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Original poster

Any other dyspraxics do this?

58 replies

54321nought · 13/08/2021 09:25

Brush one side of your hair twice, and the other side not at all

or find you are attempting to put both socks on the same foot

or realise you have gone out with a watch around each wrist,

or carry two cups of tea, place on on the table, and then let go of the wrong one

or anything similar???

Please tell me I am not alone!

OP posts:
Original poster
54321nought · 13/08/2021 14:10

alright! just me then!

OP posts:
vampirethriller · 13/08/2021 14:12

I do! I have also left the house with two bras on. I very often forget to hold things and just let go. I can't do buckles or shoe laces, left and right, up and down all the time either.

TheChippendenSpook · 13/08/2021 14:13

My son has recently been diagnosed with dyspraxia. He will often try to put a sock or shoe on the foot that he has already done and without fail he will put his T-shirts on back to front.

Original poster
54321nought · 13/08/2021 14:51

@vampirethriller

I do! I have also left the house with two bras on. I very often forget to hold things and just let go. I can't do buckles or shoe laces, left and right, up and down all the time either.
Yes! leaving the house with two bras on! done that!
OP posts:
Robotindisguise · 13/08/2021 14:53

My dyspraxic daughter does the brush thing - or rather will keep brushing the same area. She finds it hard to visualise where she’s brushed and rotate around her head, I think

SirenSays · 13/08/2021 14:55

I'll brush the sides of my hair and completely forget the back. I'll try to put my shoes on the wrong feet always. I don't realise my own strength and when I cheers people I often manage to knock their drinks out of their hands. When I pass people things I either seem to hold on too long, unsure they've got it. Or let go way too early. My fight or flight response is to freeze so when I drop things I tend to just stand there in a panic....

WallabyLullaby · 13/08/2021 14:57

I knocked over a bicycle with plants planted in it in a trendy cafe yesterday. I just knocked into it as I walked past. It made such a mess I'm mortified! Also I have a giant bruise on my hip from walking into the corner of the chest of drawers in my bedroom today. If I'm not specifically concentrating then my spatial awareness is not going to be functioning well.

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 13/08/2021 15:07

When I was a child with dyspraxia my mum used to lay my clothes on my bed in the order I needed to put them on. I then continued doing this into my teens.

I now have my leaving for work list:
Get lunch and put it straight into lunch box and bag. Put by door.
Put on fob and mask lanyard.
Put phone in bag.
Put on coat then put lanyard on the outside so I know it's there.
Put on bag.
Pick up lunch bag then leave.

Of course if I leave out a step I then panic and have to check everything at least twice before I leave.

I also have to adapt in the change of seasons which is why lanyards have to be on the outside !

It's fun being an adult with dyspraxia!!!

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 13/08/2021 15:09

Oh and I have been known to put my phone in the fridge and leave out the butter!

Original poster
54321nought · 13/08/2021 16:22

@WallabyLullaby

I knocked over a bicycle with plants planted in it in a trendy cafe yesterday. I just knocked into it as I walked past. It made such a mess I'm mortified! Also I have a giant bruise on my hip from walking into the corner of the chest of drawers in my bedroom today. If I'm not specifically concentrating then my spatial awareness is not going to be functioning well.
wow, you know where your bruises come from!! You are ahead of me on that one
OP posts:
EmergencyHydrangea · 13/08/2021 16:27

I've often dropped the toilet roll in the toilet rather than the bit I wiped with.

I miss my mouth when I'm drinking sometimes.

BangingOn · 13/08/2021 16:33

This is really interesting for me as DS is in the process of being assessed for dyspraxia and so much of this sounds familiar.

Original poster
54321nought · 13/08/2021 16:39

I miss my mouth a lot of times..... I've given up with soup spoon, I just end up pouring the soup straight onto my top - sometimes even miss my chin!

OP posts:
Original poster
54321nought · 13/08/2021 16:40

Can you guys tie an apron up behind your back?

I have to wrap the ties right around my body to tie at the front, and if they are not long enough, I have to extend them with shoelaces

OP posts:
stayingaliveisawayoflife · 13/08/2021 16:45

I bought an expensive apron at the start of the pandemic so I could always carry anti bac gel, wipes, tissues etc around with me and to try to protect my clothes a bit. It had quite thick belt like cords so I changed it into a buckle fastening which was much easier!

