this topic is quite a special one to me as a dyspraxic person that enjoys sport more than anything else and having done my dissertation at university on dyspraxia and sports (specifically sports participation).
having dyspraxia can make it difficult to participate in sport (or some sports) especially if you have major struggles with the co-ordination and motor skills however my guess would be that the biggest issue is more often than not the other people involved (if there are any) whether that be other players or even in some cases the teacher/coach all of which i think i've had issues with in the past i have just never shown it to those people having thought about it many times however i always try and ignore the other people as more often than not they don't understand the effects dyspraxia can have on sporting ability. when it comes to coaches and teachers especially it may be easier to explain the difficulties your dyspraxia may present whereas when it comes to other players they will not necessarily need to know but in all situations it is your decision about whether to tell any of the other people potentially involved.
actually within the sport if there is any situation that you find difficult coach/teacher should be able to help in suggesting different ways of doing some things.
i often see/ hear that people who aren't the best at certain sports or part of a sport (generally football) end up being put in goal which im pretty sure is what happened to me but i ended up enjoying it and it can potentially solve the problem of being being picked last especially if you end up being the only one willing to go on goal but i most cases people don't like being forced to go in goal and you could just refuse to if you have the opportunity or you could try to organise so that after a set number of goals people swap their positions this could be something that all teacher and coaches could introduce to people still in the process of learning a particular sport.
in general though when it comes to participating sport or some form of physical activity is that there is something out there for everyone and it can be just a case of finding that one thing that you enjoy by trying them certain forms of physical activity can mix that individual aspect with a social aspect as well something like cycling or running you can do in a group or keep it very relaxed on your own. it may take a while to find the activity that you enjoy and in some cases you may find that activity but not like the other people involved and that is where you can either keep searching for somewhere else that provides that activity or use the advice above if applicable to help those people understand and help with any problems you may be having.
there are many different ways in which you can find out about different sports and physical activities in your area such as https://www.sportengland.org (the national governing body of sport in England) your local sports centre may be able to help if you know the sport that you want then looking at the national governing body of that sport so the FA in engalnd for football, EHA for Handball etc. they should have links to all registered clubs in the country so you should be able to find a range of them in your area if your at university there should be somewhere that you can find all if the clubs associated with that uni in some cases university clubs also allow non students to play for them as well. so there aee alot of option out there if you just want to try a new sport or activity dont be afraid to even if you dont think you will be any good at it you might surprise yourself.
Saturday, 14 May 2016
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Mental (Neuro) Difficulties
this blog post is going to try and go more into depth about some of the more mental or neurological (Hidden, cant quite think if the correct word to use) aspects of dyspraxia. first through i am going to start off by saying that Dyspraxia as a whole is a neurological disorder which means that all of the difficulties associated with dyspraxia are mental (neuro) difficulties but in this post im going to focus on things such as planning, perception, organisation, thought and memory.
for those who already know a little bit about dyspraxia it is well known that we often think in different ways than others such as often finding alternative solutions which can lead to being suited to design or innovative careers and we may have different ways of explaining things as well which can lead to some 'problems' in that other people are unable to follow our explanation of things sometimes.
moving onto memory for a lot of people with dyspraxia we have quite poor short term memory that could be forgetting things that happened in that day/week and for many people that could cause problems such as forgetting to do something for work or school forgetting what homework you've got or when it is due.
perception can be linked to both the thought difficulties and the more physical difficulty if spatial awareness such as our perception of the area around us and judging distances but in less of a physical manner perceiving someone attitude or the way in which someone says something too you for example judging whether someone is making a joke or is being sarcastic
for planning and organisation they are very similar in that keeping organised can be hard for people who have dyspraxia and sticking to a regular plan and routine can often help even though it may sometimes be hard to stick to that routine however that may just take time or trying different routines until you find one that works from my experience keeping it simple may be the best way as at uni i used to use Sunday as the day of the week i did all of my cleaning like washing up or doing the laundry.
im also going to quickly mention timekeeping as a part of organisation as a lot of dyspraxic people seem to struggle with their timekeeping often being late as some research from the dyspraxia foundation has shown i believe from the 2014 awareness week over 50% of teenagers had been late to school however for me lateness is very rarely a problem almost never but i am quite often extremely early for things as that gives me some extra time if something goes wrong.
to finish this post im just going to say that you just need to find what works for you and dont panic or worry if something doesnt work.
for those who already know a little bit about dyspraxia it is well known that we often think in different ways than others such as often finding alternative solutions which can lead to being suited to design or innovative careers and we may have different ways of explaining things as well which can lead to some 'problems' in that other people are unable to follow our explanation of things sometimes.
