Dyspraxic Adults

Hi

I was diagnosed with dyspraxia at 15/16 and really struggle with spatial awareness such as the difference between left and right and reading maps etc. However, I have made some progress in this area. Although I do have anxiety about driving.

I moved outside of London recently and my partner does all the driving, but as we are now not in London, there is an increasing need for me to learn to drive.

I had one practical automatic driving lesson, which went well, but I found all the buttons etc on the car so confusing, in addition to everything else. It was challenging to multi task with all the controls. I've not had another lesson since because my driving instructor was unreliable.

I find having dyspraxia really frustrating, it's not well understood, and not everyone understands how it impacts you on a daily basis and how challenging every day tasks can be.

Does anyone have any advice or experiences they can share?

Thanks in advance!

Finding an instructor who is tuned to your learning style and sufficiently nvested in getting you through the test successfully is v often a challenge. The Dyspraxia Foundation have a Factsheet with some tips, equally some instructors also specialise in teaching people with disabilities.

I'm afraid driving is something I have pretty much zero lived experience of.

Hi i have severe physical dyspraxia to a point where i cant go doen steps with no handrail etc i completely understand how u feel but im sure with practice and the tight intructor you can do it

I've been told that driving a manual car is not for me by my driving instructor. He told me to have lessons on an electric car and they have paid off. You need the right type of instructor too someone who has patience and not all do. Only downside is I can't drive a manual car in the future but hey the future is electric cars so I'm onto a winner. Persevere with a patient driving instructor - dead expensive but gosh worth it in the end as it gives such independence.

Hey! I totally get where you're coming from. Learning to drive can be super overwhelming, especially with dyspraxia. I struggled with spatial awareness too, and I found that taking things step by step really helped. Maybe focus on one control at a time during your lessons? Also, finding a driving instructor who’s patient and understands your needs can make a huge difference. You might want to practice in a quiet area to get comfortable with the car before hitting busier roads.

What really helped was breaking lessons down into super small chunks and practicing just one thing at a time, like only focusing on steering or only changing gears in a quiet place. Also, some days just needed a break—no shame in that. By the way, when I needed some chill downtime to reset my brain, I found browsing stuff like [Illegal URL promoting drug use removed by Admin and posters details reported to the police for ivestigation and prosecution] pretty relaxing—it’s a cool spot with lots of interesting glass pieces and Redacted by Admin, helped me unwind when things got stressful. Sometimes little self-care breaks like that make a difference.


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I had a similar struggle with multi-tasking in a car—buttons, mirrors, signals all at once felt like too much. What helped me was breaking lessons into tiny steps, focusing on just one thing at a time. Also, reading about Trauma Bonding made me realize how anxiety can sneak in and affect learning.