic.

Engineer- A prodigious career

Despite numerous respectable professions an individual may choose from, one can choose to be an Engineer. An engineer is a master in inventing, designing, analyzing, building, and testing machines to solve or simply challenges in real life.

Consequently, they are defined as ”Builders of the world”. Being aware of the same, aspirants may look upon turning towards such careers. There are multiple streams as an engineer which may obligate certain attributes for each. However, we will explore the status of common engineering attributes in Dyscalculia. 

Evaluating engineering attributes in individuals with dyscalculia 

Apart from organizational skills like leadership, teamwork, communication, and discipline, possessing a few more pivotal traits can take a person closer to being an engineer. Here we explore these attributes and also evaluate which of these Dyscalculics excel. 

1. Attention to detail

To come up with relevant solutions for a complexity, one needs to observe it from various directions giving attention to detail. Evidently, the misconception of one fact can lead to unexpected consequences later. Some reputed organizations consider this attribute in the aspirants. 

However, some people may need to work to acquire this trait. Research by Sarit Askenazi[1] depicted that there can be specific attentional deficits in pure developmental dyscalculia. The results of the research outlined that these can have difficulties in recruiting attention, especially in number processing. 

2. Critical thinking and Problem Solving 

By definition, Critical thinking is all about objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgment. This trait is useful after observing the issue with attention to detail. Since these attributes are crucial to leading the way to determining appropriate solutions, they become obligatory for all engineers.

 Further, experts like Mimi Mohaffyza[2] marked the need to cope with engineering students with higher levels of critical thinking to apply in the workspace later. Critical thinking can be an advantage for some aspirants. The right attitude of a person can make this attribute a clear boon. 

3. Creativity 

Creativity to design solutions effectively and curiosity to grasp newer and intriguing knowledge may lead a person towards being an Engineer. Inventions like mobile phones and computers are due to the creativity of the makers to offer utility in a compressed space. 

Being Creative can be a clear edge to people who have learning disabilities like Dyscalculia. These individuals can choose to learn notions in creative ways like manipulatives, story-making, and music.  

4. Intuition 

Intuition implies the ability of the learner to grasp anything almost instinctively. Being intuitive makes an engineer assimilate ideas to understand the problem as a whole. These skills can often be debatable in individuals.

As we know, some may take time to grasp numbers. However, they can infer other notions intuitively. For instance, a pupil having a number compromise may not feel it taxing to comprehend notions of society and geography.

5. Math and Coding skills 

Being a pro in math and Coding skills can often add up to the engineer’s personality. In our previous posts, we have also talked about how individuals with dyscalculia can become better coders. Evidently, an Engineering Degree is never complete without such subjects.

 However, these skills may not be substantial for all the profiles. Some jobs of civil and Electrical engineers need residual knowledge, making it facile for special needs people to perform their duties. For instance, a site engineer needs to have regular checks of the construction location; they may not need to make computations. 

Dyscalculics turning engineer- strategies to employ

Going through attributes, we can remark that aspirants may need to stress towards ameliorating certain traits. Employing some relevant strategies can assist the same. Here we traverse through some schemes addressing traits like intuition and attention.

1. Employ all five senses- Undertake Multisensory Learning 

Evidently, more senses employed can lead to better performance; as we know how multisensory learning is effective in preaching lessons, the same concept can be applied to other tasks as well. For instance, using the hearing sense along with visuals can improve the intuitive ability almost instantaneously. 

2. Focus on creative advantage- Bring out Creative Intuition

Dyscalulics, as depicted in previous lines, have a clear creative advantage over others. Even if traditional intuition is compromised, Creative intuition[3] can be easily developed to exploit opportunities. By definition, creative intuition is the ability to produce novel concatenations, perceive new or emergent relationships, and discern possibilities that have not been identified by processing information comprehensively. Sometimes, creative intuition can have an added edge. 

3. Get Away from Distractions- To stay attentive 

There can be a lot of activities going around; these may distract from the work. Concentration is proven to shield distraction[4].  This eliminates undesired processing in the brain. This implies that the brain gets a chance to focus on one task. Further, the locus of attention turns steadfast. Two basic strategies to improve concentration are to have a good sleep and meditate[5] regularly.  

Can a dyscalculic be an engineer?

Everyone has a set of strengths and compromises. All they need to do is take advantage of the potencies and work to master shortcomings. Self-same can be the case in the journey to becoming an engineer. Taking advantage of strengths like creativity and critical thinking, Dyscacluics can develop personalized strategies to master flaws, if any. 

Grasping math can sometimes be taxing. Nevertheless, daily routine activities like managing money, and shopping can teach required math notions, which may make individuals ready for basic challenges. There have been a lot of famous people who have had dyscalculia. In fact, several engineers today, being dyscalculic, have been managing their duties successfully, showing that any individual can aspire to intriguing professions. 

Concluding thoughts

Taking inferences after weighing down the scenario from one angle may not lead to appropriate consequences. Evaluating various traits that can make one engineer can give you a draw a clear picture. While there can be selective shortcomings in some individuals, these can be covered with relevant, personalized strategies. Ponder out the suggestions above to check if any of them prove to work for you. 

References:

  1. ​​Attentional networks in developmental dyscalculia. (2010, January). Sarit Askenazi. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-6-2
  2. An Analysis of Engineering Students’ Critical Thinking. (2017, November). Mimi Mohaffyza. https://doi.org/10.1109/WEEF.2017.8467116
  3. Intuition and creativity. (2015, October). Shoaib Ul-Haq. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.4641.3289
  4. How Concentration Shields Against Distraction. (2015, August). Patrik Sörqvist. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721415577356
  5. Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation. (2007, October). Yi-Yuan Tang.

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