Disabilities and their advantages - 11/11/10 10:50 AM
Susan,
My brain is wonky. It�s been clear to me for some time now that it is not wired to the standard. Sometimes I embrace the differences and sometimes I curse them.
On the plus side, I can read and comprehend at the speed of light it seems. This is very advantageous at school and in my career as a technical person, but it comes at a price that exists even if I slow down, which I find is difficult to do. I have major problems with numbers or letters that have curves in them. It�s possibly a form of dyslexia. It started in the first grade when learning to write the alphabet and everyone assumed I�d outgrow it, but I never have. It does not interfere with comprehension, but I tend to always misorder words and numbers that have curves in them, for example, the word �to� becomes �ot� and it affects my ability to accurately perform inventories at work.
I am fully ambidextrous, which is really handy since I work with tools a lot and often require a third hand. Being able to quickly change hands is a definite plus, but I have zero sense of direction and have major problems with organization in general. The invention of the GPS has changed my life in ways that I could never have imagined. I am literally handicapped with simple direction. I even have problems with direction and order when I write. I often put words in the wrong order and have to reread and edit everything that I type to make it flow smoothly enough to be read by others. It has a similar effect on my work as if I were a person who is not writing in their native tongue, except that I was very good in English in school and I really do understand the basic components of sentence structure, it is not simply that I need lessons on the placement and usage of nouns, pronouns, verbs etc. My brain�s organizational apparatus simply isn�t efficient.
Do you know, is there a name for this? And is it common for people who are gifted in some ways, to be handicapped in others? I�m wondering if perhaps I am missing the divider between my left and right brain or something similar to that. My birth was a very difficult breach presentation and my parents tell me that I almost didn�t arrive safely.
I�ve always been curious about how the brain works and why we are all so different in that regard.
And also, if I were to seek out a medical opinion on this topic, what type of doctor or other professional would I be looking for?
Thanks for taking the time to read this wall of text. I appreciate your time.
My brain is wonky. It�s been clear to me for some time now that it is not wired to the standard. Sometimes I embrace the differences and sometimes I curse them.
On the plus side, I can read and comprehend at the speed of light it seems. This is very advantageous at school and in my career as a technical person, but it comes at a price that exists even if I slow down, which I find is difficult to do. I have major problems with numbers or letters that have curves in them. It�s possibly a form of dyslexia. It started in the first grade when learning to write the alphabet and everyone assumed I�d outgrow it, but I never have. It does not interfere with comprehension, but I tend to always misorder words and numbers that have curves in them, for example, the word �to� becomes �ot� and it affects my ability to accurately perform inventories at work.
I am fully ambidextrous, which is really handy since I work with tools a lot and often require a third hand. Being able to quickly change hands is a definite plus, but I have zero sense of direction and have major problems with organization in general. The invention of the GPS has changed my life in ways that I could never have imagined. I am literally handicapped with simple direction. I even have problems with direction and order when I write. I often put words in the wrong order and have to reread and edit everything that I type to make it flow smoothly enough to be read by others. It has a similar effect on my work as if I were a person who is not writing in their native tongue, except that I was very good in English in school and I really do understand the basic components of sentence structure, it is not simply that I need lessons on the placement and usage of nouns, pronouns, verbs etc. My brain�s organizational apparatus simply isn�t efficient.
Do you know, is there a name for this? And is it common for people who are gifted in some ways, to be handicapped in others? I�m wondering if perhaps I am missing the divider between my left and right brain or something similar to that. My birth was a very difficult breach presentation and my parents tell me that I almost didn�t arrive safely.
I�ve always been curious about how the brain works and why we are all so different in that regard.
And also, if I were to seek out a medical opinion on this topic, what type of doctor or other professional would I be looking for?
Thanks for taking the time to read this wall of text. I appreciate your time.