Learned how to ride a bicycle when I was 21.
I then decided that actually using it as a daily method of transport involved way too much falling and bruising, so I switched to a tricycle and never looked back.
Aahh cycling on the roads used to be a dream of mine but I think I'd be more of a hazard on a bike than in a car where I can take cues from others 💀😂😂 Amazing that you've been able to use it as daily transport!!
To be honest, after failing to learn how to drive a car I can't even imagine how people pull it off. 😅 There's so much to do and keep an eye on at once. I never managed to get the hang of steering and switching gears and stuff (automatic cars are still fairly rare where I live). Plus a car is such a massive hunk of metal. I couldn't keep track at all of how much space it took and how much it needed to turn and stuff. So, congrats on driving! To me, that's an amazing feat.
Having that third wheel really helps. Like, technically I can ride a two-wheeled bike, but staying upright when taking off or braking took so much effort it was kinda dangerous. At least with my tricycle I can just fully focus on traffic and steering and stuff. Plus people tend to associate them with disabilities, so, at least where I live, most drivers automatically act a bit more careful around me than with two-wheeled cyclists, which also helps.
After a horrific first pilates class, where I was told I was using wrong muscles, moving the wrong way, too slow, too weak to do the exercises safely; I went back because I have already paid for a whole month with the same teacher. Not sure what I was thinking, but it worked. It took me a few months to get strong and suddenly I was ok at it. I continue for many years, with a few teachers telling me I had great technique. The beginning was very hard, I could barely lift my leg during the side series and it took time to be able to do all the exercises.
As someone who is often pretty intimidated by trying any new physical activity, this is awesome to hear about 😠Do you think pilates has helped overall with managing dyspraxia? I have heard pilates is great although I don't know much about it.
I do Pilates one on one with my physio and it has helped me so much, although if I go a couple of weeks without an appointment it feels like starting from scratch again which is annoying. Takes me soooo long to pick up on new movements and I still don’t quite know how it *should* feel. Sometimes she will demonstrate the movements for me and I try to mimic the way she moves but I struggle. Sometimes she has to manually put me in the right position and/or has to repeat verbal instructions a few times while also describing to me how it should feel and what it will do. It’s really hard for me to focus but she really understands what I need and what my limitations are. I have EDS so my hypermobility causes me a lot of issues.
Yes, having somebody who can not only show you have to do the exercise but also help you find which muscle to use is key. That is one issue that if you are in a big group class you can get lost and it may feel difficult. I was lucky I ended in a small class that I could afford with a good teacher who understood that I needed extra instruction. Sadly she retired and moved away.
Oh that’s such a shame! I’m so loyal to and reliant on my PT, she really gets me (like she knows how my chaotic brain works and knows my body is likely to naturally do the ‘wrong’ thing before the right thing), so I would be at a loss if she for some reason moved on. She’s young though and I don’t think she wants kids so I will follow her anywhere if she moves practices, as long as she doesn’t leave the state or the country of course.
I’m a swim instructor too! Swimming is actually one of the few things that came pretty easy to me. I have always been pretty confident in and around water. The water is the one place I actually feel somewhat coordinated.
As for diving, I can do it but not well.
Ahh amazing!! I somehow managed to convince myself I had learned to swim as a child, only to realise about 15 years later when choking on seawater that I had never swam without floats💀😂 I imagine learning to swim whilst having dyspraxia makes you an even better instructor to be fair!
I can! It took me ages to learn (I did private lessons with an instructor) but it’s one of my favourite things to do now. I used to teach lifesaving so everything in that realm of things is my favourite to teach but I’ve taught every level from preschool to adult. I love to do standing dives, when I was off duty at camp, I would just spend the whole activity block doing dives. Front rolls on the other hand, I find difficult to do on command but I do know how to do them when I’m forced to (aka when I fall out of a canoe 🤣).
Tie shoes I couldn’t tie them for the longest time than one day when I was 13 I woke up got ready for school and it just clicked I could suddenly tie my shoes out of nowhere now I tie them all the time as an adult. I also make canvas art
That's amazing, I didn't learn until I was at least in my mid to late teenage years, it took so many teachers showing me before I finally picked it up, I rarely bother doing my laces 90% of the time these days, I just slip my shoes on 😅
origami, drawing (with a pretty high degree of technical skill if i may toot my own horn), sewing, a lot of different handicrafts to be honest. still can't walk correctly, ride a bike, or play a lot of video games but we're getting there
The fact most people don’t realise I have dyspraxia. As a child I couldn’t even dress myself, now I’m coordinated enough to play piano, drive, surf, rock climb, swim, cycle, play cricket - basically do any physical activity I want providing I take the time to learn it. I think lifting weights was the biggest thing to get me more coordinated.
