PTSD From Crash Linked With Dyslexia?

[changed]

Hi,

Does anyone have experience with dyslexia? I was diagnosed with it about a year ago- a year after my crash. At the time I didnt link the two and it was before I knew I had PTSD. Is it possible that its not dyslexia and a memory problem linked to the PTSD??

It maybe seems random asking but I never had issues with memory, reading writting etc before my accident but when I went to see the educational psychologist at university I just assumed I had never noticed before.

Thanks
Changed

 

[Deleted member 5760]

Changed,

I don't personally have any experience with dyslexia. However, I did write a paper on dyslexia some time ago in high school. What I do remember is that a lot of people who suffer from dyslexia often assume they are not very smart, when this is in fact not the case at all. I think the reason a lot of dyslexics 'slip through the cracks' and don't fulfil their 'real potential' is because they are often put into learning styles which do not suit the way in which a dyslexic brain functions.

Ie - It appears as though they got the answer wrong, when in fact they were perfectly capable of a correct answer - the problem was that they misread the question.

May sound a little airy fairy, but have you ever considered that someone may actually enjoy working with you to learn more about this condition and help others? If it is in fact dyslexia. That would be pretty cool, wouldn't it? To think that you are in fact 'unique' and there is much to be learned from you. There really are people out there looking for answers to questions such as these. I would just be honest about what is going on and try to find the right people to work with you. It could be turned into a very positive thing...?

-Jen

P.S - the other thing I remember was that they were often 'mechanically' minded. But struggled with the language/wordy type of thing. So if there was some trauma to the right side of the brain, it may stand to reason? ....I don't know - I'm not a doctor!

 

[Deleted member 5760]

Actually switch that to the left. I think I'm dyslexic :)

 

[Iam]

HI Changed. I am dyslexic. I was diagnosed with it my freshman year in high school. That was in the '70's when dyslexia was a "new" discovery. I had trouble with reading and math because of it. In early years my IQ tests were so high that it was assumed I was lazy. I knew I wasn't lazy and, as Jen pointed out, figured I was just stupid. My senior year I took a speed reading class at the local community college. Turned out that my brain moved faster than my eyes so learning to speed read helped tremendously. I learned to compensate. I am not an auditory learner at all and while I am a visual learner (reading directions etc.) , "hands on learning" is the best for me. If I can do it while it is being explained or even bette,r figure it out myself, I will remember what I learned. When I need to remember something told to me, i.e. someone's name, I visualize my mind as a file cabinet and file the info away or try to associate the information with something.

Since my diagnosis with PTSD I have wondered if growing up with domestic violence played a part in my dyslexia. IDK.....I mean just surviving day to day was enough for me as aa little kid, let alone to try and thrive in school.

My dyslexia still shows up from time to time but it is usually when I feel very stressed.

I don't know if any of what I said helps but it's all I have to offer.

 

[changed]

Thanks for your posts. I guess the reason it keeps coming up for me is that when I am struggling with things like numbers, spelling and concentration I know it is things I managed before. I never raised that with the assessors at the time as I just thought that I must have had it all along. It is only now as time goes on and I am struggling with the most basic things which I managed before that I am questioning some form of link.

I done some research and there are two types aquired and developmental. I asked my university about getting reassessed due to my lack of understanding and not knowing about my PTSD at the time, also that I did not talk about my accident. I was told it was too expensive and not feesable to reassess me for something as trivial as 'developmental' or 'aquired' which is fair enough. It just frustrates me that its something else in my head unanswered.

Thanks for your reply Jen. I never really thought about that before, it would be great if it could help other people get answers, if there is a link. I might try talking to my university again or maybe my psychologist to see if she knows of any relation. Thanks for all the good advice.

Hi Iam, I know what you mean with the 'hands on thing' I am so much better with doing a task and finding out for myself. I am studying 3D Design at uni so the practical comes really easy to me but the theory side is out the window. I like your way of remembering with the filling cabinet- I might try that!! What you said does help, it has made me even more intregued as to whether there is a strong link- whether labelled 'aquired' or 'developmental'.

