Hi I am a 20 year old college student from New Jersey. I have absolutely NO sense of direction, and I was searching for answers on the internet and I stumbled upon Dyspraxia and this forum. I was hoping one of you could help tell me if I have it or not, or have any tips to fix my problem.
My entire life I have always been completely dependant on my parents or other people to take me from place to place. I am constantly lost even if I am only two blocks from my house. This was normal until I reached about 10 years old and realized that other children would always know how to get back home from the grocery store, a friends house, wherever. I am an adult and still cant get back home from pretty much anywhere.
By the time I was 17 and getting my license, the only place I could drive was to school which is two blocks away from my house, and it took a long time for me to memorize the route. My mom had to show me the way a countless number of times. I would be completely fine driving if I knew where I was going, so driving to school wasnt that bad.....but I would get stressed out that a friend might ask for a ride home and I would have to say no.
Once my friends started driving to each others houses instead of having their parents drop them off my social life turned to 0. I was forced to stay at home every day because I couldnt get to any of my friends houses on my own. I finished out high school a total outcast.....although I have no social anxiety at all. I am just too embarrassed to admit that I can't go places without getting lost.
Once I started college my parents showed me around the campus many times before I was comfortable enough to get to class, cafeteria, whatever. The only times I would go out would be if I was following a group of friends. No matter how close we were to campus, at an off-campus party or whatever I would NEVER know how to get back. I would pretend to be really drunk and use that as an excuse with my friends. Sometimes I would get a cab to pick me up and take me back to campus and I would find out it was 2 roads away.
Sorry for the long post, I still have so much to say about my problem but hopefully some of you can realte based upon my description. If you need more information to determine whether or not I might have Dyspraxia, PLEASE post.....I really need help with this and I don't know who to talk to.
No Sense of Direction, do I have Dyspraxia?
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Billiamair
- New member - welcome them!
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat May 20, 2006 4:25 am
Hi Billiamair 
I empathise with your lack of navigation ability. It really sounds very severe and I know how frustrating it can be and how much it can interfere with everyday life.
I also find it hard sometimes when people ask me for a ride. It really stresses me out too and i could relate to that. normally I am the type of person who would never say no, so when I have to refuse a lift it is really hard for me to do. I have known my friends from uni for a long time now and they understand me. However, one person still constantly asks me for a lift – (luckily now when this happens someone will say "don't worry, I'll do it", even if it puts them out a little). It’s a relief when people understand but it’s really awkward when people don't know you well.
I am a bit of a dag anyway and try and treat my lack of navigation skills as a bit of a laugh with other people. I find that by being cool and frank about it, people always try and help. If you are open and comfortable with who you are, and that you may have no sense of direction, you will find it frees you up a lot. Last year I got my dad to drop me and pick me up from a friends place because I was too tired to do it myself. My friends had no problem with this at all (and nor did my dad). So don’t be too self-conscious.
If I know I have to go to a party in advance, I try and take someone who knows how to get there and practice going there. This is a bit inconvenient but it makes me feel a bit more independent. Having the navigation system now is a bonus! Also, my friends don’t mind if I go to their place first and they do the navigating.
For car navigation, I now use a gps system and it is quite good (certainly better than nothing). You can also use this system walking, but I have never tried it. So a gps system may be part of the answer. It also provides written instructions as well as prompting you at every step.
I know that a lot of people with neurological problems such as dyspraxia have problems with navigation. To have dyspraxia, you have to have a problem with motor skills (coordination, balance etc). However, you don’t have to dyspraxia to have a navigation problem. (does this make any sense!?)
your story reminds me a bit of a case we studied in at uni where a boy was born with a damaged hippocampus and had a severe problem with getting anywhere himself (but in addition he also had problems with memory). He carried detailed written instructions with him about how to get from A to B. you may want to do a google search for hippocampus and navigation! I don't want to freak you out, im just suggesting that this info may help you in your search
for example wikipedia includes this info
I hope this post want too long and irrelevant! Of course- you may also want to discuss it with your GP.
I empathise with your lack of navigation ability. It really sounds very severe and I know how frustrating it can be and how much it can interfere with everyday life.
I also find it hard sometimes when people ask me for a ride. It really stresses me out too and i could relate to that. normally I am the type of person who would never say no, so when I have to refuse a lift it is really hard for me to do. I have known my friends from uni for a long time now and they understand me. However, one person still constantly asks me for a lift – (luckily now when this happens someone will say "don't worry, I'll do it", even if it puts them out a little). It’s a relief when people understand but it’s really awkward when people don't know you well.
I am a bit of a dag anyway and try and treat my lack of navigation skills as a bit of a laugh with other people. I find that by being cool and frank about it, people always try and help. If you are open and comfortable with who you are, and that you may have no sense of direction, you will find it frees you up a lot. Last year I got my dad to drop me and pick me up from a friends place because I was too tired to do it myself. My friends had no problem with this at all (and nor did my dad). So don’t be too self-conscious.
If I know I have to go to a party in advance, I try and take someone who knows how to get there and practice going there. This is a bit inconvenient but it makes me feel a bit more independent. Having the navigation system now is a bonus! Also, my friends don’t mind if I go to their place first and they do the navigating.
For car navigation, I now use a gps system and it is quite good (certainly better than nothing). You can also use this system walking, but I have never tried it. So a gps system may be part of the answer. It also provides written instructions as well as prompting you at every step.
