Can you help me find out if i am dyspraxic?
Moderator: Moderator Team
-
- New member - welcome them!
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:00 pm
Can you help me find out if i am dyspraxic?
First of all im gonna probably ramble on, please do not say it is best to get a diagnosis i know that, all i am looking for is your honest opinion in whether you think i do have it , thank you for reading. I am 19 years old, To start of with i have never ever been diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia even though i tick all the boxes. I never knew what any of these things were until recently. So to give you the back story it all started when I was in primary school, In my last year of primary i had a dyslexia test, i remember getting called down from class to sit it and i never got any word back. I remember coming back up from the test and got asked where i was by my friends and i was embarrassed and shrugged it off didn't say nothing, i eventually forgot about it, so in high school people with learning difficulties often use things to help them i forget what there called my bad but i never had any support NONE WHATSOEVER until in my 5th year where i got took out of the exam hall and took out to a classroom where i had 1 on 1 support she says it is for students who have dyslexia difficulties and i was so confused because i have never had any word or support about this throughout my school, i was a bit upset when she did take me out it was a bit embarrassing my brother was confused aswell. I didnt really use the benefits of it, i never used any coloured paper she offered and i didnt need her to read anything out and i finished it on time if i can remember correctly. So after school i then went into the world of college and i didnt tick the disabilty box when submitting application, then my teacher took me out of the class one day and asked me if i did have a learning disability if i can remember he says i was forgetful sometimes. he then referred me to the learning speciallty team and then they asked me to tell them what i struggle with, Nothing happened they never gave me a diagnosis or anything so i just answered there questions i never got any support whatsoever off them, i was doing construction fair enough i couldnt really get that 1to1 with it. but then i done college the following term and the same thing happened on my college profile while doing my admin work i saw learning difficulties on my profile i clicked on it and it says dyslexia, and then i enquired about it and they done the same and asked me questions, they didnt offer any help, i asked if i could be diagnosed, they said okay but they didnt follow up on it and didnt get in contact with me to ask me to come down when they promised they would, they contacted me the other times i had appointments. Anyways sorry if im rambling!, but now for the dyspraxia story, I read into my old reports in nursery and apparently i went to a child development centre and i can remember this fondly, i remember placing my foot in a cushioned like template and made a my own foot template outline i remember getting insoles for my shoes if thats what there called. Also my balance is terrible my organisation skills are terrible, my speech is terrible, i keep twisting my ankle and bumping into things, im really clumsy and i keep knocking things over. So my question is do you think i am dyslexic/dyspraxic? and do you think the school/college knew about it and never told me? and if they did why do you think they never told me?
Re: Can you help me find out if i am dyspraxic?
Hi Justin and welcome
Dyspraxia is Not an illness or disease so I'm fundamentally uneasy with the use of the term diagnosis. However both conditions, especially Dyspraxia, are hard to detect /confirm.
The results of your assessments may not have been judged severe. Equally, it sounds as if you were quite resistant to special treatment (so was I). Based on your account the very little intervention/support 'offered' was not implemented with any degree of thoroughness.
Whether you choose to pursue confirmation, very much depends on a number of things:
GPs and NHS trusts seem not to have a clear route to or provion of testing for adults.
Even then, there is not really any specific help even if you do get confirmation you're dyspraxic.
It would or could be potentially useful if you needed to take an employer to a Tribunal for unfair dismissal or failing to provide reasonable adjustment, as being a Specific Learning Difficulty, Dyspraxia is/can be considered a disability under the Equality Act.
I'm not a professional assessor so can't offer a cast iron "yes you're dyspeaxic/dyslexic". However, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia often occur together. Since you've left school, they probaby haven't retained any records re your assessment results. I do think you have some traits/tendencies but as I've said obtaining a clear yes/no from a professional assessor or medical professional is often very difficult. and potentially expensive if you are able/willing to go down the private route.
Dyspraxia is Not an illness or disease so I'm fundamentally uneasy with the use of the term diagnosis. However both conditions, especially Dyspraxia, are hard to detect /confirm.
The results of your assessments may not have been judged severe. Equally, it sounds as if you were quite resistant to special treatment (so was I). Based on your account the very little intervention/support 'offered' was not implemented with any degree of thoroughness.
Whether you choose to pursue confirmation, very much depends on a number of things:
GPs and NHS trusts seem not to have a clear route to or provion of testing for adults.
Even then, there is not really any specific help even if you do get confirmation you're dyspraxic.
It would or could be potentially useful if you needed to take an employer to a Tribunal for unfair dismissal or failing to provide reasonable adjustment, as being a Specific Learning Difficulty, Dyspraxia is/can be considered a disability under the Equality Act.
