Learning Disabilities in AS

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Hi All,

I was wondering if any of you could shed some light on any learning disabilities you went through throughout school and university?

Having just discovered the likelihood of being an Aspie, it's made me reflect quite a bit on my learning years. I was of above average intelligence all through school, but still had many difficulties that other children seemed to find simple, so this made me feel quite stupid.

For example, everyone always found it easier than me to read out loud (not all because of nerves, but I'd skip words and was a bit slower), they always read a bit faster than me, found it easier to comprehend the meaning of a text, and also had neater hand writing. I found it hard to concentrate too, which I think is maybe a sign of ADHD (the inattentive kind, which I still seem to have).

I remember I never got my pen license in grade 7 because the teacher said my hand writing wasn't good enough and I made too many mistakes, requiring an eraser too often. I always felt like she was judging me, thinking I was being lazy, when really I was trying so hard but just couldn't please her. They always said I was so smart etc, so why couldn't I do these simple things - I felt the same way.

I also remember having trouble reading a clock when I was young (I can now) and I had to be taught how to cut things in grade 2/3, because I was a bit behind the other kids (I can do this now, after my mum helped me). I had trouble catching balls too, and when I got into netball in the later primary school years, even though I was their top goal shooter (I was taller than most), it often felt like a fluke and I'd often sprain my fingers since I wouldn't always catch the ball properly (rather the ball hitting my fingers and bending them back). I had trouble with the times table too, I think I'm ok with most of it now, but a lot of it alludes me. I skip out words and add words when writing (I also skip out punctuation at times), or misspell words I know the spellings to (I get their, they're and there mixed up when I know the difference!). I also stumble over words when reading out loud, when others seem so fluent. And I'm supposed to be a writer!

I always run into furniture and find that I am more clumsy than some people, tripping over my own feet or tripping in the same places over and over. I fumble with keys sometimes, even with buttons and ribbons (not always though). Dinner time is often embarrassing, since I'm always dropping food or spilling on myself. Putting on makeup and doing my hair is difficult, I often just stick to basic grooming (I often find my brain is trying to tell my hands what to do, but there seems to be a disconnect). Don't ask me for directions as I have problems distinguishing left from right and will send you in the opposite direction at times. I always thought this was odd, and people often put it down to me being very stupid if they don't know me, but I'm not stupid! I got an OP 6 (Australian grade system - 25 is lowest) and I've graduated from university with distinction, so I know I'm not stupid.

Does anyone else feel this way or recognize my experience as their own? Is this a good sign I have dyslexia, dysgraphia and or dyspraxia?

Thank you for your advice and sharing your stories with me

I don't remember how I was affected in school since that was so long ago but I have some now. I say and write and sometimes read letters and numbers in reverse. I also skip words or phrases when I type or even hand write sometimes or even when I speak. I may have done that when I was in school too because I remember in high school having to retype papers a lot. But I think that the disability is much more pronounced in me now because when I was in school everything was still hand written. The first home computers and word processors did not come out until I was in high school so most of our work was done with pen and paper and then final drafts were typed on typewriters and that was only for term papers. So I think my disability started to show itself when I started typing on keyboards. Now I have to type things and check and recheck many times to get it right. And my speech can be the same way if I am not careful.

Thank you for your response skibum.

I find it easier to type actually, but probably would type a lot faster if I didn't make so many mistakes and missed so many words!

I know some dyslexics read numbers and words in reverse, but I've read this is quite rare. I don't have this problem, but I do find I read a few letters at a time, so I may see the word onomatopoeia but I read it slower than others like ono-mato-poe-ia and sort of stumble a bit. I hear this is common in dyslexics to only see/recognise a few letters at a time, but thought that everyone does this?

Thank you for your insight!

Hi Skibum

What you stated is interesting--because I've had just the opposite. The advent of computers actually improved my writing, and improved my focus. In high school, in the late 1970's, I was too hyper to write a term paper. I didn't have verbal-type learning disabilities, though.

I'm a good typist, but I used to make a considerable amount of mistakes when I typed on a manual typewriter--less when I typed on a Selectric with the correction tape.

By the time I got to college in 1997, I was fortunate that I was able to type my papers on a computer. I still had to go to the library--it lengthened the time I took to write paper (I liked going to the library, however) until about 2001 or so.

Computers have been a boon to me as far as my writing production, overall, is concerned.

growing up it was drilled into me that I was big and dumb and clumsy. was in special ed for most of my elementary school years. my brain was very picky about what things it would allow inside, most stuff I had to pound into it repeatedly before any of it would stick. in the army I graduated from tech school at the very bottom of my class, and to do that I had to stay behind and study while everybody else went off duty and partied. they thought I was a "ret*d" [their word for me].

