Understanding adult dyspraxia: Dylan’s story

Dylan shares his journey to getting diagnosed with adult dyspraxia

It’s hard explaining to someone what it’s like being dyspraxic. I always thought I was clumsy, disorganised and couldn’t judge distance well. I would always find myself apologising to people for bumping into them, tripping over or dropping stuff. I remember my mum despairing over all the stuff I lost over the years.

It felt like things got better as I got older, especially once I had managed to get through school. My school wasn’t great and no one seemed to expect much from me. Any issues I had went ignored or unnoticed. I wasn’t confident in English lessons, but. I passed my GCSE, and I did much better in Maths. Numbers stay where they are supposed to, in those nice little Excel boxes! I got an apprenticeship in an accountancy firm in my hometown, which was brilliant. It was a tiny firm with two accountants and a secretary. They were patient with me and soon I had a good routine. Studying for the accountancy exams was hard. I always ended up staying up the whole night before them trying to cram all that information into my head. But I steadily built up my qualifications, and bigger and better jobs started to catch my eye.

Challenges of adult dyspraxia at work

I got a new job with a prestigious firm in Manchester and I started the role feeling confident. Then I realised how much faster the pace of work was, and how much higher their expectations were. I found myself struggling to plan and manage my time and started making silly mistakes. I would forget important details on client reports and overlook key points. I was convinced they would fire me. They didn’t, but they did tell me I needed to improve. I knew I was as intelligent as my colleagues, but there were invisible barriers in my way. I didn’t feel like I could talk to the HR team because it was the kind of place where everyone was expected to be flawless.

Getting diagnosed with adult dyspraxia

I was chatting to my cousin who was heading to university. He told me that he’d had a diagnostic assessment with Aim Forward, and had been given a diagnosis of dyslexia with traits of dyspraxia. Our families always said we were very alike, so after chatting with him I decided to go for an assessment myself.

Aim Forward was brilliant from the start. I got an appointment quickly, and within a few weeks, I had a full diagnostic assessment and a clear, professional diagnosis of a specific learning difficulty with traits of dyspraxia. The assessment involved small tests designed to understand how my brain works when asked to do certain things. I made shapes out of blocks and completed a coordination test – these sound easy, but they really weren’t easy for me!

Working with Aim Forward

The specialist who ran my assessment was knowledgeable and helpful. They gave me hard evidence of my dyspraxia through the tests, but they also helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses. I had always known my memory and attention was poor, and my organisation, planning and time management skills didn’t meet expectations at work. But getting a better understanding of what goes on in my brain helped me accept that it wasn’t my fault. There was nothing wrong with me, I just needed some help to fill in a few gaps.

Getting further support with a needs assessment

My diagnosis wasn’t something I felt I needed to share with work, but I did want to know how I could improve things for myself. I got back in contact with Aim Forward and they recommended a needs assessment. This was like a longer discussion about my strengths and weaknesses, what I’ve already tried, and where I felt like I needed more effective approaches to getting work done. They recommended some simple solutions that made a big difference to my working life. The best one is an app I can have on both my phone and computer. It’s an all-in-one solution that helps keep me organised and prioritise my workload day-to-day.

My employer still isn’t aware of my diagnosis, but they have noticed that I’m more effective at my job now. I can feel the difference too, so handing in reports doesn’t fill me with dread anymore. Thanks to Aim Forward, I now understand myself better and the whole process has raised my confidence, well-being and self-esteem.