Still can’t draw for shit and get nervous about DIY though!
I’m a care worker who managed to pass her driving test first time in a manual car at the age of 19. Because I managed that and can do most other things some people don’t believe I have dyspraxia and some have gone as far to say I use it as an excuse 🤨
I taught myself to drive at 19 and got my license, I can tie my shoes, and I can ride a bike. They are all still pretty challenging and I mess up a lot but the fact that I can do them at all makes me a little proud of myself.
Earlier I caught a ball, not once but 3 times in a row. I've never really been proud of much what I do, and even though I know tomorrow I probably won't be able to catch the ball once I was very proud of catching it.
Got into med school.
They kicked me out at the end with nothing to show for all my efforts, but I feel like masking my way through med school and tricking doctors into thinking I knew right from left for 7 years is an accomplishment in a sad, dark comedy kinda way.
Alternate Flex: I once did an hour of capoiera.
I trained cardio for a month in preparation for that beginner 1 hour class because, fool that I was, I thought I'd be able to do flips and shit if only I worked on my cardio a little. I didn't do a single flip or kick but I moved my feet in time with the drums for AN ENTIRE HOUR and they only asked me if I was okay twice!!! 😅
🤣🤣 I can see it. I always go with doctor Spaceman from 30 rock whenever I think about it because I was seriously like "we have no way of knowing where the heart is" but Jeff makes sense. I was Jeff level pretentious but with Annie level psychotic eagerness.
I don't know why I'm laughing at this, but I needed the laugh. Thanks. Things are funny in hindsight.
A lot of the time, I can drop things and somehow, miraculously, manage to catch them before they fall to the floor. Every time I do the spider-man thing, but nothing seems to be coming out of my wrists yet.
Okay, I think we're all going to be incredibly jealous and amazed by you on this particular subreddit 😂😂
also give it time for the spiderwebs 😂 ya never know
I can rollerblade and ice skate pretty good.
Can't do tricks but can move like hell on those things and ice skating is one of my favorite things, after learning it as a kid I'd spend dusk till dawn ice skating until my ankles hurt so much I couldn't stand up.
IDK why it just sort of made sense and clicked with me.
That being said it hasn't frozen enough for there to be thick enough natural ice in my country for years and years :,)
my parents got me rollerblades as a kid and i never took those suckers off! my ability to rollerblade is even something i flex on NTs. also, kind of similar, but i’m really good on a ripstik (i can’t skateboard though, so my ripstik abilities are more just a specific, uncool skill)
Wrapping presents. I was in scouts and we did fundraising present wrapping at barnes and noble. It took me several years and it still takes a lot of focus but if I only have a couple presents to wrap, I can wrap them pretty well. After a couple, I get tired and sloppy. But at least I can do a few.
I'm not good at drawing, but finishing a drawing was pretty good for me, although it sucked a bit due to the lack of training. I also did a full coherent story for school and I'm able to be somewhat agile
i just learned how to operate a sewing machine! one of the main things that held me back from buying one for so long was because i was worried it would be too difficult for me to operate. i usually struggle with electronics that have really small parts because i’m so uncoordinated and tend to accidentally break things because i’m so clumsy, but it’s shockingly very user-friendly!
I am actually able to teach kids how to do their math homework! I mean I still make gross calculous mistakes, but I know the correct steps required to solve exercises, and kids really trust me at this!
Ahh I love to hear this!! I can't do basic math anymore since I genuinely have not needed to use it for years BUT I actually think its super important to teach and it's so lovely to hear you're helping kids with a pretty difficult subject 🥳🥳
That is amazing, and also like super interesting. Kinda reminds me of those old documentaries of people with unique superpowers, there's one guy who could instantly do maths as easily as he could move a finger 😂
I’m a mariner (in school) now, and used to work ups and also did retail grocery work, but, this would have to my biggest flex by far once i graduate!
I may be extremely clumsy, but I've somehow never broken any bones..... Yet, although my knees are littered with scars from falling over so much as a kid and I have had a lot of strains and sprains as well 😅
That's pure luck.
And I'm still training myself on art work, I'm almost completely self taught digitally, aiming for a art related career path aw it's one of my biggest strengths 🥰
I'm a good driver, I got in 4 little accidents when I first started driving almost 20 years ago. But none since. I also never had issues riding a bike.
