Struggle in the Workplace

[FromKatetoInk]

Hi,

I am completely new to this forum, but after having taken a look at it and admiring the sense of community I wanted to join up as I myself live with dyspraxia and struggle because of the challenges it presents.

I am twenty nine and I wanted to share my dyspraxia-related problem. Ever since leaving school I have struggled to cope in every job i’ve had. I’ve been dismissed a number of times due to poor work performance or the inability to perform my duties properly, and looking back, i’ve realised the real cause was my dyspraxia. I would fail to follow instructions, be unable to carry out or understand different tasks and added to that, I had poor communication skills which only made me even more anxious and unconfident. So as a result my employment with the business would be terminated.

As i’ve mentioned, this has been an issue ever since I left school-where i’ve struggled to keep a job. It’s only been in the last few years where there has been some change and i’ve actually managed to hold onto my jobs. However, I am now due to start a new job this week after being made redundant from my last position, and I am so scared in case my old pattern of failure makes a return. I am so worried in case I also struggle to cope in this new job and they decide to get rid of me. I am nearly thirty and don’t want to constantly be in and out of work. This problem has genuinely caused me so much anxiety and depression through the years.

Has anyone else on here experienced this problem because of their learning difficulty? If so, I would really like to hear from you and learn your story. Maybe we can even be of some help to each other.

Sorry for the long message. I appreciate your taking the time to read it.

[Tom fod]

Hi,

I am completely new to this forum, but after having taken a look at it and admiring the sense of community I wanted to join up as I myself live with dyspraxia and struggle because of the challenges it presents.

I am twenty nine and I wanted to share my dyspraxia-related problem. Ever since leaving school I have struggled to cope in every job i’ve had. I’ve been dismissed a number of times due to poor work performance or the inability to perform my duties properly, and looking back, i’ve realised the real cause was my dyspraxia. I would fail to follow instructions, be unable to carry out or understand different tasks and added to that, I had poor communication skills which only made me even more anxious and unconfident. So as a result my employment with the business would be terminated.

As i’ve mentioned, this has been an issue ever since I left school-where i’ve struggled to keep a job. It’s only been in the last few years where there has been some change and i’ve actually managed to hold onto my jobs. However, I am now due to start a new job this week after being made redundant from my last position, and I am so scared in case my old pattern of failure makes a return. I am so worried in case I also struggle to cope in this new job and they decide to get rid of me. I am nearly thirty and don’t want to constantly be in and out of work. This problem has genuinely caused me so much anxiety and depression through the years.

Has anyone else on here experienced this problem because of their learning difficulty? If so, I would really like to hear from you and learn your story. Maybe we can even be of some help to each other.

Sorry for the long message. I appreciate your taking the time to read it.

Hi Kate

Firstly welcome and a very warm welcome or at least I hope that is how my response will come across. This post is not overly long by any stretch of the imagination. Please feel free to write as much as you need to to get your point across. So what industry/industries do/have you worked in? It can be difficult for us to find ourselves the right niche, with managers and colleagues and the right environment where we can thrive.

Dyspraxia is a complex thing and so often goes hand in hand with the crushing anxiety you experience as you/we have a long and vivid memory of (y)our previous failings and how they made us feel.

Communication is a two way street so we have to be as honest and open about how we need things explained and the best way for people to explain them to us. It is not a crime to be different and need support to find our feet and get going. Often we are just as, sometimes, more impatient with ourselves than the impatient colleagues we have to work with. On our good days we appear competent and are quite often of above average intelligence. Regrettably, certain individuals lazily or impatiently comment on how we have done this or that completely wrong, or not quickly enough etc. This has a marked and disproportionate effect on our self-esteem and confidence. Some colleagues can be quick to judge and form incorrect opinions based on limited info, worse in some cases if you trust them and declare dyspraxia, they make incorrect assumptions based on limited knowledge or ignorance. Was I ranting?

Hopefully your new employer will be better than this. Finding ways to help you remember processes and manage the associated anxiety and fear are definite to dos. Think about the conditions you had where you performed well and try to work with your new employer to replicate these.Most of all learn to be kind and accepting of yourself and the contribution you make. I hope this response is helpful. Do feel free to request further clarification or correct any incorrect assumptions I might have made.

[FromKatetoInk]

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your reply and kind message.

I was diagnosed with dyspraxia at the age of twenty and since leaving school, i’ve worked mainly in a mixture of customer service jobs (such as retail and in call centres), one marketing job and a role in recruitment. My new job will also be in recruitment. But I am also artistic and should hopefully be working towards applying for a masters degree this year, so I can eventually work in art therapy. I’m hoping this type of work will be much more suited to me. I try to deal with my worries by indulging in my passions and by reminding myself that i’m working towards an objective.

Thank you again for getting back to me.

[Tom fod]

You're very welcome. The idea of working in a call centre or indeed retail fills me with fear and I used to have to sometimes deal with cross farmers! I think our ability to see more of the bigger picture can maybe make us more prone to comparing ourselves to others too much and not fully appreciating our own achievements in the crazy world we navigate through. We're usually pretty driven (often into the ground)