Kryptonite

My Kryptonite is Math. 

That's not so unusual; it's a lot of people's Kryptonite. 

Recently I read an article that indicated that math is the Kryptonite of most Classic PKU'ers (which I am).  (the article is: http://pkuinfo.org/_media/pku/antshel_2010_mgm.pdf )

And it doesn't seem to be a coincidence!    

We all know that PKU affects the logic and math center of the brain first.  But the people in the test were already diagnosed and treated early on! 

Here's the abstract of the paper:

• Despite having average intellectual abilities, academic difficulties are relatively common in children and adolescents with PKU. These academic difficulties may be a function of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), executive functioning deficits, and processing speed deficits, all of which are known to affect academic performance in non-PKU populations. This review focuses on what is currently known about academic performance in youth with PKU and offers suggestions for future research.

Basically what they've found is that treated PKU'ers that do well in school still have problems with math.  If you look closer at the article it says that they don't really know the reason why PKU'ers have issues with math in particular.  But a logical guess (based on non-PKU people) is that it has something to do with ADHD, or processing deficits, or something like that. 

Here's my own experience with Math and PKU:

     As a kid I had a set-back with math.  I moved from one school district to another and the curriculum didn't quite match up.  As a result I learned my times tables in 5th grade... with help from my parents.  By 6th grade I had pretty much caught up.

    Then middle school arrived and so did Algebra.  I was an average student.  I had trouble with tests, but my teacher was willing to work with me.  And I was fine.  In 9th grade that teacher even invited me to be a special program where you take 2 math classes in 1 year.  (Apparently my CRT scores were pretty high)  I was the worst in the class.  But I still passed. 

     High school.  10th grade I took Pre-Calculus.  It was a rule that year that you couldn't have lunch unless you got at LEAST an 80% on your tests.  I spent pretty much every lunch that year in the math classroom, trying to pass each lunch.  It was embarrassing!  I had to take each math test at least 3 times to pass it.  And by that point I'd just memorize the questions.  The next year, I repeated PreCalc, I chose to.  I didn't want to be in AP Calculus unless I KNEW how to do PreCalc.  They had changed the rules for that year.  (Thank goodness!)  And to pass you had to have a test score that corresponded with how much homework you turned in.  That year my math teacher (different guy) just let me fix my mistakes on my test and turn that in. 
 
    12th grade.  I took AP Calculus.  I got good grades (despite my pathetic test scores).  And I flunked the AP test. 

From my experience I have observed a few things.  I would understand the problems in class.  I would understand it on my homework.  And yet... I wouldn't remember it on my test.  I took the ACT test twice.  The first time: I got a 24.  The second time: I got a 21.  Now I didn't study at all for the 1st one.  But the second one I did!  And still got a lower score.

It was like I had good math days, and bad math days.  And I had no way to predict what it was going to be!  It was frustrating!  I began to loathe math! 

But, it seeing this article... helped me understand that it wasn't all me.  Yes it was partially me.  I still needed to study.  I still needed to try my best.  I couldn't blame the PKU for everything. 

     It's small setback.  A little bit of Kryptonite. Kryptonite hasn't killed Superman yet.  So I guess I'll just have to live with it.  And become a little stronger, just to compensate.