moving onto memory for a lot of people with dyspraxia we have quite poor short term memory that could be forgetting things that happened in that day/week and for many people that could cause problems such as forgetting to do something for work or school forgetting what homework you've got or when it is due.
perception can be linked to both the thought difficulties and the more physical difficulty if spatial awareness such as our perception of the area around us and judging distances but in less of a physical manner perceiving someone attitude or the way in which someone says something too you for example judging whether someone is making a joke or is being sarcastic
for planning and organisation they are very similar in that keeping organised can be hard for people who have dyspraxia and sticking to a regular plan and routine can often help even though it may sometimes be hard to stick to that routine however that may just take time or trying different routines until you find one that works from my experience keeping it simple may be the best way as at uni i used to use Sunday as the day of the week i did all of my cleaning like washing up or doing the laundry.
im also going to quickly mention timekeeping as a part of organisation as a lot of dyspraxic people seem to struggle with their timekeeping often being late as some research from the dyspraxia foundation has shown i believe from the 2014 awareness week over 50% of teenagers had been late to school however for me lateness is very rarely a problem almost never but i am quite often extremely early for things as that gives me some extra time if something goes wrong.
to finish this post im just going to say that you just need to find what works for you and dont panic or worry if something doesnt work.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Misconceptions of Dyspraxia
lazy, stupid and clumsy are probably the biggest misconceptions about people with dyspraxia especially prior to diagnosis and i would imagine that most people who have dyspraxia have been called at least one or all three of these at some point.
in terms of being called clumsy that probably has some truth to it for many people with dyspraxia as all dyspraxic people will have some level of difficulty with co-ordination however it is possible to improve your co-ordination to some degree or in most cases develop some form of coping strategy that may help to deal with anything that may be considered clumsy but having those difficulties should never be a problem to anyone.
however lazy and stupid are both very wrong descriptions of people with dyspraxia in term of laziness there is a piece of research that would only take a few minutes to find in a google which shows that people with dyspraxia (and most likely other neurodiverse conditions) have to work a lot harder and we use a different part of our brains to complete simple tasks compared to a neurotypical person and as dyspraxics we are often aware of that because we are trying are hardest to complete something but other people are not able to see that and it can then appear as laziness especially with the attention difficulties we can have alongside our dyspraxia.
the misconception that people who have dyspraxia are stupid often occurs prior to a diagnosis and normally in a school environment and more than likely stems from the other difficulties associated with dyspraxia such as thought processing, organisation and attention difficulties this does not mean that we are stupid or dumb or lazy it may just mean that the way in which we learn something takes longer and just like everyone else there will be some subject/topic that people are not particularly good at whereas due to the different process that occurs within a dyspraxic persons brain there may also be a range of tasks that we excel at.
i think ive covered some of the most common misconceptions about dyspraxia but im sure there will be many others that ive missed out so if you can think of any leave them in the comments below so anything that people seem to say about dyspraxia but you think is wrong.
and remember you are not defined by what other people call you and accept it if people do call you anything negative like lazy, clumsy stupid you have a choice of whether to ignore or to prove them wrong.
in terms of being called clumsy that probably has some truth to it for many people with dyspraxia as all dyspraxic people will have some level of difficulty with co-ordination however it is possible to improve your co-ordination to some degree or in most cases develop some form of coping strategy that may help to deal with anything that may be considered clumsy but having those difficulties should never be a problem to anyone.
however lazy and stupid are both very wrong descriptions of people with dyspraxia in term of laziness there is a piece of research that would only take a few minutes to find in a google which shows that people with dyspraxia (and most likely other neurodiverse conditions) have to work a lot harder and we use a different part of our brains to complete simple tasks compared to a neurotypical person and as dyspraxics we are often aware of that because we are trying are hardest to complete something but other people are not able to see that and it can then appear as laziness especially with the attention difficulties we can have alongside our dyspraxia.
the misconception that people who have dyspraxia are stupid often occurs prior to a diagnosis and normally in a school environment and more than likely stems from the other difficulties associated with dyspraxia such as thought processing, organisation and attention difficulties this does not mean that we are stupid or dumb or lazy it may just mean that the way in which we learn something takes longer and just like everyone else there will be some subject/topic that people are not particularly good at whereas due to the different process that occurs within a dyspraxic persons brain there may also be a range of tasks that we excel at.
i think ive covered some of the most common misconceptions about dyspraxia but im sure there will be many others that ive missed out so if you can think of any leave them in the comments below so anything that people seem to say about dyspraxia but you think is wrong.
and remember you are not defined by what other people call you and accept it if people do call you anything negative like lazy, clumsy stupid you have a choice of whether to ignore or to prove them wrong.
