Is it really worth confirming I have dyspraxia?

[firemonkey]

Some background: I am 62 and was recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome . The autism assessment report agreed I had signs pointing to dyspraxia NB clumsiness,bumping into things,poor gross and fine motor control, being disorganised and sometimes being confused with information that is given to me.

I am not sure what could be achieved by doing so above the level of help I currently get which acknowledges that I have difficulties with various activities of daily living.

[allesandro]

firemonkey, we are the same age and I agree completely. I was determined to be tested about two years ago when I first found out about it, and then I thought for what? I even ran it by a psychiatrist who said,"well, it's a little late to be worried about it now." Granted he was a jerk, but at the end of the day I thought, he's right. what can it do for me now? I found out on my own through research, the same way I found out I had ADD in the 90's. Today everyone knows about ADD in the US, and lots of people carry the diagnosis and take meds for it, whether they have it or not.
However, I can assure you that outside of medical and clinical spheres, no one in the US has any idea of what dyspraxia is.
Anyway, I suppose my point is that at our age it's a little too late for testing, what would we hope to profit by it ?

[Tom fod]

I think quite a few people feel they need the vindication or a definite professional confirmation in order that they can wave it at others who have doubted or dismissed their self-assessed diagnosis.

If your opportunity for diagnosis was missed/overlooked, you've no doubt had a long battle to get by and this hasty have left you feeling like a stupid fish out of water. I think we have a definite tendency to be more harsh towards ourselves than others.

I think some people prefer to identify as Dyspraxic rather than having Autism and are suspicious and/or anxious about being categorised as 'on the spectrum' either way I think we can learn from all kinds of people and how they choose to define themselves in taking ownership of their label(s). We have our divergences but we also have things in common. I watched and enjoyed this interesting TED talk by Elisabeth Wiklander recently.https://youtu.be/Qvvrme5WIwA

[michael]

Firemonkey,
yes I think it is. I recently had a neuropsychological evaluation and found out that I have some comorbid conditions as well which makes things a lot clearer. I have also decided to remain in treatment with this provider. It's not easy, not at all. Nor is it easy to find out all of this stuff late in life but I think it's worth it

[RenegadeDyspraxic]

Is it worth confirming you have Dyspraxia? A good question and one which I cannot really answer for you as your circumstances are most certainly going to be unique to you. But I can weigh up the pros and cons of getting your Dyspraxia confirmed or not as I see it.

First off, a plus for getting a Dyspraxia diagnosis is that you will finally be able to put to rest whether you have Dyspraxia or not. If you are struggling with basic tasks which everyone else seems to do pretty easily, than knowing that you have Dyspraxia will certainly explain why.

Having a diagnosis can also help with regards to work and getting a job for you will have a medical reason for your difficulties.

Overall the main benefit to getting your Dyspraxia confirmed is that you will have an understanding of why you are the way you are: and as such will hopefully be able to make life easier for you.

Yet a major downside to having a Dyspraxia diagnosis in my opinion is that it can be just as entrapping as liberating. For when you know that you have Dyspraxia for certain, than it means you are trapped as well. Trapped in the sense that you have an official disability, it can certainly lead to you feeling a bit limited.

Ultimately I would have to say that an official diagnosis of Dyspraxia is really a positive or negative depending on how you perceive it.

I hope this helps.

[Tom fod]

Unless of course you're able to see yourself as Neurodiverse rather than it necessarily being a disability. It certainly amounts to the latter for a significant proportion of people. I agree, it is is inherently dependent on how you and others perceive you and your current situation and difficulties. The diagnosis can be a starting point towards self-acceptance and vindication, should you have been accused of 'making it all up'.

The other difficulty is finding someone who can provide you with confirmation either way. It's a darned and devilish conundrum! Maybe we all need to be writing to our MPs and Care Commissioning Groups to highlight demand.

[firemonkey]

I'm as certain as can be I'm dyspraxic. The pdoc who saw me last year did a hand test, and after it said I'm quite dyspraxic. My sister has said she thinks I'm dyspraxic . The report I got confirming my Asperger's dx also mentioned dyspraxia.

At 62 it's hard to tell what would be gained from an official diagnosis . If I was 20 years younger it would be a different matter.

[michael]

Firemonkey,
I thought that too till I saw a neuropsychologist and got a full explanation of what was going on with me. I have some comorbidity and I found it helpful to know this because I feel I know and understand myself much better.