Thursday Thirteen
13 things about my learning disability
Today I'd planned to tell you about auditory dyslexia, but when I looked it up on the net, discovered that term doesn't apply to my learning disability. But it is auditory-something and I'll tell you about it.
1) When I read about this disability I was about 40 years old, and recognized immediately that the writer was describing me when I was in school. However, this is not a professional diagnosis, just my opinion.
2) I'd been reprimanded for not paying attention
3) for interrupting
4) for talking out of turn
5) for not following directions, particularly if there were multiple steps
6) for not being able to finish tasks when the other kids did, or doing it out of order, especially if the assignment was oral.
7) That writer called it auditory dyslexia (which makes some sense because the Greek word lexia root means word, but the term usually refers to reading). The writer said she compensated by taking notes, double checking and clarifying instructions by repeating them back. Today I found something similar called, "Auditory Processing Disorder."
8) It didn't significantly impact my academic success--I have a master's degree and was associate professor when I retired from Ohio State University and have published articles in journals. The APD site says the student has problems with reading and spelling and has low academic performance. That's not me.
9) I've always loved school, reading, learning and writing. I'm not tone deaf.
10) But the process is slow, disorganized and frustrating. My mind is always either ahead or behind what I'm hearing. It's like trying to drive while looking in the rear view or side mirror of the car knowing there's a lot of oncoming traffic. Taking notes is essential, but only helps a little, because usually I write down what I hear, which makes no sense when I read it later. Lots of prepositional phrases with no subject or predicate.
11) While reading about this problem in the 80s, I decided to try aerobic dance--hear it, see it, say it, dance it, to see if I could help my coordination work with my hearing. I'm not sure it helped, but I lost 20 pounds, learned a lot of dance steps, and got a job from the instructor.
12) The rate or speed of the spoken word is a problem. In a lecture, I'll usually miss all but the anecdotes; a sermon, which is usually slower, I might understand and remember 2 of the 3 points (a good sermon should have 3 points), but it will be gone by dinner unless I discuss it with someone. Conversation, which is slower than a speech or sermon, is much easier to grasp, but I also have facial cues and gestures for interpretation and memory aids. Committee reports are torture (although that may not be an auditory problem). Foreign accents don't bother me, but probably because those people are speaking slowly.
13) I can't repeat a 7 digit phone number or an e-mail address and will always ask you to repeat while I'm writing it down. In order to say my own number I have to think what it looks like, not what it sounds like. Spelling bees or hearing a word spelled is just gibberish to me.
So the next time you yell at your kid and say, "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" the answer might be yes and no, if by listening you mean understanding.
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learning disabilitiesSource URL: http://maryelizabeth-winstead.blogspot.com/2006/11/thursday-thirteen-13-things-about-my.html
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