h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well.

It seems I *am* dyspraxic after all.

To those who know me this will come as no surprise at all, nevertheless, it is a relief to have it in print, as it were.

I struggled all through school when this was a condition so disparate as to not be recognised at all except perhaps in the medical journals of the time.

Most kids these days with SEN benefit from early diagnosis; I on the other hand, was not diagnosed until I was thirteen - relatively late to correct immature motor development. This time dyspraxia was a known condition but still only on the fringes of neuro-psychology.

When I was next assessed when I went to university (in an assessment I now consider to be thoroughly flawed) it was concluded that I was not dyspraxic. Taking this to heart I didn't give it another thought, left university with a first () and went onto postgraduate education.

And there things come to a juddering halt. In essay comments eerily familiar to my old school reports (bright kid, shame we can't understand him when he writes) I start the year long process of writing and submitting essays that are continually marked down for bad structure and poor grammar.

Upon telling my personal tutor I was dyspraxic (something I'd not disclosed in my application because I had in my hand a report that said I was in essence cured by time) she threw her hands up in the air and exclaimed: "that explains it!!"

So, now, 2007, due to start teacher training in September and this time there will be no confusion. I set out to make sure the right people knew and the assessment of last week was the to be the proof. And this report spells it out.

Some choice phrases:

"Under active vestibular processing"

"Poor proprioceptive feedback"

"Underlying proprioceptive and motor planning problems have hindered the acquisition of the automatic movements involved in producing well-formed cursive script.

"Has a clear writing style [...] but writes at a slow rate and legibility brakes down under pressure."

"Written work may be disorganised."

"Poor proofreading skills."

"He may find too many interlinking ideas bombarding his thoughts which are then difficult to resent in a logical and structured format."

"May be eligible for DSA funding."

"25% per hour extra time in examinations"


And now some figures from the standardised tests to back that up:



Morrisby Peg Board Test

Single Pins (Preferred hand) - 1st Percentile (Now that's impressive!)
Single Pins (Non-preferred hand) - 20th percentile
Both hands - 1th Percentile
Assemblies 4th perentile

Visual Discrimination Test - 16th percentile
Spatial Relationship Test - 37th percentile
Form Consistency Test - 25th Percentile

Visual Motor integration Test
57th Percentile.



Those are the tests I scored badly or just above average, there are others where I scored really highly 75th percentiles, 91st percentile 98th percentile( ! ! ! ) But this proves only that the effects of the dyspraxia are clustered and localised not general and all-pervading, and also suggests an explanation of how one condition can be experienced by people so differently.

So in short, I am pleased and relieved. More I think relieved than anything else.

In my lifetime I've seen this condition go from obscurity to barely recognised phenomenon to still a barely recognised phenomenon, but with a growing stature and recognition as an SEN as comprehensive and debilitating and possibly as common as Dyslexia.

I am just pleased that I've been assessed and had my case proven satisfactorily. My relief when Angela told me came as a shock to her.

"Is this a surrpise?" she asked taken aback.

and I said: "No, it is just that the last report I had said there was nothing wrong, so this is a relief to finally put that doubt to rest."



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Copy > pasted from http://clive-ostrich.livejournal.com/162428.html to spare Dr MO's

Clive

Dear Clive

Thank you for letting me know about your dyspraxic condition.
I too, suffer from dyspraxia and dyslexia, especially when under pressure. Therefore I have a great understanding of how you must feel.

So far, I have taught three dyslexic and one dyspraxic person how to play the piano. I have another two at the moment, but I don't think one of them knows she is (neither do her parents) it may be a little bit too early to tell.

sol

How very odd, some of the symptoms you mention are similar to my own but to a great degree. the difference perhaps is that I revel in structures, massively planned out interconnecting data; being able to see ways to structure around problems so as to never loose features or cause future problems.

Saying that, a propensity for writing slowly in well formed, non joined up cursives. reading slower than average and forgetting details (but not connections)

Although I like to cook so I don't know where that leave me.

I wouldn't be surprised about the similarities MO - I had the spectrum of need explained to me during the course of this and the understanding of what constitutes special needs in education is undergoing a revolution: Apparently it is no longer the case that people are confined to boxes that say "these things, well they = x."

It's much more a case now of saying 'well where do you have problems?' 'Ah okay well we have dyslexia support that can help you structure your reading.' Movement? We have physiotherapists...' and so on who can address that NEED.

So that the condition is treated a propos to where it's influence is felt. Ergo we might share similar problems, we may even both have the same condition but my point is that the needs blend across this spectrum and where you or I respectively sit is I think almost unique to this understanding of special needs but nor does it forbid that we may say "yeah I do that too!"

