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Hello
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| Lostinspatial |
Posted on June 08 2008 03:51 PM
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Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
Joined: 2008-06-08
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Wow, am I glad I found this site! I just returned from a vacation with a friend. Due to conflicting directions from the GPS navigator, AAA Triptick & Mapquest, I ended up having to navigate  I managed to do it, but it took me forever to find the route numbers & I had to draw on the map to be able to comprehend them. And it was still very confusing & taxing mentally. But we got there! 
Having heard about what dyslexics go through, it seemed almost like a form of directional dyslexia (I get lost very easily, even in the office building where I work). So I started Googling directional dyslexia, which led to dysgeographica, which in turn had a Wikipedia entry which said it's often a part of dyscalculia. I Googled that and the description fits me perfectly! I have trouble with numbers, I often have to write out or use a calculator for the simplest of sums. I have trouble with telling right from left, physical coordination & it took me a long time to learn how to tie my shoes as a kid. I take a weight training class and I'm often going the opposite direction from the rest of the class as I tend to mirror the instructor, even when she's specifically saying right or left. I tend to stick to just that class and spinning because other classes are too complicated for me as far as coordination. Back during my school gym years, I couldn't hit or catch a ball to save my life. I was so uncoordinated, I was mocked by the other kids regularly & picked last for teams except for one time when my friend was a team captain. I hated gym class when it involved any team activity.
My spatial perception is way off, I have trouble judging how close my car is to the curb when I park and I will go out of my way to avoid left turns unless there's a left turn signal.
I'm 42 and as far as I know, they didn't test for this back when I was in school (1970s-1980s). I did very well in verbal subjects, such as English, History, etc. Math was always an enormous struggle and my teachers & parents thought I wasn't working hard enough at it. They tried tutoring, but it was another student who was just good in Math & didn't have the necessary teaching skills. At one point, my family moved from a working class neighborhood in Brooklyn to a middle class neighborhood on Staten Island. There was a vast difference in the school system quality even though they were both New York City public schools. To give an example of the disparity, the Friday before we moved my old school was studying the Crusades in History. When I started at the new school on Monday, we were studying Jamestown colony (1607). I caught up on everything else except Math by reading my textbooks. The Math class in the new school was far advanced to the old one. The teacher would assign me special homework to catch up, but I never quite could. As for Sciences, I did well with Biology and Psychology, but I was lost in Chemistry & Physics because of the Math.
I'm going to check out the threads on diagnosis. Is there anything that can be done to help a middle aged person with this condition or is it too late?
Fortunately, technology helps compensate a lot. I use online banking, I use tax software to do my taxes & I use the GPS navigator that's available with my phone. My friends urge me to just buy a navigator for my car because it's cheaper in the long run than the phone, but I like having it on my phone because I sometimes get lost walking around. Fortunately, I work in midtown Manhattan so it's a fairly simple grid system, but if I go outside of the grid, I get confused very easily.
Even if there's nothing more I can do, it's reassuring to know I'm not stupid or ditzy.
Edited by Lostinspatial on June 08 2008 05:38 PM |
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| Laura |
Posted on June 08 2008 07:06 PM
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Member
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1229
Joined: 2006-11-16
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Hey Lisa_F and welcome to the forum 
BEEN THERE DONE THAT, GOT THE T-SHIRT |
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| Lostinspatial |
Posted on June 08 2008 07:26 PM
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Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
Joined: 2008-06-08
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Thanks Laura! |
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| reverend blamo |
Posted on June 08 2008 07:28 PM
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Member
Location: Island of Misfit Toys
Posts: 620
Joined: 2007-10-25
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Hello and welcome Lisa, Feels good to know your not alone and not dumb doesn't it? Most what you said is the same as my situation...except the direction thing. At 43 years I can relate.
Is it too late? No, not really. I guess that depends on what you want to accomplish. You have already found ways to compensate for you disabilities. Now you can learn about the LDs and how they effect you.
"I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello |
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| Lostinspatial |
Posted on June 08 2008 07:55 PM
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Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
Joined: 2008-06-08
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Thanks Rev Blamo! Mainly, I want to increase my financial literacy both at home & at work. I do research in a corporate setting and I think I'd be better at my job if I could understand budgets more. My boss likes to keep us in the loop as to what's going on & I tend to get this blank stare when talk about the department's budget comes up because I have a hard time comprehending it. And looking at the symptoms, the name/face thing & calling people different names (e.g. mixing up Donna & Diana) is a problem for me too which has a professional impact. I use our intranet directory to help with the name/face thing & finding my way around on other floors (there's a floor plan).
And if there's any way to retrain myself for the directional/spatial issue, that would be awesome! Fortunately, there's lots of mass transit to/from work, so I only need to drive to do errands, visit friends & family in areas where mass transit is unavailable or takes a lot longer than driving.
Edited by Lostinspatial on June 08 2008 07:57 PM |
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| reverend blamo |
Posted on June 08 2008 11:19 PM
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Member
Location: Island of Misfit Toys
Posts: 620
Joined: 2007-10-25
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Yeah, dealing with money is one of the tough areas for us...good thing it is not that important In my new job I have to deal with multiple commercial accounts, it has not been easy.
"I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello |
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| evie dee |
Posted on June 13 2008 03:33 PM
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Member
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 570
Joined: 2007-12-01
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Hi, Lisa_F.
I'm 28 and found out two and a hlaf years ago that I have it. |
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| starkidliv |
Posted on July 06 2011 06:56 AM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 1
Joined: 2011-07-06
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You have no idea how reading this post has made me feel. I'm 20 and I have been wondering for a while now why I can't do simple maths, like apparently "simple" multiplication and addition in my head, why when I'm driving get confused between left and right and end up always in the wrong place or forgetting where I am going. I have always been relatively uncoordinated and even had to stop dancing because of it. I thought it was just me until now. I don't think my parents fully understand what is wrong with me and it's really hard to deal with when there isn't a name for it.
I'm so glad I found this website! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. It's made me feel better about myself. |
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| RottieWoman |
Posted on July 06 2011 01:57 PM
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Member
Location: No value
Posts: 3063
Joined: 2008-12-31
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hi there, starkidliv! |
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| darthlaurie |
Posted on July 11 2011 03:22 PM
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Member
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 25
Joined: 2011-06-24
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Welcome to the group! I'm in denial that I'm directionally challenged...and yet...I am at times. We moved across town when I was 15. It was in November and I had to walk to our new home after school...it had already snowed quite a bit. I thought I knew where I lived, but I made a wrong turn and well-- to make a long story short, three hours later my aunt found me near her house.
I was also terrible in sports...no interest coupled with being unable to catch balls made it difficult to be in gym class. I never could do a cartwheel.
As for dancing...I love it! I'm not fabulous, and it takes a lot of work for me to get the the choreography down, but it's worth the effort. I figure we all need to find some form of physical activity we love to do because it's good for the heart as well as the soul. |
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