Hello all. I've been talking to Dan on and off for about 9 months, but have never before joined an SPD community, so I figured it may be a good opportunity to be able to converse with others.

I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia around age 7, and had OT for a bit which greatly helped my motor control and coordination. Until relatively recently all I knew was how I was affected physically, my writing is very slow and my hand tires quite quickly which make writing for an extended period of time difficult.
About a year ago I discovered the sensory issue side that often comes with dyspraxia, which is where I found out about SPD. In hindsight, a lot of things I've disliked now makes sense. I have always tried to avoid loud noises; I need thing to be quiet if I'm trying to work, and I am a fussy eater; dislike the texture of a lot of foods as well as taste. I can also have trouble understanding what people are saying standing next to me and may have to have it repeated, but can hear things half way down a hall.

I was tested for Aspergers when I was younger, and was close to being diagnosed but I was slightly too typical I think. My sister has it and my dad shows signs, so it was assumed that I may have picked up behavioural traits from them instead. Now when I reconsider it, I show many traits (specifically in the way I think and perceive things) so I may have it, but at the end of the day, I know myself and I don't need a label to show that.

In the last 8 months I've been having periods of depression, which has many roots, some of which I shall not go into, but is related to all this in that I have doubts about how it will affect me trying to be independent in a few years.

Anyway, enough of the glum stuff.
I enjoy listening to some music, mostly classical and from musicals or films, but there are the odd random bit thrown in there. I am part of explorer scouts and I help with my local cub group (that's ages 7-10 1/2), don't ask me what those two groups would be called in the US as I haven't a clue.

When it comes to sport I go swimming as a leisure activity about once a week, and also take part in orienteering regularly - look it up if you don't know what it is. One of the things I am good at is reading maps, it also helps that I have an incredibly good visual memory, to go with a very good memory in general (I thought it was normal, but everyone else says I remember everything).
I'm very good at visualising things and find that to be quite effective when trying to learn something. I get bored with limiting mind maps to 2D, so if I make multiple ones then I can make a 3D one in my head which is far more interesting, and you can fit a lot more information it.

I've said enough already, but I spend too much of my free time on the computer and internet looking up things. It's like I'm a knowledge monster always hungry for new things.

So that's me, any questions?

I also store information 3D. If there is something that I couldn't normally remember, but need to remember I put it into a song visualizing the words as sounds in the song. I don't get lost easily. I can't get lost if I have an accurate map with me, except if I am right in front of the building I am trying to find.

I always get to my destination quickly and early, but finding the building or suite within less than a block radius takes me forever. People get annoyed when I ask for directions for inside the building. I prefer written directions, so I can memorize the visual.

However, my general memory is very bad. If someone says a string of numbers I will be lucky if I remember the first three or the last three numbers. Basically, I can not memorize auditory information well at all.

In classes, I did need the auditory, visual, and physical input of writting the information to learn it. I learn poorly on my own, because I am missing one of those three key inputs.

Do you still have motor control and coordination problems? If so, how bad?

I still have a few problems, but the majority are only to do with fine motor control now. I find it hard to do things like thread a needle (took me about 3-5 minutes the last time I tried) and things that require a steady hand. I can't keep it steady for very long and will end up going vaguely smoothly then randomly jerk slightly in one direction.

I'm still rather clumsy and have a tendency to knock over or bump into things, but that has improved. I can catch a ball better than I could before (doesn't help that I'm very right handed, but very left eyed) and can play sports, but most or them I'm not too good at due to the poor fine control.

Finally, one thing you'd notice pretty quickly watching me do anything is that I'm rather slow at activities that require lots of movement. Running I can do, but things like washing up or hanging out washing take me about 3 times longer that the average person. The faster I try to do something, the less control I have while doing it.

Boing!

Welcome to the community. So glad to have you here.

(06-15-2010, 06:50 PM)Boing Wrote: I've been talking to Dan on and off for about 9 months, but have never before joined an SPD community

Yes, and I must say I have really enjoyed getting to know you. You're a great guy and a wonderful friend, gotta hand it to you. The SPD world is a fairly safe one, with plenty of amazing people that I have gotten to meet. It is very welcoming and accepting.

Quote:I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia around age 7, and had OT for a bit which greatly helped my motor control and coordination.

Gotta say, I'm really glad you got the early OT help. Honestly though, I'm surprised they didn't tell you about your sensory issues. It seems to me that if they were able to spot your dyspraxia they would also catch the other stuff.

Quote:I was tested for Aspergers when I was younger, and was close to being diagnosed but I was slightly too typical I think. My sister has it and my dad shows signs, so it was assumed that I may have picked up behavioural traits from them instead. Now when I reconsider it, I show many traits (specifically in the way I think and perceive things) so I may have it, but at the end of the day, I know myself and I don't need a label to show that.

