My Dyslexia story - Stardoll

-sassychic1998

I don't really talk about my personal life on Stardoll, however I wanted to share my story in the hope that someone can relate.

Last year, I started University and I found myself struggling a lot, which I guess is normal, however, I was struggling to keep up in lectures. I wasn't able to take notes quick enough and the information was not sinking in. I would have to go back and read the PowerPoints multiple times in order to absorb the information. I found myself falling back and not being about to hand in assignments on time.

Going back a bit. I have always struggled with maths. I have never understood it. Like I said before: the information would not sink in. I would be taught a topic again and again but the information would never sink in. I always thought that I was bad at maths and put it down to me being dumb. However, when I got to Uni, I found out that my course had a lot of numbers involved within the course and I found myself shutting down in lectures and seminars because my brain could not handle it.

It wasn't until I got to University that someone recommended for me to go for a dyslexia screening. I was so confused by this because I have never struggled in English. I've always read books. I got good grades. However, I learned there's something called Dyscalculia.

"Dyscalculia is a condition that affects the ability to acquire arithmetical skills. Dyscalculic learners may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers, and have problems learning number facts and procedures. Even if they produce a correct answer or use a correct method, they may do so mechanically and without confidence." - the National Numeracy Strategy

I never knew this was a thing. It wasn't until I started researching and looked at the signs that it all clicked, signs including: struggling to read clocks, not understanding money, and being able to read numbers when they are words. For example: 1,000 as one thousand. These are very basic, however the list can go on. I always felt so embarrassed when I wasn't able to tell the time on an analog clock and honestly, I can't now. I mean, I can, but it takes me a while. It just doesn't register in my brain.

After going to see an Educational Psychologist, I was diagnosed with Dyscalculia along with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. When I was diagnosed with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia I was baffled, as at school these 2 things are usually picked up on. I was so baffled by the Dyslexia diagnosis because I was always good at English and I've always read books. However, it was pointed out to me that I always get my T and L mixed up when writing. I will miss out letters, write sentences that make sense to me and but they don't make sense to others.

The Dyspraxia diagnoses was less of a shock considering I have the worst balance ever. I have no hand-eye coordination whatsoever. I'm so clumsy and I cannot tell my left from right. Along with this, my handwriting is terrible and I always got told off at school for the way I held my pen. But upon further research, I realized that it was a lot more. I'm very sensitive to the way things feel, I hate tight clothing -- not so much with trousers but especially with tops and dresses, and the biggest one which I did laugh at was daydreaming. I'm constantly daydreaming. The amount of times I got told off in school for daydreaming is laughable.

These descriptions are very brief and only some of the symptoms. I don't like calling them symptoms but that's what they are realistically, and more than that they are part of me, such as my bad handwriting and daydreaming too much. It's all part of my personality.

I'm not going to lie, when I got the diagnoses, I was angry and upset because the signs were never picked up. I had struggled for so long -- pretty much my entire life, and I always put it down to me being stupi,d but it wasn't. However, I got over the anger and it soon turned into relief because I was able to understand why I was struggling more than other people. I was able to get help for my Dyscalculia, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. A plan was made by the educational psychologist, who detailed ways to help and things that could be put in place to help me.

Being a StarBlogger has been amazing, however there have been times were a post has been published and I've looked back a week later and sentences haven't made sense or words are mixed up and I found out that proof reading is a symptom which made a lot of sense because I have always been horrendous at proof reading my own work.

I know I have rambled on for a long time, but I hope in making this post that it helps someone else out there, because I know I felt so stupid explaining my struggles but it wasn't until someone said that it's all part of this diagnosis, that I didn't feel so alone.

Thank you for reading. If you have any other questions or anything let me know.

Till Next Time Saff