I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia 26 years ago and sharing my experiences is an important part of my advocacy efforts. Recently, one of my tweets was quoted in Lisa Salmon’s March 26th article in the independent, How to Spot the Signs That Your Child Has Undiagnosed Disorders.
My tweet was used in this article without my permission, and the context in which it was used requires further elaboration. In that tweet, I admitted that I reached milestones like tying my shoelaces and riding a bike slower than my non-Dyspraxic peers.
Tasks that require coordination and spatial awareness will always follow…
In early March, my spouse showed me Ontario’s phase 2 vaccine eligibility list. To my surprise, developmental and intellectual disabilities were on the “at-risk” vaccine priority list.
I have developmental coordination disorder (Dyspraxia) and sensory processing disorder (a brief explanation of how that affects me is available right here). At the time, I was convinced that both those things fall under that category, but I decided to do some research… just to make sure.
Turns out I was 100% correct.
CDC includes learning disorders on its developmental disabilities list, and DCD is a learning disorder. …
The last time I was a guest on a podcast, I was a first for that show in two different ways:
- I was the first remote worker (guest)
- And the first formally diagnosed Dyspraxic to come on the show and talk about their Dyspraxia.
The host also happened to have a disability themselves, something that doesn’t happen often when I make guest appearances on podcasts. That alone was freeing. I didn’t have to mask my neurodiversity to keep up with someone else’s idea of “normal”.
So I was as transparent as I possibly could be, even when discussing heavy topics…
I have written about the value of consistent content before.
There’s a justifiable reason for that though. I have created so much content that I’m a very easy person to find online. This particular talent attracts freelance clients. It has also helped me build an online community of neurodiverse people just like me, along with other, professional creatives.
This approach has worked so well for me for such a long-time. So in the early days of the pandemic, I thought that this approach would be just as effective. Turns out I was completely wrong. For example, I haven’t written a…
Everything you need to thrive in a fitness class I don’t have, and that’s entirely my disability's fault. I have Dyspraxia.
So let me just explain it by using some real-world fitness class examples. When you walk into a spin class or even a subdued yoga class there are lots of noises and sensory distractions.
People are shouting, playing music, and moving quickly. My Dyspraxic brain can’t keep up with the limitations of my environment, along with basic instructions when I get overloaded with sensory distractions.
When that happens, that activates my “flight or fight” form of anxiety.
Fight my way through it, and at least try to appear confident, or fly…
I am not a disability studies PHD, nor am I a medical professional. So there are moments where I feel like an imposter when I talk about disability-related issues. Although there is something extremely valuable I bring to the conversation: lived experience.
As I mentioned before, I’m a person who lives with Dyspraxia. For such a long time, I also lived with a severe case of Anemia. The Anemia made me physically weak and prone to fainting every time I had my period. It started when I was 13-years-old and ended when I was 18-years old. I knew it had…
This article was originally published in the summer of 2018 on the Pens & Needles website. Pens and Needles is an online magazine specializing in patient perspectives on living with chronic illnesses and conditions. I met the editor of the website when I accompanied my husband, along with the founder of the #insulin4all movement, on a trip to Washington D.C. The editor of the website is Audrey Farley, and her writing is worth checking out. She also has a book coming out in the spring of 2021. …
For several months, I’ve been working on a manuscript for my memoir: “Growing Up With Dyspraxia”. As the title illustrates, it’s a true story of growing up with a neurological disability with a very serious underdiagnosis problem.
Although it’s not exactly rare. My friends at Dyspraxic Circle, for example, described it as a condition that affects two children in every classroom. In a nutshell, it affects my sense of space and time, along with fine and gross motor skills tasks; e.g: arts and crafts and catching a ball. I can’t read maps. …
In my first year of university, Facebook and Twitter were new and exciting things. I was living in a college dormitory at the time and I was hooked.
Meanwhile, my blog was brand new, and I was writing posts about whatever I felt like under the pen name “Rosebud”. The name Rosebud happened because it’s one of a few nicknames I’ve had since I was a kid. Since my parents are the only ones who call me Rosebud, I figured it was a good way for them to know it was me and no one else.
I instantly loved these…
After months of hard work, along with the mentorship and support of Colborne Communications, I am only 6 chapters away from a finished draft of my book. Once this is done, I’ll be looking for a home for this book. I have a few ideas in mind for what literary agents to query, but I’m waiting until the book is done to reach out to them. Although I’m not done writing the book, I thought now was a good time to leak the first few pages. Everything you see below is the introduction to my book. …
Rosemary Richings
Content writer & editor with tech & neurodiversity lived experience perspective. A person with dyspraxia writing a book about my disability.
