Whoa. Did Dr. Emmett Brown just whisk us back to the eighties in his DeLorean? I mean, when is the last time you heard someone say “dissed”?
But think about it.
Disorder.
Distracted.
Disinterested.
If I could think of a way to turn “ditzy” into a “diss” word I would.
You get it right?
Well I’ve got one more to throw at you. Dyspraxia.
Diss-what?
Dyspraxia or poor spatial awareness.
As my daughter Caitlin puts it, it’s that ability to fail a field sobriety test when you are stone cold sober. It’s the reason for that scar on my eyebrow. It’s the reason for those bumps and bruises you have that you don’t remember getting.
Ever walk into a wall? Like more than once? Or the furniture or someone else? Try walking down the sidewalk with someone and you’ll figure that one out.
Turns out its something called dyspraxia. Yes. It’s a real thing. Kind of a bummer, huh?
Here are the stats: about 6% of the population has dyspraxia. 6-10% have ADHD. And 50% of the people with dyspraxia have ADHD.
Dyspraxia (trouble with movement) and ADHD are both lumped under the umbrella of learning disabilities. Dyslexia (trouble with words) and dysgraphia (trouble with writing) are there too, along with others.
Dyspraxia and ADHD have several symptoms in common, including issues with time management and organization. But dyspraxia is considered a muscle problem while ADHD is a neurological one.
Dyspraxia is treated with occupational therapy to train both gross and fine motor skills. Relaxation and stress reduction (don’t laugh) also help, as does exercise that improves hand-eye coordination.
ADHD can also benefit from relaxation, stress reduction, and exercise. For us, it doesn’t have to be hand-eye coordination, just movement.
For more information, check out my article at Answers.com.
2 Responses
I have an ADHD/ Dyspraxic teenager who is afraid to try to learn how to drive for fear he will be slammed with a DUI if he ever has to take a field sobriety test. He actually practices the motor skills involved in hopes he will be able to master them someday. Do you know if there have been any actual cases of either people with dyspraxia being unable to demonstrate sobriety to a court, or conversely to be simply declared too clumsy to drive? I’d like to be reassuring, but the response he’s gotten at school and elsewhere to his motor issues has been less than promising. They won’t even allow him to use an adaptive lock for his locker, so he leaves it unlocked, risking theft or worse, the placement of contraband items in it.
Tamara,
I have a 26 year old daughter who does not drive. She has anxiety and depression in addition to her ADHD. She has often said that she would fail a field sobriety test stone sober because she is so uncoordinated. She has also injured herself more than once due to her clumsiness.
You often find that kids with ADHD are reluctant to drive. They know how easily they get distracted and I think they somehow sense that they’re not ready. My son waited until he was 18 to get his license.
You don’t say how old your son is, but until they reach their mid to late twenties, kids with ADHD are 3-5 years behind their peers emotionally.
I would suggest some type of martial arts class to help him with his motor skills.
As for the lock, he’s granted certain rights under Federal law. They can’t deny him a lock that is useful to him. This might take a fight on your part, including threatening them by taking legal action, but it’s not fair that he can’t lock his own locker.