Saturday, 9 April 2016
Disability or Not?
whether to view dyspraxia as a disability or not
for me when i am trying to explain dyspraxia i often find myself calling it a learning disability or difficulty (which it is) similar to dyslexia but it has physical affects alongside the learning and organisational difficulties so for me in that sense it is a disability and i believe legally it is classified as a disability under a discrimination act (atleast in the UK) which means that it is illegal for anyone to discriminate against you based on your dyspraxia (so not giving you equal opportunities)
as a hidden disability like almost all neurodiverse conditions it is not instantly recognisable like that of wheelchair users this may make it harder for people to accept and immediately understand that you do actually have a disability
however whether you would describe your dyspraxia as a disability depends on your view of what a disability is as you often see notable people who have a disability find the word to be negative but whatever their 'disability' may be as a positive because that is what it is.
there may be some situations when it is potentially worth disclosing your dyspraxia as a disability for example when applying for jobs or possibly once in a job to your manager as they may be more understanding if you do have any problems whilst in your role and that should then help them with being able to provide any sport.
however it is up to you whether you want to be open about your dyspraxia and whether you wish to view it as a disability or not.
overall for me i would have to agree with what i've seen from other people and what people may remember from one of my previous blogs about dyspraxia being a positive and rather than it being a disability looking at it as an Ability
for me when i am trying to explain dyspraxia i often find myself calling it a learning disability or difficulty (which it is) similar to dyslexia but it has physical affects alongside the learning and organisational difficulties so for me in that sense it is a disability and i believe legally it is classified as a disability under a discrimination act (atleast in the UK) which means that it is illegal for anyone to discriminate against you based on your dyspraxia (so not giving you equal opportunities)
as a hidden disability like almost all neurodiverse conditions it is not instantly recognisable like that of wheelchair users this may make it harder for people to accept and immediately understand that you do actually have a disability
however whether you would describe your dyspraxia as a disability depends on your view of what a disability is as you often see notable people who have a disability find the word to be negative but whatever their 'disability' may be as a positive because that is what it is.
there may be some situations when it is potentially worth disclosing your dyspraxia as a disability for example when applying for jobs or possibly once in a job to your manager as they may be more understanding if you do have any problems whilst in your role and that should then help them with being able to provide any sport.
however it is up to you whether you want to be open about your dyspraxia and whether you wish to view it as a disability or not.
overall for me i would have to agree with what i've seen from other people and what people may remember from one of my previous blogs about dyspraxia being a positive and rather than it being a disability looking at it as an Ability
Saturday, 17 October 2015
why they need to know 7 (us, dyspraxic people)
this is the 7th and final post in this series of posts for dyspraxia awareness week, this week and its a slightly strange one as it is for people with dyspraxia ourselves as it is important for us to understand how our dyspraxia affects us each individually.
for many people who know that they have dyspraxia over time we have come to understand what dyspraxia is and how it affects each of us individually as we understand that dyspraxia does not affect everyone in the same way however by us understanding how dyspraxia affects us individually we are able to find coping strategies for those areas that require them as well as finding other ways of doing things alongside being able to let those around us know our needs in different situations and this way we are able to plan for different situations and create routines for ourselves if needed and by letting those around us know how dyspraxia may affect us mean that those people can help when things dont quite go to plan.
but also if you want to try something but are afraid about doing so because of parts of your dyspraxia dont let it hold you back try different things then you will know whether you like them or not or if you like the other people involved if there are any and that way if you will know if you want to continue doing that thing or not and if you enjoy it keep doing it even if you're not that good you never know it may help you to relax and be away from certain things or people for an hour or so a week and over time you may become really good at whatever it is you enjoy doing and that may help you to cope with some aspects of dyspraxia better or differently and could potentially help you to build up confidence.
and lastly for this short there are positives to dyspraxia which i have written a blog on here http://dyspraxiactivist.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/lets-focus-on-positives.html it is not a negative and there is no reason to hide who you are being different is a good thing.
many of the Dyspraxia organisation will have more in depth information on helping a child with dyspraxia and other details on how to support a child with dyspraxia
and as usual finishing with detail from the cycle challenge i did a couple of months ago and the justgiving page will probably stay up for a little while https://www.justgiving.com/Eben-Fletcher/, and i should probably continue to mention all those companies that supported the challenge atleast for the next few posts
also thank you to the two universities that allowed and were going to allow me to use room in student accomodation http://www.solent.ac.uk/home.aspx (my old uni) and https://www.dur.ac.uk/ and i also forgot to mention ther place where we had our emergency stop which was the ivydene guesthouse http://www.bedbreakfastcornwall.com/west-cornwall/helston/ivydene-guest-house/ which was very nice
for many people who know that they have dyspraxia over time we have come to understand what dyspraxia is and how it affects each of us individually as we understand that dyspraxia does not affect everyone in the same way however by us understanding how dyspraxia affects us individually we are able to find coping strategies for those areas that require them as well as finding other ways of doing things alongside being able to let those around us know our needs in different situations and this way we are able to plan for different situations and create routines for ourselves if needed and by letting those around us know how dyspraxia may affect us mean that those people can help when things dont quite go to plan.