Oh and my classes always know I have dyspraxia as I tell them as it lets them know you can have dyspraxia and be quite clever as I have two degrees and be quite normal. On some days they may question the last claim!

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 13/08/2021 16:47

Oh and being a teacher I get to practice my handwriting each summer so I can still do it when I go back to school. I am actually doing that at the moment!

randomlyLostInWales · 13/08/2021 16:49

I'll try to put my shoes on the wrong feet always

I did that well into my late teens but not really after that.

Left and right I still have to "work" out.

I think I was brought up similar to stayingaliveisawayoflife but by my teenage years had internalised the order and list of what to do - did similar with my children then had actual laminated lists to tick off after few years they knew tasks to get done before leaving house and it's part of their routine.

I think bf years were harder - few times I forgot to do bras up or pull tops down as so much else to focus on.

SarahAndQuack · 13/08/2021 16:53

I do a lot of these!

I will pick up a pen with the wrong hand then be confused why it's hard to write. I can actually scrawl ok with my left hand and I think it's all the accidental practice. Grin

My daughter thinks it's hilarious when I go to put her dirty clothes in the wash bin and turn off her bath, and I end up flinging the clothes into the bath instead.

When I'm tired or stressed it affects my speech so I stammer or lose my words if I'm trying to do something physical at the same time.

Alonelonelylonersbadidea · 13/08/2021 16:54

My daughter does all of the above!

She is wonderful and sometimes it's funny. Sometimes very frustrating for her but it's her.

She's a teenager and it's easier now than it was as now we just know and it's ok.

Original poster
54321nought · 13/08/2021 16:54

@stayingaliveisawayoflife

Oh and being a teacher I get to practice my handwriting each summer so I can still do it when I go back to school. I am actually doing that at the moment!
me too, I practice my handwriting all the time, but it is especially important over the summer.

I do feel concerned when I come across dyspraxic students who seem to have been exempted from ever having to hand write at all, and are given a laptop for everything.

I really think that is more disabling than helpful, even if typing in some situations is better. Hand writing, and the skills that it feeds into are so important.

OP posts:
Original poster
54321nought · 13/08/2021 16:55

I will pick up a pen with the wrong hand then be confused why it's hard to write. I can actually scrawl ok with my left hand and I think it's all the accidental practice

I do this all the time!

OP posts:
Robotindisguise · 13/08/2021 16:57

@stayingaliveisawayoflife can I ask you about that? DD is using a lot of tech to do her work but her writing has definitely gone backwards. What can you recommend- is it just as simple as writing every day? I’ll take any and all tips

ExtremelyDisorganised · 13/08/2021 17:17

DS is dyspraxic but doesn't do much of the above, however he can't tie an apron behind his back, in fact can hardly tie a bow at all, can't tie shoelaces (age 17), handwriting is pretty terrible, loses stuff all the time and can't think where it might be, can be very indecisive.

I'm not dyspraxic but its bloody annoying when you realise you've just put both your contact lenses in the same eye.....

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 13/08/2021 17:17

@Robotindisguise I get a handwriting book from school but you can get them from Smiths and I treat myself to some nice pens and off I go! Yes I practice at least once a week in the holidays. Last year I had to put words in my children's handwriting books for them to copy which took hours but was good practice for me as well. This year I have younger ones so it is single letters not words but is still good practice.

The Twinkl website might have some cursive handwriting sheets that are free to print out. As I said before a nice new pen or two a new book and of you go!!! I actually really enjoy writing even though it is one of the things I struggle with and my writing will never be as good as some of my colleagues.

I also just remembered there is a website called ict games and they have something called writing repeater which has the lines. On an iPad you can write on the screen. I use it with my interactive whiteboard in the classroom. You can then press the play button and it replays how you formed the letters. You can delete and keep practicing until you are happy!!!

The thing with Dyspraxia is that is wide ranging and affects people in lots of different ways.

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 13/08/2021 17:19

I am great at tying shoelaces but then I have been teaching 6-8 year olds for 20 years so get regular practice.

Don't get me started on losing things. Thank goodness I have an amazing TA and supportive husband!