Considering seeking a dyspraxia assessment at age 30

[SunSea995]

Hi all, I discovered this forum recently and would love some advice. I’m 30 and only discovered the term dyspraxia a few years ago. When I think back I have had life long motor/coordination difficulties. I've been thinking about the last few weeks about going for a formal assessment. However, I am really unsure as it’s so expensive (€500) so popping this post up to hopefully get some advice.

. Didn’t walk until I was 2.5 (never crawled, just bottom shuffled)

. Was sent home with building blocks to practice with at age 5 as teacher noticed I was struggling with stacking them compared to other children

. I went to speech therapy when I was in primary school - speech is completely fine now and I don’t stutter and never struggle to get my words out. I was excellent at English in school and loved reading.

. Struggled with tying my hair up as a child and with buttons - I’m fine with tying my hair up now in a basic pony tail but I still don’t like buttons and generally avoid them. I find buttoning a shirt really difficult and tiresome

. My hand writing is good but I was told in school I held the pen wrong and teachers were constantly trying to correct this. I did learn the “correct” way but after a couple of minutes of writing, my hand would cramp and I would revert to the old way. In college, I would type out my notes and it became so much easier to study (I type really fast and text fast, no issues there)

. Terrible coordination and spatial awareness - bump into things like doorframes, can’t go upstairs or downstairs quickly (sometimes hold the railing going downstairs for support). At school I couldn’t run fast, catch a ball or anything to do with coordination. I still have this - recently went bowling and kept overthrowing the ball and couldn’t get it to go where I wanted it to. I struggle to balance on one foot. I was taken for swimming lessons as a child but couldn’t keep up with the rest of the class - I probably would have befitted from one to one

. Directions - I get lost regularly and if I go to a place where you have to navigate corners at all I get confused. For example, I work in an office job and have to go to the post room sometimes. I always have to stop and try to remember what way I went and try to find my way back - even if I’ve been there many times. Basically, unless I’m going in a straight line, I get confused with directions

. Tying shoelaces - this took me years to learn and even now I can only do bunny ears and they open regularly. I favour velcro shoes sometimes. If I do wear laced shoes, I don’t reopen them to tie them every day lol - I just slip my feet into them and hope they stay tied. I also can’t tell my left shoe from my right shoe unless they’re side by side

. Things like keys can be difficult for me and locking doors

. Changing bedsheets is a nightmare - like getting the pillow case into the pillow and getting the sheet to cover the bed. I’d need help getting the duvet into the duvet cover and if doing it by myself I feel fatigued afterwards. I’m also not good at folding up clothes

. Using a scissors can be hard

. I don’t drive yet although when a family member took me out for lessons a few years ago, I found the gears difficult as well as keeping the car straight

. Instructions can sometimes be difficult for me - I prefer being physically shown something as I can visualise it then

. Find cooking tiresome and difficult - I mostly do healthy microwaveable meals as it takes the stress out of it for me

. One of my first jobs was at an event management company (internship) and I really struggled because of the motor skills required.I remember I had to tie a balloon at one stage and I literally could not do it. I also had to work as a steward for one event and I basically winged it

I was a very shy child but I did have my friends and I don’t believe I have any social issues now

A part of me would love to get assessed but then also I’m afraid maybe it’s just clumsiness or just me being quirky. I have good time keeping skills and am usually actually early to appointments/events.

I also think I might meet some of the criteria for dyscalculia. I was extremely bad in maths in school to the point a teacher thought something else was going on other than just maths and I was referred to a psychologist. However nothing was diagnosed. I mainly just talked to him from what I remember and did some maths tests. This was back in 2006/2007 so maybe dyscalculia wasn’t widely known about. I couldn’t do my times tables or mental maths. I also couldn’t visualise the numbers and they’d become jumbled up (still happens). I
wouldn’t want to waste money on an assessment just to be told I don’t have it. I’m very conflicted! Any advice would be appreciated

[Tom fod]

Hi welcome to your Tribe

I'm all too familiar with a good chunk of the traits you've listed.

€500 sounds cheap but it depends on who is assessing and what assessment includes. 500 is still 500 and is not a small amount. What price should we attach to the certaity that we are dyspraxic rather than lazy or stupid?. Iwill still curse myself with those labels even though I know and accept I'm dyspraxic.

It's not especially a case of ticking all of the criteria all of the time and we often have found coping strategies that we might fail an assessment to find us dyspraxic.

I find it's very linked to the amount of stress I feel and my coping strategy of perfectionism is not sustainable and can often be my undoing.

What is your employers occupational health provision and degree of progressiveness like?Might they be open to funding assessment or helping with the cost?

Formal recognition/acceptance of Dyscalculia seems to be lacking and I'm inclined to say it lags behind that of dyspraxia

[Zinnner001]

From what you’ve described, it sounds like a lot of the stuff you’ve been through fits with dyspraxia traits — coordination struggles, trouble with buttons, spatial awareness issues, and the rest. Getting a formal assessment could help you understand yourself better and maybe get some support or accommodations if you want.

[h3nchw3nch]

Hello!

I've been meaning to use this forum for years now, but it was your post that made me decide on making an account.

I have also recently turned 30, and currently in the process of getting an ADHD/Autism/Dyspraxia diagnosis. I've been told I have Dyspraxia from a young age but never been diagnosis, and I have a lot of traits and overlap of ADHD/Autism which is why I believe the doctor is trying me for ADHD first.

I can relate a lot to the things you listed that you struggled with, as I have struggled with most if not all of the same things!

Would love to be kept in the loop of how you get on with things.

Pearce