but also if you want to try something but are afraid about doing so because of parts of your dyspraxia dont let it hold you back try different things then you will know whether you like them or not or if you like the other people involved if there are any and that way if you will know if you want to continue doing that thing or not and if you enjoy it keep doing it even if you're not that good you never know it may help you to relax and be away from certain things or people for an hour or so a week and over time you may become really good at whatever it is you enjoy doing and that may help you to cope with some aspects of dyspraxia better or differently and could potentially help you to build up confidence.
and lastly for this short there are positives to dyspraxia which i have written a blog on here http://dyspraxiactivist.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/lets-focus-on-positives.html it is not a negative and there is no reason to hide who you are being different is a good thing.
many of the Dyspraxia organisation will have more in depth information on helping a child with dyspraxia and other details on how to support a child with dyspraxia
and as usual finishing with detail from the cycle challenge i did a couple of months ago and the justgiving page will probably stay up for a little while https://www.justgiving.com/Eben-Fletcher/, and i should probably continue to mention all those companies that supported the challenge atleast for the next few posts
i hope i have not forgotten anyone
http://www.cyclesuk.com/ specifically there maidstone store providing me with disount on equipment etc and great customer service (also i believe the first company to support me)
Sheppey FM http://sheppeyfm.org.uk/ local radio station that helped publicise the ride
http://www.endurasport.com/ cycling clothing
http://www.jenwoods.co.uk/ a local printers in Swale,Kent
http://www.hlgraphics.co.uk/
and chek out these hotels, B&B's etc. if you are thinking of going on holiday in any of these area's
http://www.irondukebrighton.co.uk/ in brighton
http://www.swallowsrestselfcatering.co.uk/ in weymouth
http://www.torbaycourthotel.com/index.php in or very near Torquay
http://www.parkhotelpreston.co.uk/ in Preston
http://www.etruriatownhouse.com/ in Kilmarnock
http://www.thebridgehotelscunthorpe.co.uk/ in Scunthorpe
http://johnogroatsbnb.com/ in John O'Groats
http://www.the-beeches.co.uk/home in Bristol
http://www.dornochcastlehotel.com/contact/location/ in the Dornoch/ Bonar Bridge area
http://www.rezarefarmhouse.co.uk/ in Rezare, Launceston, Cornwall close to Tavistock
http://www.lionandpheasant.co.uk/ in Shrewsbury
http://www.thegeorgehotel.co.uk/ in Inverary, Scotland
http://www.scottishguesthouse.com/contact-pitlochry-guest-house.html in Pitlochry
http://www.albahillsguesthouseedinburgh.com/ in Edinburgh
http://www.trapinn.co.uk/newtrap/ in Alnwick
and finally in hitchin where the dyspraxia foundation are based http://chartridgevenues.com/hitchin-priory/
Sheppey FM http://sheppeyfm.org.uk/ local radio station that helped publicise the ride
http://www.endurasport.com/ cycling clothing
http://www.jenwoods.co.uk/ a local printers in Swale,Kent
http://www.hlgraphics.co.uk/
and chek out these hotels, B&B's etc. if you are thinking of going on holiday in any of these area's
http://www.irondukebrighton.co.uk/ in brighton
http://www.swallowsrestselfcatering.co.uk/ in weymouth
http://www.torbaycourthotel.com/index.php in or very near Torquay
http://www.parkhotelpreston.co.uk/ in Preston
http://www.etruriatownhouse.com/ in Kilmarnock
http://www.thebridgehotelscunthorpe.co.uk/ in Scunthorpe
http://johnogroatsbnb.com/ in John O'Groats
http://www.the-beeches.co.uk/home in Bristol
http://www.dornochcastlehotel.com/contact/location/ in the Dornoch/ Bonar Bridge area
http://www.rezarefarmhouse.co.uk/ in Rezare, Launceston, Cornwall close to Tavistock
http://www.lionandpheasant.co.uk/ in Shrewsbury
http://www.thegeorgehotel.co.uk/ in Inverary, Scotland
http://www.scottishguesthouse.com/contact-pitlochry-guest-house.html in Pitlochry
http://www.albahillsguesthouseedinburgh.com/ in Edinburgh
http://www.trapinn.co.uk/newtrap/ in Alnwick
and finally in hitchin where the dyspraxia foundation are based http://chartridgevenues.com/hitchin-priory/
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