Advantages Of Dyspraxia: Just What Are They

Recently I wrote an article about Dyspraxia in Adults where I outlined all the traits of Dyspraxia in adults. Yet looking at the list I could see how all these traits were negative and not beneficial to the individual. Yet this got me thinking, are there any advantages to Dyspraxia? By advantages to Dyspraxia, I am referring to gifts or benefits that having Dyspraxia can give one?

Well you'd pleased to know that there are benefits to being Dyspraxic which as you'd probably have guessed, we'd be looking at in this article. Yet I should say from the outset that just because one has Dyspraxia, it doesn't mean they are going to have all these beneficial attributes. Yet the chances are you will have at least a good handful of these benefits.

So when you read through the following list of characteristics, don't assume you will have all of these traits. Also please don't in anyway assume I am saying that only people with Dyspraxia display these traits. Most people with one or more of these personality traits don't have Dyspraxia (due to the fact that most people in the population don't have Dyspraxia). Yet amongst us Dyspraxics, these characteristics are quite common.

So without any further ado, the following advantages of Dyspraxia are:

Determination & Motivation

In the previous article Dyspraxia In Adults, we learnt how one issue which many Dyspraxics face is poor concentration. We tend to get easily distracted, often spending our time daydreaming. I know when I am doing a particularly boring task, my mind will seem to drift more than the average person's.

Maybe it is due to our concentration issues that we can be more determined and motivated to get what we want. Hence while it may take us a bit longer to complete a task compared to the typical Non-Dyspraxic, we will get the task done in the end.

One strategy that I use to keep myself on track to finish off a task that I happen to find rather boring is to break the task down into a number of smaller tasks. Then I will focus on doing just one of these mini tasks at a time. Once I have finished the mini task, I may give myself a brief break before tackling the next small task.

While taking this approach means that I will often struggle to finish a task at the same speed as Non-Dyspraxics, I will get the task completed. And at a quicker rate compared to if I didn't bother breaking the task down into mini tasks.

Anyhow many Dyspraxics have learnt that due to poor concentration, we will have to work harder and be more motivated to get what we want. This work ethic however is also transferred over to other areas as well; we are not just motivated to finish boring tasks.

Of course not everyone with Dyspraxia is super motivated or hard working. We are all unique and some of us will have less work ethic than others: but most of us are motivated. This could also be due to the case that due to the difficulties that we face, we have learnt that we have had to work extra hard in order to achieve the things that others can achieve more easily.

Long Term Memory

You would tend to think that one either has a good memory or a poor memory, yet this is not the case with many of us Dyspraxics. Whilst we tend to have poor short term memories, one of the advantages of Dyspraxia is having a very good long term memory.

It should be mentioned that the short term memory is seen as lasting for anywhere from 20-30 seconds to a minute. There are multiple times I can recall about to say something and then my mind would just go blank. This short term memory is one of our weaknesses.

For many Dyspraxics however we often have very good long term memories. We can remember events clearly that others can't even remember occurring. In fact some Dyspraxics can have memories which are so good that they are almost encyclopedic.

This can make us a bit of an oddity to others in that we can remember something that happened quite clearly several years ago. Yet when we are mid sentence or happen to walk into a room, our minds have a habit of just going blank and we forgot why we walked into the room or what we were just saying.

Resilience

I probably don't have to tell you that life doesn't always go according to plan; this is especially true for those of us with Dyspraxia. I say this because oftentimes with Dyspraxia, doing something that others find easy can be very hard to do.

As such, resilience is a character trait which many Dyspraxics (as well as people with other lifelong disabilities) will have to develop. If you aren't aware, resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties with toughness. People who have resilience aren't necessarily immune to the pain or difficulties in life: quite the opposite. They feel them just as much as the rest of us.

Yet the difference is that resilient people pick themselves up, dust themselves off the best way they can and carry on. They don't let the setback, etc hold them back or break them. As such they carry on and so ultimately are far more likely to achieve their goals.

Obviously not everyone with Dyspraxia has high amounts of resilience: but a vast number do due to the amount of difficulties we come across. And so to keep up with our peers as well as achieve our goals, we need to bounce back from the setbacks that we face and carry on.

Sense of Humour

When one thinks of Dyspraxia a sense of humour isn't something which would normally pop to mind. Yet you'd be surprised at how funny some of us Dyspraxics can be: as well as how many if us are able to laugh at jokes.

In the Dyspraxia Support Group that I run on Facebook, I personally know of two comedians who are members: one of whom does stand up full time. Yet there are many more who enjoy laughing at a good joke: I know many Dyspraxic individuals who regularly seem to find the funny side of things.

I cannot say why this is but I can only assume that one of the reasons for our humour is due to the difficulties that we face in life. As such having the ability to laugh and/or make other people laugh is something that many of us develop.

Having said that I know a few Dyspraxics who don’t seem to have this ability at all. I won’t name names but needless to say they take everything seriously and don’t have the ability to take anything lightly. Like as we learnt earlier not many Dyspraxics will have all these positive traits, though the vast majority will have at least one or two!

Sensitivity & Empathy

It is rare to come across a Dyspraxic who is also a cold-blooded psychopath or sociopath. Instead alot of Dyspraxics have a large amount of empathy and sensitivity. We tend to have more of these personality traits compared to most other Non-Dyspraxics.

Research has shown that those with high levels of empathy tend to make good leaders, forming a team who are engaged and willing to follow. This is different from the opposite end of the spectrum, psychopaths, who tend to lead by fear and intimidation.

One of the benefits to empathy is that it allows one to walk into a room and automatically pick up on any tensions that maybe lingering in the air. Else it allows one to notice if someone is feeling upset or hurt, even they say that they are feeling perfectly fine.

It should be mentioned though that sensitivity and empathy are double edged swords for they can also have the downside of making one too attached to the feeling and experiences of others. Yet if one is able to master their empathy then it can be a positive trait.

Strategic Thinking

Due to the nature of Dyspraxia, many of us will regularly have to develop strategies to help us navigate around the problems that many of our peers take for granted. Case in point a small Dyspraxic child who struggles to do up his shoelaces may just tuck his laces neatly into his shoes. Whilst this may not seem particularly strategic to you or me, for a small child it is a strategic plan.

Case in point many Dyspraxics struggle with learning to drive. A few friends of mine with Dyspraxia come to mind. So how they got around this was learning to drive an automatic car first. Once they have mastered that and passed the test, they then learn to drive a manual (stick shift) car. This way rather than learning to drive a manual car from the start with the risk of failing regularly, they can take it via steps.

Strategic thinking is the ability to systematically think of a way to achieve certain goals. Whether that be something as simple as a way to get your laces out of the way without having to do them up. Or growing business from nothing to large size.

Of course not all Dyspraxics have these traits but the majority of us do have at least one or more of them.

So the next time you are feeling down about having Dyspraxia; perhaps seeing it as a curse, remember this list and hopefully these positive traits will help lift your mood.

Anyhow if you like to know more about Dyspraxia, including the strengths of having Dyspraxia, I recommend you read my book 'Dyspraxia: How To Thrive As An Adult’ by Alex Gadd. You can find that by clicking here.

Else if you would like to be in a group of fellow Dyspraxics and find more information on this disability, then why not join the Dyspraxia Support Group on Facebook.