Hi I'm new here I hope this is the right part of the forums.
Basically I was with my mum at the doctors because I've been suffering from depression and she said this time she's coming with me. Halfway through the appointment she says I was diagnosed with dyspraxia as a kid.
I never knew this so I went home and looked at the symptoms. I'm kinda clumsy and have bad handwriting, but I am fairly good at football and average at sports in general. Can I still have dyspraxia?
Also I do get muddled in my thoughts even though I've always done well at school etc and I am terrible at organising, planning things and I stopped my driving lessons because it stressed me out. Socially I can get very anxious but I understand the whole conversation, non verbal actions, jokes etc, it's just my concentration isn't that great.
I dunno, you guys have a view on this?
Confused about my diagnosis
Moderator: Moderator Team
Re: Confused about my diagnosis
Hi and welcome J89. I'm not surprised as it's a bombshell and a revelation rolled into one.
Everyone is different. Just because we have had the diagnosis does not mean we have to fit a stereotype or idea of what someone with dyspraxia can or cannot do. We're all different and any one of us may not exhibit all of the characteristic traits associated with dyspraxia. I was diagnosed when I was 13/14 I guess but wasn't interested/ready to understand what it meant for me at the time. I just wanted to try to appear normal so I could try and fit in with my peers.
In many ways I'm quite organised but I guess that is borne out of my personal coping strategy/personal obsession. As long as there is nothing to plunge me into doubt and uncertainty. I'm generally rubbish at and uninterested in sport. I do experience some anxiety sometimes, but I'm relatively fortunate on that score. I do find I can emphasise with those who struggle more than myself and to a degree can feel others' pain.
Please have a look round the forums and feel free to ask more questions you might have. Please don't feel you have to be constrained by people's idea of what someone with dyspraxia can or cant do well.
Everyone is different. Just because we have had the diagnosis does not mean we have to fit a stereotype or idea of what someone with dyspraxia can or cannot do. We're all different and any one of us may not exhibit all of the characteristic traits associated with dyspraxia. I was diagnosed when I was 13/14 I guess but wasn't interested/ready to understand what it meant for me at the time. I just wanted to try to appear normal so I could try and fit in with my peers.
In many ways I'm quite organised but I guess that is borne out of my personal coping strategy/personal obsession. As long as there is nothing to plunge me into doubt and uncertainty. I'm generally rubbish at and uninterested in sport. I do experience some anxiety sometimes, but I'm relatively fortunate on that score. I do find I can emphasise with those who struggle more than myself and to a degree can feel others' pain.
Please have a look round the forums and feel free to ask more questions you might have. Please don't feel you have to be constrained by people's idea of what someone with dyspraxia can or cant do well.
Tom
Moderator/Administrator
With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
Moderator/Administrator
With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
Re: Confused about my diagnosis
Recent diagnosed dyspraxic here. I think I am fairly good both in schools and sports as well. However, I am definitely a slower learner. However, once I get grasp the fundamental concepts, I notice I often do better and faster than the average. I think we sometimes progress slower because we learn differently...since our brain functions differently..In some ways, I do blame how society works, especially the education systems. The fact we progress slower is because society generally oriented toward the majority (so called normal ppl) and so information and infrastructure are geared toward them.
Not sure if you have this feeling before, but there are times I think people spent so much time on irrelevant information while putting too little time on important information that you need. As a result, as long as I can remember, I have always created new sets of strategies to do things I want to do. I am considered a very good artist even though I cannot hold a pen or pencil correctly.And I am always proud to say that I taught myself how to ride bike when everyone else give up on teaching me (I actually learn how to ride a bike the day people leave me alone). Got a black belt in martial arts even though my forms are supposedly not correct (unfortunately I did well in scoring points in sparing and can break the necessary numbers of boards to pass so they need to pass me no matter what).
I actually worked as a TA and camp counsellor before, I was always told by peers that students with learning disabilities are naturally attracted to me (In fact, they intentionally diverted those students to me). Knowing my conditions now, I think it might have been my methods of teaching (many times based on my own exp of learning) might be more appealing to them than the norm. Hence, (as least for now) I do not think we should underestimate ourselves because society expect us to underachieve. We just need to know how we function....because many times we are not given proper instructions from people whose brain functions very differently from ours. Frankly, it is quite tedious to have to invent a new sets of strategies to do something and I think this is a major factor in pulling us back to do things we want to do.This is why I think this forum is so useful because I can actually hear strategies from people whose brain function more similar to mine.And yes, I look forward to hearing your ingenuious strategies in couping with society's expectations.
