Dyspraxic Adults

i'm not sure how much of this is "just me" or whether it's related to dyspraxia, but does anyone else suffer with what i like to call "your head turning to mush"?

i mean in stressful situations, like when you're put on the spot to answer a question, or you're talking about something important but your mind just doesn't function!

for instance, today we had ofsted inspectors in the school that i work in, and one of them asked to speak to me during a lesson. it didn't help that i was already flustered from a barrage of questions from students but then the inspector was asking me all these questions about the student and i wasn't able to tell her anything...i'm sure i just seemed like a complete idiot who's crap at their job.

it seems to happen to me a lot, i just can't think straight at all, i mix up words, i forget things, i stutter...does anyone else get something similar?

Absolutely, I find the inability to think on my feet especially in difficult situations a real problem. It even goes so far that I avoid playing games where I have to think of something quickly as I just can't do it. I'm sure people think I'm a real no-fun anti-social type but these situations really feel awkward and while they might be fun for everyone else they're certainly not for me.

I wonder if anyone has any strategies for this aspect of dyspraxia? Personally I just learn to avoid the difficult areas, but unfortunately I find there are a good few.

Dan.

Sometimes I get something like that. I don't go completely blank, but I mix up words and find myself unable to communicate ideas properly (I end up saying something related but with a completely different meaning, not that long ago I declared that I thought news shouldn't be factually correct)

As for coping mechanisms, this is one of these things that I find I need so often I'm never going to be able to avoid it so I figure it's best to try to get some practice/technique in wherever possible (my improv group is great) till I become competant at it. This approach worked for badminton (even if it took 16 years to achieve what most people do in 2) so I figure it can work out okay here.

Daniel wrote:Absolutely, I find the inability to think on my feet especially in difficult situations a real problem. It even goes so far that I avoid playing games where I have to think of something quickly as I just can't do it. I'm sure people think I'm a real no-fun anti-social type but these situations really feel awkward and while they might be fun for everyone else they're certainly not for me.

yeah, i get so embarrassed with games like that but luckily it's been some time since i last played anything like that.

my boss has been giving me real grief today about what happened with ofsted, she's not the nicest of people as it is, and of course, the fact that she was putting me on the spot again and making me feel nervous made me even worse!

i haven't told my work that i'm dyspraxic, although i would really like to because i find that it affects a lot of what my job involves, but i know for a fact that my boss isn't going to understand...despite the fact that it's her job to understand dyspraxia/dyslexia/learning difficulties. she's really not a very nice or approachabl;e lady.

yeah, my head turns to mush v v often, especially under stress or if im tierd. sometimes my head doesnt appear to turn to mush, but my body obviously doesnt get the right signals, like my head can be racing as allways, but the rest of me cant keep up or refuses to cooperate. either way I never feel like im fully awake, its more like climbing through fog which gets especially difficult on a head mushing occassion!

Absolutely. I'm often pretty sharp but in some conversational situations my brain seems to completely seize up.
Although I have my moments of intense chattiness, I'm often quite flustered in social situations. I actually seem to be much better when talking to one person rather than to several at once.
I also mentally seize up a bit in the kitchen, particularly if I have to do several things one after the other.