I have dyspraxia AMA

[Bluesponge]

Hi I’ve noticed recently that there are lots of misconceptions when it comes to dyspraxia especially from my friends and I am also very bored so I thought I’d do one of these, anyway go ahead ask me anything

Hi bluesponge, were you diagnosed as an adult?

No I was diagnosed when I was 16 not quite an adult but I do wish I was diagnosed earlier because I group up thinking why was I not like every one else and why didn’t work and think in the same way,when I was diagnosed it was A ‘ wave of relief ‘ohh so that’s why I do this’

Sorry for the grammar mistakes

Thanks. I'm asking because i'm in my 40s and wonder if I might be dyspraxic. Has being diagnosed made any difference in your life?

What were/are your "giveaway" signs..

Definitely for example being diagnosed as dyspraxic has helped me learn more about my self and the way my mind works, it has also helped me learn ways to overcome areas in which my dyspraxia affects me which I probably wouldn’t of done with out my diagnosis, it also really helped me just feel better mentally about myself knowing it had a name

What traits led you to be diagnosed ?

If you think you are dyspraxic and think you want to spen the money or wait for one from the NHS, I really would recommend it, Personally just getting a diagnosis and understanding it better helped me grow as a person and I know people who were diagnosed as adults who say that the diagnosis helped them as well

What type of job role do you work in? I've got dyslexia and dyspraxia and do well in interview and am fine getting jobs but have found every job I've done hard due to memory/ coordination/ spatial awareness issues. I get so tired from trying to function like an ordinary person all day! I'm employed in an objectively good job but feel like I'm awful at it and still looking for something that plays to my strengths better. Also do you drive? I drive but it took me a long time to learn to and I find it stressful and really tiring and again wondering if that's Dyspraxia or just me.

Rewy
Lots of things, like I couldn’t walk until I was 3 but I was talking much earlier, my handwriting was always incredibly messy and I couldn’t grip the pen right, I couldn’t ride a bycicle until after I was diagnosed despite numerous attempts to teach me how , I struggled to copy things Down from the board also never very good at making friends and was famously bad a pe ,also when I was older incredibly unorganised (not just physically found it hard to sort things out in my head) and kept forgetting things. Also slightly more positive things : I read A LOT, very creative and liked writing stories even if I wasn’t ver good at actually handwriting them. I’m sure there’s more but that’s all I can think of right now

I work as a self employed child psychologist
I first worked for a private clinic but that was just to much for me and also something to do with how it was run but that’s unrelated to dyspraxia. I also find it ridiculously hard just to get through every day like a normal person but now that I’m in a job I love it’s easier. No I don’t drive, where I live it’s not a necessity and my husband drives ,I did attempt it for about four years and thinking of maybe trying again in a few years

By attempt I mean I learnt how but never got my license

Thankyou

I have dyspraxia and was diagnosed when I was v young. Do you find you have good days and bad days. Like bad days really clumsy and forgetful and disorganised and stuff. Then the next day not so much. This is something I've felt more so as an adult

The thing o find hardest to do is things like winding up the cord on the hoover

Me to there are definitely bad days and good days for me it’s just getting everything organised on the good days, sometimes my friends are surprised when I tell them I have dyspraxia as I am really organised when it’s just because I have to be if anything is going to get done.
The vacuum cord is very tricky

If I put my mind to it I'm almost too organised so that when I'm disorganised it's harder to organise again

I learnt to drove but only after 5 years of lessons and 4 instructors and 100s of hours of lessons. It was a proper hard slog to do it

I am definitely going to try and learn again but with covid-19 going on and the fact that I’m pregnant it’s currently impossible

I feel your pain about the driving, bike riding, reading etc! I have dyspraxia and so does my partner. Neither of us are natural drivers and we won’t win any handwriting or calligraphy competitions! Like you a coping strategy for me is being organised and lots of lists -helps to keep stuff under control

My DD was diagnosed at 15 just before GCSEs, her difficulties sound a lot like yours.
She did manage to learn to drive in an automatic, with DH teaching her, so lots of short sessions rather than fewer long ones.

Do you have trouble with inference too? DD has to make sure she tells all medical professionals and work colleagues otherwise she doesn't interpret 'polite' requests or hints properly. (i.e. she doesn't realise she is being told not vaguely suggested).

Me to my entire fridge is plastered with to do lists and schedules and I have a massive planner on my office wall

I definitely have trouble with inference and sarcasm, when I was at university and school I always had to ask if it was a question or a demand, I did get better at this but I still find sarcasm hard

@Bluesponge
I'm pregnant and dyspraxic and dyslexic, are you finding that it's harder to manage the things you find difficult at the moment?

Yes made me more forgetful than I already am and getting around is even more of a struggle as walking doesn’t really come naturally.I can’t really identify the difference between dyspraxia and just being pregnant apart from that and so far it’s been a relatively easy pregnancy ( well it seems it I’ve never been pregnant before and don’t really have anything to compare it to)

@Bluesponge It is impossible for me to know if it's pregnancy or just me . At least once you have a bump people get the walking slowly

How do you find following conversations between multiple people? Is finding that hard related to dyspraxia? What about films?