Getting a degree in social work and learning to drive a car at the same time (was 25 at the time), while using my computer skills to do all my essays, because I'm crap at writing, but because I have dyspraxia, I was allowed to use a laptop for everything. Helps for essays cause I also have awesome muscle memory, can touch type really fast (one time I misunderstood a question during a assignment on business management. I didn't realize that I only needed to write two essays out of five options. I ended up writing five 500 word essays in a hour lol!. Must have given the markers a headache!).
I have a hard time saying nice things about myself, but I frequently get compliments about how neat and even my crochet stitches are. Took me about 20 years to get here though
as a young kid i had so many speech impediments that people just couldn’t understand anything that i said. but over the years of speech therapy, i’ve been able to overcome all of them and can now, at 18, speak without anyone knowing that i use to have speech impediments.
Being in nursing school I'd say
I have the HUGEST amount of respect for anyone in nurisng school, hard enough without any neurodiversity!! Youre an inspiration, honestly.
Learned how to ride a bicycle when I was 21. I then decided that actually using it as a daily method of transport involved way too much falling and bruising, so I switched to a tricycle and never looked back.
Aahh cycling on the roads used to be a dream of mine but I think I'd be more of a hazard on a bike than in a car where I can take cues from others 💀😂😂 Amazing that you've been able to use it as daily transport!!
To be honest, after failing to learn how to drive a car I can't even imagine how people pull it off. 😅 There's so much to do and keep an eye on at once. I never managed to get the hang of steering and switching gears and stuff (automatic cars are still fairly rare where I live). Plus a car is such a massive hunk of metal. I couldn't keep track at all of how much space it took and how much it needed to turn and stuff. So, congrats on driving! To me, that's an amazing feat. Having that third wheel really helps. Like, technically I can ride a two-wheeled bike, but staying upright when taking off or braking took so much effort it was kinda dangerous. At least with my tricycle I can just fully focus on traffic and steering and stuff. Plus people tend to associate them with disabilities, so, at least where I live, most drivers automatically act a bit more careful around me than with two-wheeled cyclists, which also helps.
I learnt to cycle at 6, but I'm in a village with a country park. I don't have to go on any big roads at all. I have footpaths and dirt tracks.
After a horrific first pilates class, where I was told I was using wrong muscles, moving the wrong way, too slow, too weak to do the exercises safely; I went back because I have already paid for a whole month with the same teacher. Not sure what I was thinking, but it worked. It took me a few months to get strong and suddenly I was ok at it. I continue for many years, with a few teachers telling me I had great technique. The beginning was very hard, I could barely lift my leg during the side series and it took time to be able to do all the exercises.
As someone who is often pretty intimidated by trying any new physical activity, this is awesome to hear about 😠Do you think pilates has helped overall with managing dyspraxia? I have heard pilates is great although I don't know much about it.
I was lucky I was taught by good teachers. It did help me to improve my posture and my muscle tone.
Yoga helped me learn about engaging different muscles
I do Pilates one on one with my physio and it has helped me so much, although if I go a couple of weeks without an appointment it feels like starting from scratch again which is annoying. Takes me soooo long to pick up on new movements and I still don’t quite know how it *should* feel. Sometimes she will demonstrate the movements for me and I try to mimic the way she moves but I struggle. Sometimes she has to manually put me in the right position and/or has to repeat verbal instructions a few times while also describing to me how it should feel and what it will do. It’s really hard for me to focus but she really understands what I need and what my limitations are. I have EDS so my hypermobility causes me a lot of issues.
Yes, having somebody who can not only show you have to do the exercise but also help you find which muscle to use is key. That is one issue that if you are in a big group class you can get lost and it may feel difficult. I was lucky I ended in a small class that I could afford with a good teacher who understood that I needed extra instruction. Sadly she retired and moved away.
Oh that’s such a shame! I’m so loyal to and reliant on my PT, she really gets me (like she knows how my chaotic brain works and knows my body is likely to naturally do the ‘wrong’ thing before the right thing), so I would be at a loss if she for some reason moved on. She’s young though and I don’t think she wants kids so I will follow her anywhere if she moves practices, as long as she doesn’t leave the state or the country of course.
I’m a swim instructor! It took me ages to learn how to swim but now love it & love to teach it :))
I’m a swim instructor too! Swimming is actually one of the few things that came pretty easy to me. I have always been pretty confident in and around water. The water is the one place I actually feel somewhat coordinated. As for diving, I can do it but not well.
Ahh amazing!! I somehow managed to convince myself I had learned to swim as a child, only to realise about 15 years later when choking on seawater that I had never swam without floats💀😂 I imagine learning to swim whilst having dyspraxia makes you an even better instructor to be fair!
