How do you "see" words and numbers?

[powcat]

Sorry to ramble; I think the purpose of that post was more to organize my thoughts on the matter. Thanks!

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[jasman]

Telephone numbers: If you have written down a phone number, then discover, when dialing, that you wrote it down wrong, try reversing the 5th and 6th digits. It is the most common error.

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[Anonymous]

Fun post — ‘see’ numbers and words/letters. Hmmmm…. I analyze number constantly in my head. If you say a number, like 9,658. I’ll start dividing it by 100, 10, 2 and try to boil it down to factors. Comes in handy sometimes. I only see numbers within other numbers. Words are different. If I am reading to myself, it seems I can ‘fake’ reading, and read for pages then realizing that I haven’t got a clue what I am reading. If I hear the words, then I can create a vivid picture that is woven by the sentance. Other than certain popular drugs in the late 60’s and early 70’s — that’s about it.

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[laddybug3]

When I was was younger I would cry. My teacher and my parents knew that I knew more then the test was showing. I would say, ” The question changed.” Now you know written questions do not change. Somehow, a word or two from past questions seemed to merge into the question I was working on now. Here is an example. The sky is blue? True or flase. This is what I read: The sky is blue but the sun is brown? True or flase The sun is brown came from one or two questions before the sky is blue.

It was seventh grade I finally was able to explain what happened. In high school I was reaing and finishing chapter books. 8th grade reading was hard for me relearning to read, while sentences merged. Sometimes that still happens today. I have to stop and read aloud, whitch I read slower.

When I was second grade I thought 9 was p and p was 9 my 4 looked like 9 sometimes.

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[Anonymous]

Relating to numbers, I have always looked at numbers and added or subtracted them or even on a license plate I would do weird things with the numbers I saw–subtract them from 1,000 or multiply it by 2. I still do this. It’s a wonder I’ve never gotten in an accident. I was always good as a teenager when working as a restaurant cashier because it was easy to make change. I love Sudoku and other number games.

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[Anonymous]

This is fascinating stuff. I just signed on so am a bit late to chime in. I am considered left handed though I do small motor stuff with my left and large motor with my right. Here are some of the quirks I have found. I was the last one standing on a spelling Bee but failed every written spelling test I took. I was assigned to write and rewrote words through all my elementary years. At work now if someone asks how to spell something I can spit it out without thought. When I am writing I cannot think of how to spell words many I use over and over. I will ask out how to spell something and the closest person will grab the dictionary of which I have no patience in waiting for the reply. I have learned to ask co-workers to ask the question back at me and write down my answer and give it back to me, walla, it’s right.

I found that I could write upside down and backwards with my left hand and right side up and forwards with my right hand all at the same time.

I am often frustrated trying to figure out how to answer test questions or fill out forms. For example to become a member of this sight, the last box to fill said; random question* 1+1=

I would right a random question but could find no where to answer it when I was led to a page thinking I was attempting a robotic request. It took me over an hour to just type “2”. I thought about other sights that ask for a random question and I made it up or picked from a list. The format here totally threw me, this happens a lot. On the good side, I am very quick to think outside of the box and have a reputation of being cleaver when cleaver is desired. When conformity or organization is needed I am lost.

I learned to read upside down. I would mess up reading out loud and the listener would take the book to look for my mistake and I could find it faster than if it were right side-up. I can write well, the ideas flow but I often think of stuff to write when I can’t write. People

I cannot think left right, I think north, south, west and east as I have observed the sun postion and can better judge the way to go with that sense. I am told I have a great sense of direction but don’t know left from right, I guess you could define the word oxymoron with my behavior. Did I spell that right????

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[kc5jck]

I’m left handed and have had difficulty with left and right as it is a relative term depending on which way you are facing. If we are facing each other or travelling in opposite directions, my left is your right.

I do not have this problem with port and starboard, but then those terms aren’t relative to which way a person is facing.

I also use north, south, east, and west over left and right.

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[Anonymous]

When paying cash for items, I can (without thinking) calulate what to give the clerk to get the least pennies back if I don’t have the exact change.

I give them odd amounts and they just look at me..I then tell them what the change should be before they get it on the register.

For example

If the item is $3.48 ..I will give them $5.00 but add three pennies (if I don’t have the .48 cents)

Here’s how my head calculates the change from that:

It becomes $3.45 and you take that from the $5.00 and the change is 1.55

Also if I had more change, I’d give 23 cents to make it $3.25

It seems to be a subtraction thing??

I also like even numbers more than odd ones…no idea why.

Does this make sense to anyone? This has always come automatically..i never think about it!

