can anyone give me any advice please??

[tinywarrior]

i really dont mean to sound like someone who is looking for a problem or lazy or anything and i certainly dont want to upset anyone.. coming on these forums takes a lot of guts. i posted a forum early but changed it cos idk if anyone understands what i mean :'( ive suspected i had dyspraxia since day one of getting told about it. But my sister says i cant be dyspraxic cos she already is and 2 people in the family shouldnt have the same problem or its called attention seeking.

i really have no idea where to ask but here goes... this is becuase im wanting to be a chef/waitress when im older but this certainly proves difficult.

Here goes, it may be a bit long, but hopefully one person will reply.

starting from college years

year 1-age 17

starting from day one my tutor suggested i pronounce words in syllables because my speech is often mumbled. too fast too slow or too quiet/loud

walking consisted off smacking into walls, crashing into people and people shouting at me because i was too close to them and bumped into them. work was very hard, i hardly kept up and couldnt concentrate. paperwork just normal stuff quit though because remembering things and learning too much stuff was hard to keep up with,

ok i took a gap year

year 2- first year of catering, the waitress position -_-" age 19

first of all i have to explain my clumsiness, i dont crash into much stuff anymore but walk slow to manouevre round obstacles (people and walls) crashing for me made me black and blue every week , nearly everyday. crashing spine into fridge hurts most, but damage is probably me keep shutting the car passenger door on my head.

My zoning out and memory started showing up at least i only started noticing it then i couldnt follow more than 3 instructions. Going out with friends is embarrassing, i found out i cant eat or text while walking. getting changed after break takes about 20 mintutes even though im doing my fastest,

main obstacles was angling for trays.. i felt awkward and the angling was wrong and spent ages trying to lift and hold a tray. sometimes people would have to put the tray in my hand or have to push the tray to the edge of the table so i could grip it off the side.

people accused me of having ADD, which made me upset but i was persistent to stay strong, this was the least of my worries.

i walked dodgy because me legs feel like they dont walk in sync. Bike riiding for me only leads to 3 more scars so not good Balance activities such as gymnastics and dancing are not my thing.. VERY HARD. Im fine with big ball games but not small.

year 3- the chef positions -_-" age 20

I thought id be great in the kitchen as i really wanted to be a chef :'( this was the beginning of a disaster.
my cooking skills were halted my inability to take in instructions properly which led to burning soups and missing ingredients. Every lesson my tutor would have to closely supervise so she can 'rescue' my dish.

Lifting up trays was still a problem, trying to get a tray in and out the oven was bad i have several scars from trying to get the tray out of the oven. lift up, fail, lift from underneath fail.. finally after five minutes of struggling and burning myself my tutor stops laughing he says "do you need any help?" i replied please. he laughs and helped me get it out of the oven.

im alot better but during my college year lessons would end with a plaster on my finger because constantly cutting my fingers or accidently dropping knives All my tutors hated me they thought i hated cooking because i was excessively slow and disorganised. Which led to multiple delays and arguments.

Cutting a carrot was hard as gripping a carrot or potato seemed hard and i drop them in the bin while holding them to peel. got a tiny bit better. i once even dropped a burning hot tray on someone.. sorry . he hates me now i hate change and sound bothers me quite a lot. Loud noises startle me and make me act strange.

time management very bad, getting up 30 minutes just to be 40 minutes late. i dont know where the time goes. Even when im preparing simple dishes i have to get rushed.

My mum irons my clothes because it takes me 40 mintues to do 5 pieces of clothing, my memory doesnt help as once i forgot to turn the iron off which burnt my arm and i still have a scar. My mum is a star she alsos fastens my buttons on my chef uniform because i usually (especially when rushed) fasten the buttons wrong, which leads to further delay. Also i cant tie neckerchieves or ties because the instructions are far too complex.

im 20 and i have to work really hard on using cutlery. its like i need it at a certain 'angle' it seems impossible sometimes and i hate eating out in public. i have eat witha fork or spoon. At the start i held knife and fork the wrong way round. even though their now the right way round it still seems impossible or very hard. I mostly drops things, cant aim for my mouth or feel akward holding knife and fork after years of practice.

I feel awkward when lifting cups or plates and walk side to side in hope to stop crashing into things.

oh yeah scissors. i change hands with cutting occasionally. lucky for me i just learnt to tie shoelaces but still prefer the easy way. velcrow or two bows folded over.

i walk really weirdly and suspect i have this and above are my symptoms.

please give me some advice, i really want to be a chef and wondered if im just lazy, awkward or just may need an extra lil bit of support or a big push. Any comments are welcome.. sorry for the long post i want some advice as cooking is important to me. thanks

[tinywarrior]

if it doesnt sound like dyspraxia could anyone give me any advice anyways please

[AlleyCat]

Yes, it definitely seems as if you have got dyspraxia, as you have got significant issues with tasks which involve coordination (such as peeling vegetables), as well as having problems with spatial awareness. I admire you for wanting to be a chef, but personally I would find that kind of job to be a nightmare! I wonder if you would be able to get a GP to refer you for an assessment? From having read other posts on these forums, some GPs are a lot more helpful than others, but it could be worth a try. Your dyspraxia seems to be causing you to have a lot of struggles in everyday life, so you would probably benefit from seeing an occupational therapist. I've never seen one myself, so I don't know how easy it would be to get referred, but it could well be beneficial. If you'd been assessed as having dyspraxia and were doing a college course, that's maybe when you would get referred to see an OT. I also wouldn't completely rule out ADD, as people who have conditions such as dyslexia or dyspraxia often also have this- although I've been diagnosed with dyspraxia, I'm fairly sure I also have ADD. People who have ADD often have problems with time management and can easily switch off from what they're doing (like the 'zoning out' you mentioned).

[joy]

tinywarrier
You sound very much like I was ,it can be done I went too catering college passed all my exams and ended running the department were I worked .I have had pretty much every finger stuck taped or stitched on ,and never a day went by were I wouldnt be burned from lifting thing out of the oven
You just have to try and be more careful and try to remember when things are ready in the oven so you dont end up burning it.Dont know how you react to stress or have anxiety but the kitchen is a highly stressful place to be in and you are constantly under pressure to have the quota of meals ready on time but otherwise I dont see why not if that is what you really want to do.
Some places who employ you will actually send you on day release coures were you can get qualifications the firm usually pays all your expenses as well as allowing you a day off to attend.

[tinywarrior]

thanks, for the reply

the kitchen is really hard and im here for any advice

thanks for your advice

[Tim G]

Your defunlty dyspraxic - I don't think your sister really understands that more then 1 person in a family can be, yes its not commen but it can happen and your defunatly not attionseeking - why would you do that if you had a choice!!

Its clear that what you really need is some understanding from your employers as that will help, and defuntly a referial to a OT as they will help you deal with spefic tasks and things you encounter in your work and home enviroment.

I know that it would be easy to say that cooking is clearly too diffcult for you so just give up but that is not the way forward at all as this is clearly somthing you really want to do. You will need help yes but as long as you accept all of the help you can get and put in the effort then I am sure you can scuceed

[tinywarrior]

ive came to conclusion i can do the acrtivitis just with great difficulty i might not be dyspraxic

[Tom fod]

It's been recognised that I have dyspraxic tendencies. On bad days I'm definitely dyspraxic

Some things are much harder but if I want to do them I'm determined and will find a way. You can too,

All the best!