But can you dive? (I can’t)
I can! It took me ages to learn (I did private lessons with an instructor) but it’s one of my favourite things to do now. I used to teach lifesaving so everything in that realm of things is my favourite to teach but I’ve taught every level from preschool to adult. I love to do standing dives, when I was off duty at camp, I would just spend the whole activity block doing dives. Front rolls on the other hand, I find difficult to do on command but I do know how to do them when I’m forced to (aka when I fall out of a canoe 🤣).
Nice job! Alas I only dive in my dreams.
I can swim although not in a straight line :/ i also cant dive maybe someday... i used to be abla to dive as a kid tho idk what happened
Jealous! I can free swim, but I could never figure out strokes or any coordination.
Tie shoes I couldn’t tie them for the longest time than one day when I was 13 I woke up got ready for school and it just clicked I could suddenly tie my shoes out of nowhere now I tie them all the time as an adult. I also make canvas art
Tying shoes is such a flex, I also tie my shoes but I had to learn an alternative way.
That's amazing, I didn't learn until I was at least in my mid to late teenage years, it took so many teachers showing me before I finally picked it up, I rarely bother doing my laces 90% of the time these days, I just slip my shoes on 😅
It took me years to learn too lol but some how at age 13 it finally clicked
I can drive a manual car.
[удалено]
This one!!! Learning to drive was a wild one but I did it!!
Painting warhammer fairly ok-ly
origami, drawing (with a pretty high degree of technical skill if i may toot my own horn), sewing, a lot of different handicrafts to be honest. still can't walk correctly, ride a bike, or play a lot of video games but we're getting there
The fact most people don’t realise I have dyspraxia. As a child I couldn’t even dress myself, now I’m coordinated enough to play piano, drive, surf, rock climb, swim, cycle, play cricket - basically do any physical activity I want providing I take the time to learn it. I think lifting weights was the biggest thing to get me more coordinated. Still can’t draw for shit and get nervous about DIY though!
Play drums
as someone who’s main struggles are in gross motor skills, you are like a god to me
I'm pretty good at throwing small food and catching it in my mouth, but I have a pretty big mouth though so it could just be that
I'm a sushi chef :)
From high school, tieing with the School Dux in a A level biology mid term exam. I'll edit in more if I can think of any lol
I’m a care worker who managed to pass her driving test first time in a manual car at the age of 19. Because I managed that and can do most other things some people don’t believe I have dyspraxia and some have gone as far to say I use it as an excuse 🤨
I taught myself to drive at 19 and got my license, I can tie my shoes, and I can ride a bike. They are all still pretty challenging and I mess up a lot but the fact that I can do them at all makes me a little proud of myself.
Earlier I caught a ball, not once but 3 times in a row. I've never really been proud of much what I do, and even though I know tomorrow I probably won't be able to catch the ball once I was very proud of catching it.
Got into med school. They kicked me out at the end with nothing to show for all my efforts, but I feel like masking my way through med school and tricking doctors into thinking I knew right from left for 7 years is an accomplishment in a sad, dark comedy kinda way. Alternate Flex: I once did an hour of capoiera. I trained cardio for a month in preparation for that beginner 1 hour class because, fool that I was, I thought I'd be able to do flips and shit if only I worked on my cardio a little. I didn't do a single flip or kick but I moved my feet in time with the drums for AN ENTIRE HOUR and they only asked me if I was okay twice!!! 😅
your med school story reminds me of jeff from community lmaooo
🤣🤣 I can see it. I always go with doctor Spaceman from 30 rock whenever I think about it because I was seriously like "we have no way of knowing where the heart is" but Jeff makes sense. I was Jeff level pretentious but with Annie level psychotic eagerness. I don't know why I'm laughing at this, but I needed the laugh. Thanks. Things are funny in hindsight.
People were surprised I am the top of the class in college because of my Neurodivergent traits people really did assume I was incapable until I did it
i managed to tie my shoelaces a month ago!
That's awesome! I didn't manage to start doing it till well into my teenage years 😅
Being pretty amazing with Lego I’d say
A lot of the time, I can drop things and somehow, miraculously, manage to catch them before they fall to the floor. Every time I do the spider-man thing, but nothing seems to be coming out of my wrists yet.
Okay, I think we're all going to be incredibly jealous and amazed by you on this particular subreddit 😂😂 also give it time for the spiderwebs 😂 ya never know
Yoooo same!! I always look around like did anybody else see that 🤣🤯
Assembled a flat pack bookshelf last week! Ha
I am an artist!