Hence, if you want to learn how to drive. Please do not give up. It took me a whole year to learn how to drive but I learn it. I am a very messy person, now I am trying to find ways to coup with it so that I can be as organize as other normal* people. I have a very good friend who is a phsyical trainer, now he know I have this condition, we are devising methods to how to train me. And my poor writing....I am trying to get my friends to proofread for me and download softwares that aims to aid dyslexics.
Also, on a side note, though I might sound very aggressive to non-dyspraxics in the previous paragraphs, I think I need to clarify my rage is only toward certain ways in how society works.As a matter of fact, we need to remembered that we dyspraxics are not the only one suffering. Everyone have their problems and need to work hard, suffers failure so that they can succeed. Fundamentally, we are all very different and similar...whether we are dyspraxic or not. Some instutitions of the society just isn't aware of that (Did I told you how I hate standardized tests even when I score well on them) and they act as barrier. We dyspraxics were hurted more by it since our brain functions so much differently than the standardized norm.
Frankly, I think the whole point of life is to be happy. To do so, it is important to understand ourselves so that we can get to where we want. Unforutnately, we achieve so far by ourself and that humans are a social speices, we need to cooperate and want to share our happiness with one another. So ya...I think you just need to figure out what you want to do in life and go right at it. It make be difficult and confusing but with the right support such as friends, family (sounds like you have a very caring mother from your msg) and other social channels (like this forum), even if we don't succeed in reaching our goal, we can at least make the process exciting...
Not sure if you have this feeling before, but there are times I think people spent so much time on irrelevant information while putting too little time on important information that you need. As a result, as long as I can remember, I have always created new sets of strategies to do things I want to do. I am considered a very good artist even though I cannot hold a pen or pencil correctly.And I am always proud to say that I taught myself how to ride bike when everyone else give up on teaching me (I actually learn how to ride a bike the day people leave me alone). Got a black belt in martial arts even though my forms are supposedly not correct (unfortunately I did well in scoring points in sparing and can break the necessary numbers of boards to pass so they need to pass me no matter what).
I actually worked as a TA and camp counsellor before, I was always told by peers that students with learning disabilities are naturally attracted to me (In fact, they intentionally diverted those students to me). Knowing my conditions now, I think it might have been my methods of teaching (many times based on my own exp of learning) might be more appealing to them than the norm. Hence, (as least for now) I do not think we should underestimate ourselves because society expect us to underachieve. We just need to know how we function....because many times we are not given proper instructions from people whose brain functions very differently from ours. Frankly, it is quite tedious to have to invent a new sets of strategies to do something and I think this is a major factor in pulling us back to do things we want to do.This is why I think this forum is so useful because I can actually hear strategies from people whose brain function more similar to mine.And yes, I look forward to hearing your ingenuious strategies in couping with society's expectations.
Hence, if you want to learn how to drive. Please do not give up. It took me a whole year to learn how to drive but I learn it. I am a very messy person, now I am trying to find ways to coup with it so that I can be as organize as other normal* people. I have a very good friend who is a phsyical trainer, now he know I have this condition, we are devising methods to how to train me. And my poor writing....I am trying to get my friends to proofread for me and download softwares that aims to aid dyslexics.
Also, on a side note, though I might sound very aggressive to non-dyspraxics in the previous paragraphs, I think I need to clarify my rage is only toward certain ways in how society works.As a matter of fact, we need to remembered that we dyspraxics are not the only one suffering. Everyone have their problems and need to work hard, suffers failure so that they can succeed. Fundamentally, we are all very different and similar...whether we are dyspraxic or not. Some instutitions of the society just isn't aware of that (Did I told you how I hate standardized tests even when I score well on them) and they act as barrier. We dyspraxics were hurted more by it since our brain functions so much differently than the standardized norm.
Frankly, I think the whole point of life is to be happy. To do so, it is important to understand ourselves so that we can get to where we want. Unforutnately, we achieve so far by ourself and that humans are a social speices, we need to cooperate and want to share our happiness with one another. So ya...I think you just need to figure out what you want to do in life and go right at it. It make be difficult and confusing but with the right support such as friends, family (sounds like you have a very caring mother from your msg) and other social channels (like this forum), even if we don't succeed in reaching our goal, we can at least make the process exciting...