Which may explain the following:

I like to cook too! (not sure that means much of anything although one time my blueberry muffins did simultaneously liquidate, explode and catch fire but the less said of that the better.)

Yes spectrum disorders apparently account for the huge leap in number of mentally diagnosed patients these last 10 years; unfortunately some people consider this an excuse to overly medicate.

One of the most odd things is that I have a very detached self perception (It's almost impossible for me to consider that I exist in others eyes or how I look to others) I can feel others feelings (empathy) but I can't project myself into their world; so as a result it's difficult to know or to care if I look weird or act out of place.

Similar problem?

Clive, can I have the recipe for those muffins?

Interesting MO, I don't think I've ever experience anything like that exactly. Reminds me a little of the books by Oliver Sachs about self-perception and the brain. Fascinating thing the mind and body.

My problems tend to be grammatical, I am hopeless at spotting my own typographical errors. I've made great improvements but it's always been more miss than hit, and I've always had an editor (mum/friend/fiancée) to help. Often what I think doesn't make it to the page in a sensible way, or rather the sense is there but the point is lost. Verbosity not succinctness plagues my writing.

Behaviourally, I tend towards a classic lack of empathy - not all the time mind, but I can recall times when I've just failed to 'read' a mood or have been too literal in my understanding of something. I've wondered if that falls under the autism wing of the spectrum of need - without actually making me autistic.

Now I've compiled a history of me from birth and collated all my school reports in really is obvious that I've had problems with co-ordination all my life, and especially in terms of writing and physical movement. Dyspraxia as I've come to define it is a nerulogical condition resulting in a co-ordination disorder that affects both the physical and the cognitive ability to co-ordinate effectively.

The peg board test I took in this last round of assessments is a good illustration of this. I was weakest (1st percentile!!) with my preferred right hand at placing pegs into holes. Sounds absurdly simple but my success rate was *slow* and that is the key, not that I can't do it but organising the bloody co-ordination to get my limbs and fingers doing something intricate takes effort, effort that eats into time and so when assessed I'm suddenly in the lowest category of performance. A susprise, but not untypical. Compare that to some of the tests where I had to assess memory puzzles and I aced those! Which also fits, I've an outstanding long-term memory (short-term is a bit iffy, again in keeping with the kinds of problems dyspraxics have), but the tests results pair up nicely with my day-to-day experience.

When all this data was tabulated it predicted accurately the problems I've had throughout my life (capitaliSatIon in the MiDdle of Wordz, sequential maths problems being a impenetrable mystery) The OT said it was a relief to her because this was a new tests she was administering so I was kind of a proof positive that it worked!

I don't really have an fully formed opinion about medicating, since you mentioned it. I've encountered a lot of hostility to Ritalin from teachers, but have also seen a postive effect Ritalin has had on one child in particular. Remains to be seen how he progresses through school of course so frankly I'm undecided. I won't need drugs though. This, however, will mark the first time I've been in education with my disorder not only known about but taken account of. Take heed, I will be taking notes and shall report back. One idea mooted that I'm quite excited about was recording lectures to a sound file I can download and playback from a computer - now that sounds like a good idea dyspraxic or not - particularly since my note taking is idiosyncratic, often useful but messy, untidy (in terms of thought as well as written clarity) and poorly filed. It has been remarked, I feel accurately, that I have good filing systems but not adequate retrieval system - thus rendering all filing confused unfocussed and ultimately = piles of stuff.

Ralph, I'll see if I can find it for you. The real tick is not the ingredients - it's how you fold them together (key word: SLOWLY)

I like those Oliver Sacks books.
Have you read "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" ?

Indeed I have - used it to produce some very well-recieved essays at university too.

___
*

In the finest tradition of Airplane and The Naked Gun; after the credits have rolled, a recipe for dessert.

Muffins for Ralph:

1 egg
1 c milk
1/4 oil
2 c all purpose flour (not self rising or bread flour)
1/2 c sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 c blueberries - fresh, or frozen (thawed and drained)

Pre-heat oven to 400F (204C). Grease 12 medium muffin cups (2-3/4" diameter). Beat egg; stir in milk and oil. Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be slightly lumpy.

Fold in blueberries. (Fold, SLOWLY! Don't Stir! Leave no dry flour on the bottom of the bowl, but lift, turn, separate, repeat.)

Must use muffin cup baking tray! (one of the factors in the explosion was that I didn't)

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Makes 12 muffins.

Lever out with a spoon.

Beware Hot, eat while still warm.

I tried to obtain some of his other books but most of them are out of print now.