I know that a lot of people with neurological problems such as dyspraxia have problems with navigation. To have dyspraxia, you have to have a problem with motor skills (coordination, balance etc). However, you don’t have to dyspraxia to have a navigation problem. (does this make any sense!?)
your story reminds me a bit of a case we studied in at uni where a boy was born with a damaged hippocampus and had a severe problem with getting anywhere himself (but in addition he also had problems with memory). He carried detailed written instructions with him about how to get from A to B. you may want to do a google search for hippocampus and navigation! I don't want to freak you out, im just suggesting that this info may help you in your search
for example wikipedia includes this info
from what i understand a lot of people who have issues with the hippocampus have memory problems as well - i dont know if you have a bad memory as well.Without a fully-functional hippocampus, humans may not successfully remember the places they have been to and how to get where they are going. Researchers believe that the hippocampus plays a particularly important role in finding shortcuts and new routes between familiar places. Some people exhibit more skill at this sort of navigation than do others, and brain imaging shows that these individuals have more active hippocampi when navigating.
I hope this post want too long and irrelevant! Of course- you may also want to discuss it with your GP.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
"Normal refers to someone who hasn’t had enough tests!"
"Normal refers to someone who hasn’t had enough tests!"
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Billiamair
- New member - welcome them!
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat May 20, 2006 4:25 am
thanks a lot for the reply, it really helps just to have someone understand where i am coming from. even my own family doesnt truly understand my problem, they act like im lazy and just dont want to learn. i have always done well in school and sports (1400 SATs and I go to Boston College so im not an idiot). i dont think i have Dyspraxia because i dont really show any of the other symptons....although i do remember as a child i had a hard time learning how to read and write, i remember saying "i'll never be able to do this" like all the time. maybe i just have no confidence that i will be able to learn.
i didnt mention it, but i did purchase a navigation system for my car. it helps soooo much because i have confidence that no matter how lose i get, i can simply press one button and be guided back home. but this system is very embarrassing to use, and i get enough crap from my friends as it is. also, its not the type that i can use while walking, which sucks because i have no sense of direction both in and out of my car.
thanks for the tip about hippocampus, it sounds like something worth researching.
i didnt mention it, but i did purchase a navigation system for my car. it helps soooo much because i have confidence that no matter how lose i get, i can simply press one button and be guided back home. but this system is very embarrassing to use, and i get enough crap from my friends as it is. also, its not the type that i can use while walking, which sucks because i have no sense of direction both in and out of my car.
thanks for the tip about hippocampus, it sounds like something worth researching.
I find that my sense of direction is poor at best (Earlier this year I added one hour to a 20min walk in an attempt to find a shortcut) but I'm good at intrepreting maps. If I need to go somewhere new I can generally consult an A-Z and write myself a set of instructions that'll get me there (instructions from other people generally aren't any good for me, I don't know why, I guess because they don't put in contingiences like "if you see warwards lane you've gone too far, turn 180 degrees and take the next right")
I don't know if having maps of where you live is any good to you, but if you haven't already I'd suggest it'd help to get a really good one and annote it as you find where stuff is.
I don't know if having maps of where you live is any good to you, but if you haven't already I'd suggest it'd help to get a really good one and annote it as you find where stuff is.
oh I love Boston!!! (and NY )
glad that it helped.. a lot of people on this board will identify with this problem![/quote]
)really!? my friends think its great! they wish they had one!!but this system is very embarrassing to use, and i get enough crap from my friends as it is.
glad that it helped.. a lot of people on this board will identify with this problem![/quote]
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
"Normal refers to someone who hasn’t had enough tests!"
"Normal refers to someone who hasn’t had enough tests!"
Come to Europe. The road systems are far more complicated, so far more people use satnav and it is not deemed as embarassing.Billiamair wrote: i didnt mention it, but i did purchase a navigation system for my car. it helps soooo much because i have confidence that no matter how lose i get, i can simply press one button and be guided back home. but this system is very embarrassing to use, and i get enough crap from my friends as it is. also, its not the type that i can use while walking, which sucks because i have no sense of direction both in and out of my car.
thanks for the tip about hippocampus, it sounds like something worth researching.
Admittedly... you do have to deal with things like these:
I have a good *compass* sense of direction, so things like this where the direction you need to go in often disobeys the compass direction of your destination drive me nuts: I have to use very very specific road directions - googlemaps is often not detailed enough for me.
Is that this monstrosity?
http://www.bplphoto.co.uk/imagefiles/F2 ... 21-045.jpg
Whenever I need to remind myself why I'm happy to walk for hours rather than getting public transport or learning to drive I wonder over there and have a look at it.
http://www.bplphoto.co.uk/imagefiles/F2 ... 21-045.jpg
Whenever I need to remind myself why I'm happy to walk for hours rather than getting public transport or learning to drive I wonder over there and have a look at it.
spaggetti junction is a bad example! even at the best of time normal people have problems!
on my 2nd driving test in Cardiff (which I hate driving around at the best of times with a car), then I had the examiner say take the next right, and had problems remembering which way is right!
mainly because I was in a 17 tonne wagon, so had to be even more aware of traffic around me, and my road positioning.
it totally left me confused for about 5 - 10 seconds!
and the other thing that totally confused me was on a round-about with 5 exits, he go's I would like you to take the 7th exit! he was actually counting the number of enterance's onto the round-about as well!!
he did point out the exit, by where a car was, but it left me totally confuesed!
on my 2nd driving test in Cardiff (which I hate driving around at the best of times with a car), then I had the examiner say take the next right, and had problems remembering which way is right!
mainly because I was in a 17 tonne wagon, so had to be even more aware of traffic around me, and my road positioning.
it totally left me confused for about 5 - 10 seconds!
and the other thing that totally confused me was on a round-about with 5 exits, he go's I would like you to take the 7th exit! he was actually counting the number of enterance's onto the round-about as well!!
he did point out the exit, by where a car was, but it left me totally confuesed!