Thanks to you both, I didnt expect any response to this. Advice and info much appriciated.

Changed xx

 

[Deleted member 5760]

Changed,

I suppose the simplest example I can give is this (hopefully you will identify)..

A very simple math question :
12 +
12 =
-----
24

Easy question yeah? .... but in the mind of a dyslexic they can be switched around - thus, leading to an incorrect answer when in fact it was the question which was 'read wrong'...

ie -
12+
21=
----
33

12 + 21 =33 ...the answer is exactly correct! ..the problem is - when looking at the question the dyslexic brain misread the numbers - hence an incorrect answer of 33. I hope that makes sense and helps you to realise that, in fact, dyslexics can be very intelligent people. They just got the 'numbers around the wrong way' when reading the question..

You're very welcome :)

-Jen

 

[Nighthawk]

I am dyslexic.
Iam ,what you said about file cabinet is exactly what it feels like, except I feel as though the info is stored in different files and needs to be patched together in order to make complete sense to others. I also was made to feel dumb when I was younger. The way I think has opened the door to an amazing ability to multi task at very high levels. While I was at school just telling some of my teachers that I was dyslexic was helpful, some of them altered the way I responded to my exams. Most of the time I was too scared to tell anyone. Spell check is a great help but does not fix everything. I have search if there is a link between PTSD and dyslexia before and there have been some studies but I have not found a difinitive answer.

If you find anything I would be interested to read it.

Nighthawlk

 

[Iam]

I am able to multi task at high levels too NightHawlk...hmmm that is an interesting connection. I'd be interested in reading anything you find too Changed.

SuperJen....yes transposing numbers & numbers right to left is a common part of dyslexia. Also reversing so a 9 becomes a 6. One thing that I found for me was that I would combine words while reading coming up with and readinging completely new words (mean real words, just not what was written). That is where the speed reading came in. I learned to take in large chunks of writing, ie whole paragraphs visually and mentally which for some reason stopped the intermingling of the letters of several words next to eachother.

The one thing that I want to encourage you with Changed is that you can learn to compensate. I am sure that there are many different ways to compensate and what works for one may not work for another. I remember that "theory" was hard for me too because there was nothing concrete to hold onto. Then I learned ways to make it concrete by associating it to something that already made sense to me. You will find what works for you. Research and try different things.

 

[Grama-Herc]

I don't know about the dyslexia, but I do know that PTSD makes it hard for some of us to concentrate. Long posts with few paragraphs are almost impossible for us to read, much less retain what we read.. So I'm not sure if it is one or the other, concentration weakness due to PTSD is a fact.

 

[Dougal]

Dear Changed,

I am assuming that when you say "crash" you are referring to a head injury that preceded your PTSD? I have a mild TBI (traumatic brain injury) that occurred during the event that led up to my PTSD diagnosis. Indeed there is a connection between head injuries and learning. You might Google some links related to head injury and concussion.

There are also vision processing issues that can occur when you have a head injury. There is evidence that visual distortions can occur after a trauma. It is not that there is anything wrong with your sight. The issue has more to do with how your brain processes what it sees. There is a connection between the visual cortex, sensory neuronal plasticity and changes in the amygdala response.

So although there are issues with PTSD related to concentration, you might want to consider that the issue is not with cognition but more to do with vision processing. You might want to consider getting your vision tested not for sight but for processing. So the specialist would look at things like depth perception, binocular vision, etc.

Some optometrists have this specialty training. You would need to shop around and ask. I was lucky and was able to see a Developmental Psychologist at the university who was doing research in vision processing. She was able to diagnose the problem. I was referred to a practitioner regards Irlen vision therapy. I was fitted with coloured lenses (not sunglasses) which filtered light going into my eyes, thus slowing down brain waves, and visual processing improved. You are getting the layman's explanation. Trust this helps.
CM