Recently diagnosed and asking lots of questions!

[Litz27]

Hi everyone,

I stumbled across this site after doing some research into dyspraxia as I have only been recently diagnosed (I am 22.) My diagnosis is a bit of a difficult situation - I always knew I had my own little quirks and the things I wasnt very good at and wondered why but it was only after a disasterous dance lesson that I was advised by a choreographer to take the test. I was at university at the time studying acting so I was able to have the initial screening for free. The screening showed that I had very strong dispraxic tendancies but in order to have the 'official diagnosis' I had to pay £300! Obviously being a student I wasnt in any position to be able to afford that kind of money so I asked the woman who did the test (not sure what the correct term is!) whether in her honest opinion she thought I was dyspraxic. For legal reasons she couldnt out right state whether I was dyspraxic or not, but she said that in her opinion (25 years experience) there was enough to suggest I was, even from the way I was talking (not being able to get straight to the point and repeating myself a lot.) I also said to her that theoretically if I did take the test and paid all that money and it turned out I wasnt dyspraxic what would she do, and she said she would take me out for a very expensive meal (which I took to mean that she was almost certain of her diagnosis.)

Anyway, the reason I wanted to post on here was just to see if anyone shared any of my symptoms/quirks (not really sure how to put it) and just finally talk to some people that would understand me!

The main symptoms I have are - general clumsiness (dropping things, spilling things, banging into things. Also even if I know I have put a drink down on the floor and say to myself 'be careful of that drink' I will almost always still kick it over,) poor spacial awareness and always being in people's way, lack of coordination, cant pick up physical routines eg dance, interrupting people when speaking, not being able to get to the point in conversation, taking things literally etc.

I also find that I have other little quirks in my behaviour and these are the things that I wondered if anyone else had experience with?
-Daydreaming (in both childhood and adulthood), having imaginary conversations with people and imagining scenarios.
-Being incredibly sensitive emotionally sometimes to the point where I find it too difficult to bear (and probably those closest to me find that too.)
-Having really bad problems with parking my car. (Passed my driving test after well over 100 lessons and failed 4 tests) Feel like if someone tells me to reverse park I might as well be doing it standing on my head thats how little sense it makes to me.
-Mirrors in general being quite confusing whether in dance or at the gym or wing mirrors in cars.
-Learned to walk very late and also found learning to tell the time difficult in childhood.
-Find it difficult expressing myself in essays, will have an idea in my head but cant articulate it.
-Warm towards creativity so much more than academia. I find being creative really relaxing as there is never a 'right' answer.
-Can't read maps and get very panicked if I have to find my way somewhere by foot, let alone by car!
-Feel physically ill when I think I'm going to be late for something, will often get there an hour before through fear of being late.
-Lastly, when in a pressurised situation or feeling nervous all of the symtoms get about 100 times worse.

Anyway I hope this hasnt been too much of an essay to read, I just didnt want to leave anything out! Thanks very much for any comments or advice if you have any

[zothebo]

Omg u could have just described me I too am at Uni and a lecturer suggested I have a dyslexia test due to the difference between written exams and oral. When the woman suggested dyspraxia I was in shock. Everything you have mentioned could be me. What I will say is speak to student services about dsa there is amazing help out there I have had my assessment and I am jut now waiting for all my equipment it is worth it. It explained a lot for me things that I thought were just me it turned out there was a reason for it all.

Your not on your own

Love
Zoe xxx

[PhilB]

I'd say that 90% of what you have written there sounds like it could have been written about me...

I shouldn't worry too much about the lady that did the test not giving you a definitive answer there and then. It's quite possible that either she isn't qualified to do so (not to say she doesn't know what she is doing, but to do it formally you need the right letters after your name as well), and/or is qualified but can't do so on the basis of the screening test alone. My mum is nearing retirement now and has for years been supporting students with asperger's syndrome, with the experience she has she can spot someone with asperger's a mile off - but still has to refer them on for formal confirmation. It's just part of the process.

I'd say it's probably worth getting a formal assessment if you can. I don't know what your work/financial position is, but from experience if you are in work and can scrape the money together it's worth doing - much easier now if you haven't got a mortgage, children, etc. Also, if you are working you may be able to get an assessment arranged (and paid for) by your employers. You could also try printing off some of the Dyspraxia Foundation information and taking it to your GP, I didn't get any support that way but a couple of people posting here seem to have had some success.

