A Positive Outlook!

by sugar.puffle

I am a 20 year old female. I have Dyslexia and ADHD. I was diagnosed 8 months ago. Without any help what so ever at school, I got the grades i needed to get Uni to study Adult Nursing.

I am in the process of learning about myself. Why i do things and why i find things frustrating.

My dyslexia is mainly because of my Working Memory Deficit, and Sequential Memory Deficit. I confuse similar words, have a very irregular hand writing style, and find it difficult to formulate/structure what i want to say/write. Unlike dyslexics that find it difficult to read, I am very able to read, but it takes me a long time to process text and understand it. The same for anything visual. When i speak, things often come out in the wrong order. all of these get worse when i'm under pressure.

My ADHD, i have good days and bad days. Unlike when i was younger, i now have to control my behavior and manage every day tasks. It's extremely hard, but gradually I'm moving forward. I'm distracted by the simplest noise, movement, object, color. I get restless when sitting down, and find myself making some kind of noise which a lot people hate. I get bored with personal hobbies, which is frustrated because i have a longing to actually do them. Time management is hell. I can remind myself about something, and stick a huge note on the wall and still forget about it. i very rarely start something and finish it. I often say things with out thinking, which has affected friendships in the past. I cut in conversations and get really defensive. When some one is talking to me, i get distracted visually, and start examining the color of their hair etc. I have a panic attack when my day plans are changed. i have extreme insomnia, and have experienced sleep paralysis. I have the inability of switching off my mind at night, and get i restless in bed.

I could go on and on about these, but what's caught my attention on this sight is sensitivity to sound and smells. This is me all over. But i don't know if it's because of my dyslexia/adhd. I think it is possible to have both adhd and a sensory processing disorder.

For as long as i can remember, i have smelt things. I always got teased about it at home. But if you gave me a pencil, book, anything, i would smell it. Especially food, if i didn't like the smell, i wouldn't eat it. My mum thought this was they way i identified things. I have really narrow nasal cavities and had them enlarged because it affected my breathing at night. But i still smell stuff, it's weird. there are some smells that make me gag (that wouldn't normally affect a person) but most of the time i find them intriguing.

The sound is a big one. A soft repetitive sound will drive me crazy, to the point where i'll burst out and let everyone know i'm pissed off. A room of different conversations going on at the same time, gives me a huge headache, i often end up crying. I do however listen to slow/soft music, to concentrate my thoughts at night, because i focus too much on surrounding noises.


I want to share this with everyone, because by this you might conclude that i need serious help, but I'm an adult slowly learning and changing my every day routine. And I'm doing this without medication.

I have received the full support of my uni, which have supplied me with lots of equipment and software to help my study, and i have a person study skills tutor. by nature i'm a quiet person, so these internal frustrations every day give me hell to deal with because so many people don't understand. Its only made me more determined to raise awareness and show that it's ok to be different. the world would be boring without us :D


To all those who have kids with a disability/disorder: There will be other parents that will never know what you experience, and that can be hard because they can't relate. my parents and i have a wonderful relationship despite all these things, because at the end of the day we're family, and no matter whats said or done we love each other to bits.

note: i was utter hell from the age of 2 onwards! hehe




godbless