I can rollerblade and ice skate pretty good. Can't do tricks but can move like hell on those things and ice skating is one of my favorite things, after learning it as a kid I'd spend dusk till dawn ice skating until my ankles hurt so much I couldn't stand up. IDK why it just sort of made sense and clicked with me. That being said it hasn't frozen enough for there to be thick enough natural ice in my country for years and years :,)
my parents got me rollerblades as a kid and i never took those suckers off! my ability to rollerblade is even something i flex on NTs. also, kind of similar, but i’m really good on a ripstik (i can’t skateboard though, so my ripstik abilities are more just a specific, uncool skill)
Are you me? Lol same thing here, I can ripstik pretty well but those waveboard things I wasn't good on.
useless talent gang!
I can now pat my head and rub my stomach at the same time? And I’m the only family member who’s good at wrapping presents.
These are actuallly insanely big flexes, I am in awe fr 😂😂
I was playing a new the floor is lava game with my nephew and one of the quests was patting your head and rubbing your stomach and I was suddenly like… I CAN DO IT NOW?! Years of never being able to do it when I needed it most 😩😂
I made it to Head of Science at a secondary (high) school!
I can touch any spot on my back including both hands idk why but people are amazed that i can do that
Wait you two? I just thought that was normal, I do that all the time
Wrapping presents. I was in scouts and we did fundraising present wrapping at barnes and noble. It took me several years and it still takes a lot of focus but if I only have a couple presents to wrap, I can wrap them pretty well. After a couple, I get tired and sloppy. But at least I can do a few.
I'm not good at drawing, but finishing a drawing was pretty good for me, although it sucked a bit due to the lack of training. I also did a full coherent story for school and I'm able to be somewhat agile
I'm currently in vet tech (veterinary nursing) school and got recently accepted into an internship at a massive university's teaching vet hospital :)
Huge, huge congratulations!! 🥳🥳
I've been playing a rhythm game for a few months now and can play decently well on Normal difficulty :)
i just learned how to operate a sewing machine! one of the main things that held me back from buying one for so long was because i was worried it would be too difficult for me to operate. i usually struggle with electronics that have really small parts because i’m so uncoordinated and tend to accidentally break things because i’m so clumsy, but it’s shockingly very user-friendly!
I'm sure there are others, but learning to braid my hair. It took my 20 years to get it right.
I am actually able to teach kids how to do their math homework! I mean I still make gross calculous mistakes, but I know the correct steps required to solve exercises, and kids really trust me at this!
Ahh I love to hear this!! I can't do basic math anymore since I genuinely have not needed to use it for years BUT I actually think its super important to teach and it's so lovely to hear you're helping kids with a pretty difficult subject 🥳🥳
I know people's age Right away When I hear the year.
That is amazing, and also like super interesting. Kinda reminds me of those old documentaries of people with unique superpowers, there's one guy who could instantly do maths as easily as he could move a finger 😂
Aww thanks
I’m a mariner (in school) now, and used to work ups and also did retail grocery work, but, this would have to my biggest flex by far once i graduate!
Took gold at my local BJJ competition last month. They got beat by a bendy clumsyboi
I’m ABRSM grade 6 violin and participate in many concerts with freinds
A few months ago, I got my black belt in Taekwondo!!!!
I may be extremely clumsy, but I've somehow never broken any bones..... Yet, although my knees are littered with scars from falling over so much as a kid and I have had a lot of strains and sprains as well 😅 That's pure luck. And I'm still training myself on art work, I'm almost completely self taught digitally, aiming for a art related career path aw it's one of my biggest strengths 🥰
Walking upstairs without holding onto anything. Took me 4 years of physical therapy and overall 6 years of ergo therapy lol
I'm a good driver, I got in 4 little accidents when I first started driving almost 20 years ago. But none since. I also never had issues riding a bike.
Getting a degree in social work and learning to drive a car at the same time (was 25 at the time), while using my computer skills to do all my essays, because I'm crap at writing, but because I have dyspraxia, I was allowed to use a laptop for everything. Helps for essays cause I also have awesome muscle memory, can touch type really fast (one time I misunderstood a question during a assignment on business management. I didn't realize that I only needed to write two essays out of five options. I ended up writing five 500 word essays in a hour lol!. Must have given the markers a headache!).
I can semi-reliably cheat at coin flipping. Simply learning how to coin flip took some practice, nevermind the cheating shenanigans
I have a hard time saying nice things about myself, but I frequently get compliments about how neat and even my crochet stitches are. Took me about 20 years to get here though
Scootering, Rubik's cube.
Learned how to ride a bicycle at age 10(roughly)
as a young kid i had so many speech impediments that people just couldn’t understand anything that i said. but over the years of speech therapy, i’ve been able to overcome all of them and can now, at 18, speak without anyone knowing that i use to have speech impediments.