I have a learning disability Although I was able to read and write but I failed at maths and I couldn't do measurements either.
I went to a special school but I found they sort of dumbed you down a bit to concentrate on the ones who had more trouble learning.

I'm sorry to hear that auntblabby and Aprilviolets. It seems people don't really understand and can be very cruel at times.

Do you think you both would have done better if they hadn't noticed your difficulties, and you just struggled along in silence?

At times I wish they had noticed I had difficulties with certain things, but I wonder whether or not they may have placed me into special ed as well, dumbed it down, teased and bullied me, and made it worse rather than better. Seeing as AS generally features average to above average intelligence, I wonder if this is a common theme - the dumbing down of material for supposedly "ret*d" and "stupid" children, when AS children can do well if you give them the tools and opportunity.

I found I tended to hide any difficulties I had, because otherwise people would notice I was different or "stupid" - maybe this was in fact the right thing for me to do though, seeing as many AS children are so mistreated.

It makes me angry actually - how could they possibly know what you and I are capable of if they don't give us a chance! Clearly the type of learning going on isn't suitable for all children, so really shouldn't be used on all children.

I guess people fear and misunderstand difference though...

I think I would have ended up dropping out of school there is no way I would have coped in high school, my Mum was telling me that when she was growing up in a country town there were people with disabilities who just wandered around the streets, there was no welfare or Sheltered Workshops for them to go to so they just hung around the streets.

you and i both have dysgraphia. i am a slow reader. luckily, i am an auditory learner, so what i wasn't able to get from texts, i learned in class. also graduated college with honors. i have some sort of visual spatial learning disability, not exactly dyslexia. i can't park straight.

Hi ConfusedAlot! Welcome to Wrong Planet!

I can relate a lot.

I have learning disabilities in addition to Aspergers and ADHD(primarily inattentive subtype as well) Although it seems to be common that aspies have some sort of difficulties in school, not all actually have a learning disability.

I guess you could say I am sort of "in limbo" in regards to my diagnosis of a learning disability as I am not diagnosed with anything specific. Then of course the government and schools systems has to make everything even more confusing and difficult because the "definition" of a learning disability changes from state to state. In my state the standard for diagnosing a learning disability is that you perform below the standard for your grade level in whatever area. It used to be, and still is in other states, that there only needed to be a significant gap between test sub scores. Like on an IQ test I think it was if you had a 15 point discrepancy between scores, you would get diagnosed as learning disabled because you were achieving below your potential capacity. I have one slightly bigger gab then that, and two gabs that are more than double that. However, even with the big gaps, I still fall in the "normal" range for my grade level. On some other tests too, like reading speed, I have hovered on the cusp for years, sometimes one way and sometimes the other, though usually in the range of "too slow for my grade level." One diagnosis that is really secure is slow processing speed.

I also can have trouble getting my thoughts into words and out on paper, out of my mouth for that matter . But this is not always consistently a problem. For instance, right now I am not having a problem at all. It's a different problem that writers block because I really cannot get it out even if I know exactly what I want to say/write. Also, if I say something out loud, I somehow just cannot put those same words into writing. I can do it is someone repeats back what I just spoke, but what I am really doing at that point is copying down what they said. I use dictation software that can sometimes help with this problem.

Also, thank goodness for spellcheck! I really cannot spell. I misspell simple site words like "with" or "paper." I reverse the order or direction of letters and numbers too. I used to do badly on math tests because I would jumble the order of digits in numbers when I was transferring my answer from scratch paper to the answer sheet. I misread or skip words as well. Once I read half of my science chapter on lichens thinking I was reading about leeches. Another time I wrote a very detailed paragraph on a test in response to the question "What was the status of the Low Lands during Rembrandt's time" when the question was really asking about the status of ]art in the Low Lands during Rembrandt's time. I also have trouble understanding what the words on a page actually mean. It's like my brain can't figure out the reason for the scrambled letters and spaces and words on the page. I can read each individual word but it simply does not translate into meaning. I often have to stop and reread a line or paragraph when I am reading and sometimes I cannot make sense of it no matter what I try. But books on tape, screen readers, or simply just lots of time and breaks, help a lot.

I take a long time on tests and I can easily get distracted during them which lead to bullying from other students and then a staff member at my school because they couldn't understand how someone who was so smart could have any problem with learning. Now in college I get double time on tests in a reduced distraction environment. I also get a notetaker because I have difficultly with understanding the professor while I am trying to take adequate notes and I also have trouble figuring out what is important that I should take note of.

And then I also bump into, even walk straight into, all sorts of things from tables to people. I haveexcellent hand writing, but I am slow and sometimes my pen will fly out of my hand for no reason(though I half wonder if the dropped pens are the result of a simple partial seizure) I really don't have trouble with fine motor skills but I can have difficulties with some gross motor skills. I also cannot tell right or left to save my life.