Hi everyone!!
I have a question. My boss at work told me last week that he sees a “paradox” in me. I think he was saying that he finds that I know things he wouldn’t expect me to know; yet, when it comes to more simpler concepts, I’m basically clueless. Can that be considered part of LD?
I get worried sometimes because I just got accepted into an MSW program and am praying that my processing disabilities(some of it probably undiagnosed) won’t interfere with the actual hands on stuff. I have no fear of the classroom part of it—I’ve learned to compensate well by use of tape-recording and re-typing my notes. I really want to work with people with physical and/or sensory disabilities (visual or hearing). However, I’m worried that some of the auditory problems are going to cause problems as they have at my current job (I’m in a data entry position currently). I get so frustrated with myself I lose my temper! Not good!!
I do have slight hearing and visual impairments and I realize that is not supposed to be a factor in LD. However, those impairments are so borderline, I often wonder how much of it is physical and how much of it is LD-related. I want to get tested, but nobody seems to think that’s necessary (including my counselor who has a background in LD!)
Thank you for listening—any advice would be very helpful.
Take care!
Christine
"paradox" is at least better...
Better that boss thinks of it as a “paradox” — too often they just see the down side of it and assume if you have troulbe with something you’re stupid or incompetent or any of those other jolly words.
The information from the testing can be really useful though it helps to know yourself and how you’ll take it if you do find big deficits or something. I know some folks who would simply rather not know because they’re totally terrified of the results, so they do the next best thing and read up on what works for different deficits, and try stuff and if it works, ya keep it. Having put the ‘anal” in “analytical” myself, I found all that data just fascinating ;)
Re: "paradox" is at least better...
Hay Christine,
LOL, so am I.I had my teachers worked up in a frensy, ” How can a girl with such a high IQ have such a low spelling and reading lvl?” We’er talking 3ed to 6th grade.
I can tack a sicotickly wild horse and tern him in to a gintlmen,paint free hand, creat indepthed works of litracher yet I have enormes trubel with phone numbers, a patern of taskes and as fare as rightting a note to let someone what is going on….. well u can see the quality of that, hehhheee.
Paradox, yes I am and proud of it. Betwene the two of us, I have found most people to be most ignarent and plane.We for the most part can run circols around most. Especholy when it comes to comen ciens and indepth thought. Unforchonatly most LDer have been beet so fersly that they thinck there just a wird little bird spiralling hoplessly in the monsune of life. If they could only open there eyes to see that they are the highest flyer.
Did u know that MR. Instin coulden balens his check book? His pers wanted to put him in a home for “slow” people. They coulden phathom how he could graspe such invalved thought yet couldent master the simpolest of tascks.
Toni in Cal
Re: LD question
I just read your question. You and I have several things in common. First, I have ADHD and LD, second I have my MSW from East Carolina University and I have been working as a LCSW for about 10 years. I recently quit my job and returned to college to become a Special Education teacher. If you can find someone to do testing I think you should pursue it. However, it is very expensive and I am not sure it would really help you much in the big picture. UNLESS you need the extra services available to persons/students with LD. I am trying to respond to your comments and I’m afraid I may have forgotten everything you have said!! Anyway, I just wanted to follow up. Logging onto this website is one of my assignments for school. I never knew it existed!!
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If you think you may have learning disabilities, it can’t hurt to get an evaluation.
Although your counselor may have a background in learning disabilities, that doesn’t mean that your counselor might not be missing something. I was receiving learning disability assistance and therapy from a specialist in learning disabilities. Yet it wasn’t until I brought up the possibility of having ADHD that I was evaluated. So here was an expert who missed something that was right in his face!
I’m tired of the number of people who don’t know that much about learning disabilities, but consider themselves experts.
I was just evaluated by someone who is an expert, and now her evaluation is in question. And I really believe that she is very good at what she does.
Learning disabilities can be very difficult to fully understand. Trust your own sense that something isn’t quite right and get as good of an evaluation as you can.
I have an MSW and would have had a lot less trouble getting through social work school if some of my problems had been understood and if I could have gotten help with my areas of deficit.
I’m glad that someone who has the kinds of problems that you have will be going into the field to work with people with the kinds of problems that you describe. You’ll be in a better position than the average worker to understand the clients with whom you work.