I'm not a professional assessor so can't offer a cast iron "yes you're dyspeaxic/dyslexic". However, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia often occur together. Since you've left school, they probaby haven't retained any records re your assessment results. I do think you have some traits/tendencies but as I've said obtaining a clear yes/no from a professional assessor or medical professional is often very difficult. and potentially expensive if you are able/willing to go down the private route.
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: Can you help me find out if i am dyspraxic?
first off Welcome to the forum BrotherJustin1981
reading through your post, I quite often found myself in the same boat. and usually the questions you are asked, you never really know the answers to, like how can we assist you? how can we help you? how can we improve things for you? and on the other side of the coin you never had help before so how on earth are you supposed to know the answers to this type of question.
but what usually happens is then you get dropped from support because you don't know any different rather than them getting to know you personally, and finding the problems themselves, and helping you to find a course of action.
as for getting a diagnosis then you really need to get it done while in full time education, otherwise could cost a lot of money to get a diagnosis to go private for a medical.
I do agree with Tom's reply, that to get medical assesment is extremely hard, and less likely to get a diagnosis as an adult. It is also true that both Dyspraxia, and Dyslexia can both be evident to the same person, so say to your GP:
"For adults
Problems experienced in childhood may continue into adulthood. Initial contact should be made with your GP who may refer you to a clinical psychologist, consultant neurologist, physiotherapist or occupational therapist." copied off Dyspraxia foundations web-site.
but also you need to proove the reasons why you want testing, even then it can be a post code lottery if you actually get an assessment or refered back to the GP without an assessment. but you will need a list of things that you need to bring to the attention of the psychologist, neurologist, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist. think it is mainly the first two who actually does the Dyslexia/Dyspraxia assessments.
I personally never got any help throughout school, even though there were signs of Dyslexia that I later come to notice, and thinking back I think it was part of the reason why my handwriting was so slow. was that I had problems with which way I was doing my letters. then amplified by my spacial awareness of having to stop while looking at the blackboard, and a pause while my eyes refocused either to the blackboard, or back to my text book. not that I needed extra time during my exams, as wasn't quite as stressful, or having to look at the blackboard etc. so everything was easier in that respect.
but basically make a list of the reasons why you want to get tested, for example tripping and falling, plus an example, spaical awareness and an example of bumping into things, and how often it happens etc. and take them to the gp, plus showing willingness to learn about your possible disability, rather than something like peer pressure from someone like parents or something. yes they can attend the appointment wih you but it also got to be shown that you would like to find out why you have these problems.
reading through your post, I quite often found myself in the same boat. and usually the questions you are asked, you never really know the answers to, like how can we assist you? how can we help you? how can we improve things for you? and on the other side of the coin you never had help before so how on earth are you supposed to know the answers to this type of question.
but what usually happens is then you get dropped from support because you don't know any different rather than them getting to know you personally, and finding the problems themselves, and helping you to find a course of action.
as for getting a diagnosis then you really need to get it done while in full time education, otherwise could cost a lot of money to get a diagnosis to go private for a medical.
I do agree with Tom's reply, that to get medical assesment is extremely hard, and less likely to get a diagnosis as an adult. It is also true that both Dyspraxia, and Dyslexia can both be evident to the same person, so say to your GP:
"For adults
Problems experienced in childhood may continue into adulthood. Initial contact should be made with your GP who may refer you to a clinical psychologist, consultant neurologist, physiotherapist or occupational therapist." copied off Dyspraxia foundations web-site.
but also you need to proove the reasons why you want testing, even then it can be a post code lottery if you actually get an assessment or refered back to the GP without an assessment. but you will need a list of things that you need to bring to the attention of the psychologist, neurologist, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist. think it is mainly the first two who actually does the Dyslexia/Dyspraxia assessments.
I personally never got any help throughout school, even though there were signs of Dyslexia that I later come to notice, and thinking back I think it was part of the reason why my handwriting was so slow. was that I had problems with which way I was doing my letters. then amplified by my spacial awareness of having to stop while looking at the blackboard, and a pause while my eyes refocused either to the blackboard, or back to my text book. not that I needed extra time during my exams, as wasn't quite as stressful, or having to look at the blackboard etc. so everything was easier in that respect.
but basically make a list of the reasons why you want to get tested, for example tripping and falling, plus an example, spaical awareness and an example of bumping into things, and how often it happens etc. and take them to the gp, plus showing willingness to learn about your possible disability, rather than something like peer pressure from someone like parents or something. yes they can attend the appointment wih you but it also got to be shown that you would like to find out why you have these problems.