Dyspraxic Adults

Hi, my name is Emma and I'm 25. I was only diagnosed with dyspraxia yesterday after I went for an autism assessment only to be told it was dyspraxia. They said a lot of it stemmed from childhood trauma. I'm just wondering what other people's experiences are and how to manage being dyspraxic.

Hi Emma!

The best advice I have for you is to be as patient with yourself as possible.

Firstly, re. childhood trauma: is there someone you can talk to about what you went through? If you’re in the UK, you might want to try IAPT to see if it’s possible to access therapy via the NHS?

As for dyspraxia itself? There’s a huge overlap between dyspraxic and autistic traits so the same sorts of coping mechanisms might be applicable?

In practical terms, I try to make stuff as easy for myself as possible- cans with ring pulls, pre-chopped frozen onions, food processor to grate things… these all help me cook on days when the executive function just isn’t there. I do a lot of yoga because it helps me improve my balance (I notice when I don’t do it!) and I use a bullet journal for organisation (mostly). I really like the YouTube channel How To ADHD- there’s a lot of things on there that really resonate for me.

Do you have questions about specific areas of your life that you’re struggling with?

Hi, thanks for your reply. I am in the UK and am on the waiting list for CBT. I think I've been blaming myself for a long time that I'm just a horrible person and everything is my fault. Having a diagnosis of dyspraxia is a lot to take in, but I've got a great support circle. Is there any books that you can recommend me to read as all the ones I've found are aimed at children with dyspraxia? I'm worried about my job as I work in a school and am scared that the school won't be willing to make reasonable adjustments for me such as starting at a later time and finishing earlier as I'm highly sensitive to noise and as you can imagine working in a school is very noisy.

Hi Emma
Welcome to the Tribe. I absolutely second what Frankie's said.I'm sure you're not a horrible person and I hope the CBT will help you challenge that.

There are some books listed on our Help Resources list as well as various other links to online info/resources.
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Emmap97 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:40 am Hi, thanks for your reply. I am in the UK and am on the waiting list for CBT. I think I've been blaming myself for a long time that I'm just a horrible person and everything is my fault. Having a diagnosis of dyspraxia is a lot to take in, but I've got a great support circle. Is there any books that you can recommend me to read as all the ones I've found are aimed at children with dyspraxia? I'm worried about my job as I work in a school and am scared that the school won't be willing to make reasonable adjustments for me such as starting at a later time and finishing earlier as I'm highly sensitive to noise and as you can imagine working in a school is very noisy.

There definitely seems to be a lack of information for adults on the subject. I was only diagnosed early this year but I found the same as you- most literature is aimed at children.

What is it that you do at school? If you’re not directly involved with children I don’t see why a later start wouldn’t be possible.

Hi, I'm a teaching assistant so I am involved with the children directly, I go back on Monday so I'll have to see what they say, will keep you updated