Living With Dyspraxia
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. Special thanks to EPS Communications CEO, Rick Jaffe for helping me get a hard copy edition of the original article.
My brain sometimes works like dial-up internet. With extremely specific tasks, such as navigating directions from point A to B or doing a complex DIY activity or dance move, I need an extra few minutes or more to process these tasks. If you give me a bit of extra time, I’ll pick up on the fact that I should move in a specific direction, or in a specific way, at a specific time. But if there are a lot of distractions and pressure, the information won’t process properly.
My brain has developed a brilliant way to compensate for this challenge. I only have to navigate somewhere or learn an activity that requires complex fine and gross motor skills once; my brain will photographically memorize the steps required for the next occasion.