[nickye]

Hi,

Wow, I think your post could have been written about me too! Try not to be too hard on yourself (although I don't always take my own advice of course!) I feel for you, because I'm a similar position, although I'm now in my 40s, I have a lot of the symptoms of dyspraxia but no actual diagnosis as yet, although it seems very likely according to the neurologist I saw and my chiropractor.

I took a long time to pass my driving test, and still don't feel confident going on motorways after 20 years, although I'm much more confident generally than I used to be, in driving and in speaking to people. Although very shy when I was young, fortunately I always seemed to make a lot of friends and now I'd say I'm quite sociable, although I get panicked about certain situations in big groups of people, but then lots of people do, and we can't all be extraverts.

Have you been in touch with the Dyspraxia Foundation? They have local groups and mine has been excellent. It's the first time I've ever been able to sit down and tell someone what I struggle with and them just to nod and say it all makes sense, rather than the usual "You just need to try a bit harder" or "It's just your lack of confidence".

I also see a good side to all this now, because it does make you more sensitive to other people's needs - I used to give a lot of extra help to children with special needs when I worked at pre-school. But it was through working there that I thought I may have dyspraxia. When other people said that a child was doing something out of the ordinary, I often used to think "but I do that".

I'm struggling a bit at the moment because sometimes it's hard to get people to believe in the problems, but I finally feel I am getting somewhere now. Not a lot is known about this on the NHS., but there are some excellent books and help from the Dyspraxia Foundation.

Good luck.

[nickye]

Sorry just thought of some other things (I do have a tendency to write too much so sorry if this is long!)
The "quirks" you mentioned - I would say I have virtually all of them. I still daydream a lot, can't park my car well (although have improved over the years a bit), struggle with things in reverse in mirrors, and picking up dance steps. I'm very sensitive and over-emotional sometimes, find it hard to watch the news. Although other times I switch off from everything.

But since I've become more aware of dyspraxia I've had a lot of help from the Dyspraxic Foundation and really books tips in a book called "Living with Dyspraxia" by Mary Colley. The worst thing has always been my organisation (or lack of!) and the fact I'm always losing keys, purses, etc. It's helped me to organise my day. I seem to need to work things out in words, rather than just pick them up.

I have a bit of a theory (not very scientific) that perhaps I do a lot of my thinking in words, and find it hard to follow pictures, diagrams, just watching other people. I will often memories "turn left, tunr right, cross over road" rather than instintively know it like a lot of people seem to. I think it took me a long time to drive because I was trying to do it as a list of instructions (eg, put car in gear, turn steering wheel) rather than feel my way along. I don't know if that makes any sense at all?! But it took me weeks to get to steer round a corner, I'm not sure why, but it didn't come naturally. I wish I'd known about dyspraxia then (over 20 years ago) because I've always been beating myself up that I should just try harder.

Another book I'd recommend is "Caged in Chaos" by Victoria Biggs. She wrote it aged 16 but I find there's a lot for people of all ages in it, although it's aimed at teenagers. She really descrives what it's like. And if you're a bookworm like me, you can relate to it even more.

Hope this is helpful. I think this is a brilliant forum. So often you can't really explain these sort of quirks and things to people, they just think you're making excuses, so it's so good to talk to like-minded people.

[Willr0490]

The main symptoms I have are - general clumsiness (dropping things, spilling things, banging into things. Also even if I know I have put a drink down on the floor and say to myself 'be careful of that drink' I will almost always still kick it over,) poor spacial awareness and always being in people's way, lack of coordination, cant pick up physical routines eg dance, interrupting people when speaking, not being able to get to the point in conversation, taking things literally etc.

That list of symptoms that you mentioned is something that I have definately experienced in the past and still do to some extent.

[Bert]

I have to agree with everyone else. There are many of the things youve mention that i can relate to also. i have always been picked up on interrupting when people are talking. I suppose its a combination of not being to able to work out the right moment to speak and wanting to speak as soon as i can, to prevent myself from forgetting what im trying to say.