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[billd]

MerryMac – I do that as well. It’s fun to watch the faces as they attempt to figure out “what the heck is this guy doing”.

I then say, “there ya go, easy change” and get back fewer small coins, or get back a single dollar and a dime for example.

One of my first jobs was delivering the daily paper as a kid – and collecting the payments each week. I got REALLY good…. then I worked in a hardware store running the OLD register where you punch down the keys and turn the crank……….. no computer doing your thinking for you then!

I worked as a mechanic mostly after that, but I filled in for the fellow who sold gas up front, filling tanks, checking oil, cleaning windshield – and collecting the money and making change. Again, no computers there! Old-style registers or cash boxes, all done in MY HEAD, each and every time. ODD, I am SO ADHD, but it’s something I’m able to do if I don’t think about it very hard. it’s when I TRY hard to deal with numbers and hurry I get into trouble. If I do it just as a matter of course while doing other things ,it’s natural. Odd, eh?

I’m not one of those folks who sees numbers as colors or words as something else………….. it would be very interesting, however, to just for an hour or day, to be able to see and experience what others do.

Frankly, I wish we could do that a lot – I think human understanding would leap ahead light-years……….

Ya listening up there? give me a chance or the ability to even for a short time actually see, feel and experience exactly as others do……If I could have that as a gift, I’d ask for nothing else ever. And frankly, I even wish to be able to do that with cats and other animals….

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[Anonymous]

Hi billd!

I totally agree with you!

It just comes without thinking but whe you sit and ‘try’ to deal with numbers….that’s when it becomes a problem.

Like when you’re in the checkout line thinking about what you’re going to make for dinner while handing the clerk the odd amount..

Wonder why?

No effort/little attention=easy

trying when needed-hard

???

I also seem to be much better at paperwork and numbers in the morning and comprehensively tend to be very fuzzy at night, even if I’m not tired. Hmmm..

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[Outoftune]

I wanted to bump this up to see if my way of seeing numbers, letters, and dates is normal for ADDers or if it’s due to somehting else or if I’m just wierd lol

Since probable about age 4 I have seen numbers and letters as certain colours. 5 is orange, 2 is a greenyblue, four is a purply blue and eight is red. The letter L is dark blue, M is a pinky red and N is a reddish orange, etc…

Dates are where it really gets wierd. In order to think of a date I picture an entire year, I visualize a calendar which is like a huge loop like a doughnut shape with January at the bottom left, June at the top, etc… This shape can be rotated, looked at upsidedown sideways etc… Months aren’t certian colours though because words are never a certain colour. Only individual letters. Same with numbers. A phone number for example isnt a colour but if I’m having to put numbers together like doing math for example each number is a certain colour.

The wierdest of all is that when I go to write a word or a series of numbers like a phone number or address I will find myself writing a random letter that isn’t even part of the word for example.

Do any of your have similair expereinces?

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[munchkin]

I don’t really visualize numbers much at all – I think of them a quantities – – like two is any two objects – like two ladybugs! a million is like… a huge pile of sand, or the stars in a galaxy…

There is a disconnect when I try to write the numbers – I think of them as words more easily. I don’t like “numerals.” So when writing numbers in a hurry, I often will accidentally substitute the first letter of the word for that number. This can be a big problem since two and three both start with a “t”.’

I don’t experience the colors or shapes you describe, but I can imagine it might help the brain make sense by creating a visual system…

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[kc5jck]

Sherri27 – I saw a program on either PBS or NatGeo about the brain and perception which mentioned that some people see numbers as colors. I doubt it is in any way caused by ADHD, but there may be some underlying condition that predisposes both what you describe and ADHD.

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[Bibliophile]

@Sherri27

Perceiving letters or numbers as colours is called Grapheme–Color Synesthesia. Wikipedia has a page on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapheme-color_synesthesia

I don’t think it is related to ADHD, but another one of your quirks.

@Munchkin

I am the opposite. I have problems dealing with numbers if they are written as words. I need to see the mathematical expression to understand a concept in a lot of cases.

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[nellie]

Glad to see this post bumped up Sherri.

When I first started it I also thought it was just a quirk and was quite surprised to learn about Synesthesia. However, I am now even more surprised that there is an American Synesthesia Association. Who knew! http://synesthesia.info/index.html

It turned out my father had a similar concept of viewing numbers as I do and an article on the site mentions research that suggests a strong genetic component as well. They also mention that an estimated 4-5% of the general population has this trait. So I guess we’re not as weird as we thought! http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001205

In relation to ADD, I think KC is right in that it’s not likely linked.

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