Any adult dyspraxic women?

[Dyspraxiaexploring]

I’ve recently been formally diagnosed… anyone else out there? How does it impact you? What strengths do you have?

Hi, I have dyspraxia too. I can't drive and I'm teetotal because I find that alcohol makes it worse. My memory of completely useless information is incredible but the actually useful stuff I forget. Thankfully both the dc schools know I have dyspraxia and go out of their way to help me. Dh has Aspergers syndrome so mostly he is good at the things I struggle with and I am good at the things he can't do so mostly we manage between us. We are both rubbish at admin though. I can learn things like knitting and dance routines but it takes me a lot longer and I have to keep practicing otherwise I forget. Ds4 has suspected dyspraxia too. My biggest struggle at the moment is sign language. Ds4 has a mild hearing loss so it's really helpful to know but I need to practice more. We can both understand BSL but neither of us can sign very well.

I use Makaton, and am able to sign very well, but I have been using it since the 1980s so have had many years of practise. It's probably been the thing that has helped my co-ordination more than anything else. Strangely, even though I don't know by left from my right, I do know which is my dominant hand and which is my non-dominant, so I tend to use these terms in other parts of my life which might involve those instructions! I still have to make signs become muscle memory, but once they are committed I can use them easily. I frequently struggle with word retrieval but find that my hands will find the sign quicker and easier than my mouth will produce the word. BSL is not something that comes easily to me, the same as any language learning, as the grammar and syntax doesn't match what my head is saying and my coordination just goes out the window. I wish you and your son good luck with your BSL journey, I'm sure you will find a method for learning the signs that works for you both 🙂

Have you tried mirror image signing? it is much easier to learn to do this, because you mirror the instructor, or video, or image, rather than try and transpose it around in your head.

I have sign language qualifications ,and did them all using signs in mirror image to the standard signs. It is no harder to read, and is normally acceptable by sign language users and teachers, and assessors

Has anyone learnt a different alphabet or writing system, Chinese, or Greek for example?

I am dyspraxic although it was called clumsy child syndrome when I was diagnosed. I don't drive. I never wear laces, zips or buttons. I am also a teacher so have told my children and parents about my diagnosis and how it means I do things a bit differently but I have a happy and fulfilled life.

I am clumsy but don't fall over too often. I worry about what I will be like when I am older.

I struggle with organising things but have had to find ways to deal with it.

Not diagnosed but my sibling is. I can drive, and have never had an accident that was at all my fault. My swimming teacher described my style as slow but elegant, because I swim exactly how I was taught and can't figure out how to go faster. I'm usually bruised somewhere, and absolutely cannot catch or throw anything. I'm even worse with a bat or racket as I can't work out either where the ball is going to be or where to put myself to be in the right place. Weirdly my fine motor skills are pretty good, I can crochet, embroider, make jewellery, but I can't draw (like a PP, stick men is my limit) and my handwriting is good but only because I relearned at 10 after getting fed up of being told how bad it was.

Is there anyone else shoe feels pain on the wrong side of their body? Or is that one just me?

If I am injured on the right, I feel it on the right, but if I am injured on the left, I feel it differently. Sometimes I feel it on both sides, and sometimes I feel it moving around, and sometimes I feel it completely on the right

I do not agree with this at all. I drive perfectly well, and do it as part of my job. But I am sure there are other things that you may able to do much better than I can. It is not a one size fits all. Some people cope much better with some things, and not with others.

I've tried! I was reasonably good at languages ... then my Latin teacher suggested I try Greek. It was awful! I have an A Level, but only by memorising the sounds of words - I never got to sight read it. Same with Russian, later on. I did eventually learn to read different scripts of medieval English, when I was studying, but it was very, very slow. I am very stubborn about this stuff!

I've just managed to open a pot of cream all over my jumper, worktop and kitchen floor... 😢 😢 😢 😢

I was wondering how dyspraxia is viewed both within sexes and by the opposite sexes.

As a boy at school I was awful at sports and as such I think it contributed to me being seen as 'wet, weedy' and an easy target for bullying. A lot of verbal stuff linked co-ordination and sport and a certain amount of physical stuff as co-ordinated fighting is neither my desire or forte. But on the other hand I didn't have to manage makeup or hairstyles. The idea of applying things to my face in a neat fashion or braiding hair seems impossible to me and I'm very grateful the most complex thing I had to do was knot a tie.

As an adult man I've been able to easily duck things like icing a cake or wrapping presents, playing into the trope of 'typical man'. Obviously I can't do DIY at all well which has led to some disparaging comments from fellow men and my time as a lab assistant in a chemical company wasn't great.

Overall it certainly left me feeling less 'male' as a child, teen and young adult. I wonder if I was really seen that way by others and I wonder how it leaves women feeling?

Never formally diagnosed but all my school reports from nursery on spoke about poor coordination. However, I can drive, it took longer than others to learn, but I'm amazing at parallel parking now.

As a child I struggled with writing, I spent many hours with an occupational therapist as a child and my writing is scruffy but legible. The OT told my parents my wring would always "dance". I also couldn't clap for years, I had a music teacher who used to humiliate me regularly which made me so anxious, I never clap.

My children find playing rock, paper, scissors, stone with me cause for great hilarity. I always get my husband to do fine chopping in the kitchen as I'm quite rough.

My mother made me do ballet to improve my coordination, it was so stressful and I hated it, I did it for three years and stopped because the teacher suggested I repeat a year with the younger kids. I could run on the barre when she was out the room.... I was also great at tree climbing.

Also I could tie my shoelaces at four, but my nursery school made me practice every day.