You know, from talking to you, I'm not totally sure about Asperger's. I suppose it's possible, but it could also be a potentially even milder form known as PDD-NOS. You could also not be on that spectrum at all. I'm neither able to make that diagnosis nor around you on a daily basis IRL to see for myself. Regardless of what you do have, though, I am glad you have such a good outlook on things, that you realize you are you, no matter what other labels are given.

Quote:I am part of explorer scouts and I help with my local cub group (that's ages 7-10 1/2), don't ask me what those two groups would be called in the US as I haven't a clue.

Our scout group = Boy Scouts
Our cub group = Cub Scouts (honestly)

Quote:It's like I'm a knowledge monster always hungry for new things.

Aren't we all?

Quote:So that's me, any questions?

10... no... 5..... no... just one:
Oh, wait... I guess none.

Hope you enjoy your time on here! Things are starting to pick up and the chat room is finally getting... well... chatty, lol. Again, welcome .

Yay! I like to bounce!

It's good to get a chance to know more about you. And I'm so glad you're getting a chance to branch out and get to know more folks that might have some similarities with you. Sometimes, that helps a lot.

I have the same kind of deal with memory, except with numbers. I can't remember numbers for the life of me. But I am also a knowledge monster. We'll have to swap stories.

Glad you joined us here!

(06-16-2010, 02:27 PM)D1G1T Wrote: Gotta say, I'm really glad you got the early OT help. Honestly though, I'm surprised they didn't tell you about your sensory issues. It seems to me that if they were able to spot your dyspraxia they would also catch the other stuff.
[...]
You know, from talking to you, I'm not totally sure about Asperger's. I suppose it's possible, but it could also be a potentially even milder form known as PDD-NOS. You could also not be on that spectrum at all. I'm neither able to make that diagnosis nor around you on a daily basis IRL to see for myself. Regardless of what you do have, though, I am glad you have such a good outlook on things, that you realize you are you, no matter what other labels are given.

First off, I think sensory issues are a lot harder to spot. In a short assessment, motor issues would be evident pretty quickly, but sensory issues may be unlikely to turn up considering where it's likely to be taking place, and depending on what the issues are. Also, the sensory issues were probably not as well know about as being associated with it 7 years ago, so that may be the reason.

When it comes to the question of aspergers, I know that AS, dyspraxia, dyslexia, ADD and ADHD are often co-morbid, so having Dyspraxia means it's quite likely I may have autistic traits, even if not full blown. Mostly it seems to be in the way I think, I think quite logically and literally, and didn't use to be able to recognise sarcasm. On the emotional side though I'd probably be considered 'normal'. Socially I do have a lot of difficulties, but that's very complicated, and is down to other causes.

(06-16-2010, 04:13 PM)mawkinberd Wrote: Yay! I like to bounce!

It's good to get a chance to know more about you. And I'm so glad you're getting a chance to branch out and get to know more folks that might have some similarities with you. Sometimes, that helps a lot.

I have the same kind of deal with memory, except with numbers. I can't remember numbers for the life of me. But I am also a knowledge monster. We'll have to swap stories.

Glad you joined us here!

I joined to meet new people and hopefully get to know and talk to some of them.

When it comes to hugs (yes I know it was just used to illustrate a point) there's actually a sensory thing acting there. I'm constantly fiddling with things, tapping with my fingers etc. so I think I need some kind of tactile sensory input most of the time. I still need to have something to hold to get to sleep well at night. The point is that hugs are nice input

You demonstrate the one thing that puzzles me with memory - the majority seem to be appalling at remembering numbers! I am always surprised by the number of people who can't even remember their own mobile number - I don't know what a number is like in the US, here and ordinary phone number is a 5 digits then 6 digits but the first two are always 01 or 07 depending on whether it's a landline or mobile, so only 9 digits to remember. Even people with otherwise very good memories seem to be bad at numbers, I rarely meet people who can remember more that 2 or 3 mobile numbers. I can usually repeat an 11 digit number right after they've said it, but it seems I'm the unusual one here.
Oh well, I won't complain. I doubt I'll ever know why numbers pose a problem to everyone, but I guess it's just one of those things.

Well, numbers pose a problem to me because they have little meaning in and of themselves for my memory to "latch" on to. For my mind, numbers are for manipulation. I don't think of each digit as an entity of it's own very often. It doesn't have its own personality, as such. For memorizing phone numbers (000-000-0000 in the States), I have to memorize how they "feel" on the keypad of the phone. The "shape" of the sequence triggers the memory. For dates, I have an elaborate system of turning numbers into words that relate to what happened on that date. Or, if it's very few, I might make the numbers into a musical sequence of tones. Strange, because music is all related to the numbers, that I find those tones much easier to memorize.

Don't know if that makes much sense, but thought you might be interested.