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Making "stupid" mistakes


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Joined: Jan 04, 2013
Posts: 2
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Posted Jan 04, 2013 at 8:13:52 PM
Subject: Making "stupid" mistakes

Hello everyone. I was diagnosed with a visual–spatial learning disability in 2009. I was suspected of having full-blown NLD, however I did not proceed with the remainder of the testing.

I'm having a problem that I'm not sure is related: I do things I have already learned how to do wrong. I either do the right thing the wrong way or the wrong thing the right way, or I forget half of whatever it was I was supposed to do.

Once I became aware of this problem, I started pausing and asking myself whether what I was doing was really correct. But answer at the time is always "yes" ...then a few hours or a day later I will realize my mistake. It does not seem to matter how often I have done the task before or how complicated it is.

Is this problem related to NLD or something similar? Is there anything I can do about it? It has gotten worse over the last few years, which has shattered my self-esteem, led to significant anxiety, and put me at risk of losing my job. I am in need of help but at this point I don't know whether I should be contacting a neurologist, a psychologist or a career counselor.
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eoffg
Joined Sep 28, 2011
Posts: 80

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Posted:Jan 05, 2013 11:30:52 AM

Hi Millerb and welcome to the forum,

The real solution for you, is for you learn about NLD and what a visual-spatial learning disability actually is?

Where we have 3 different ways of thinking, auditory, visual and spatial.
So that you would well know auditory thinking and thinking in sounds and words.
Also visual thinking, where you can picture something in your mind, and when you are writing, you can visually recall how to spell a word.
As you didn't make any spelling errors, and you can probably 'see' straight away, if you make an error.
So that I would suggest that you have no problem with auditory and visual thinking?
But that you have a specific difficulty with spatial thinking?
So that while you were diagnosed with a visual-spatial learning disability?
Given that visual and spatial thinking are 2 separate things?
This is rather like diagnosing someone with an auditory-visual disability?
Which could be a difficulty with either hearing or seeing?

So that what I want to highlight, is the difference between visual and spatial thinking?
With auditory and visual thinking, we use sounds and images to represent concepts in our mind.
But the problem with this, is that these sounds and images need to be organized and put in order?
So that when we recall them, we recall the order that they were arranged in.
Which is what we use spatial thinking to do.
Where spatial thinking actually uses both sides of the brain to do this?
With one side as beginning point, and the other side as the end point.
Then spatially orders thoughts in between them.
But with a spatial thinking difficulty, thoughts aren't recalled in an order?
So that without order, their is no wrong or right way to follow?

But the problem for people with spatial thinking difficulties? Is that while we wouldn't expect a person with vision difficulties to be able to follow a map? Or a person with hearing difficulties to follow verbal directions? People with spatial difficulties are still expected to spatially organize their thinking?
Though a major tool for people with spatial thinking difficulties?
Is to use 'graphical organizers'?
Which they can use as reference, to see where they are up to, and what comes next.
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millerb
Joined Jan 04, 2013
Posts: 2

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Posted:Jan 05, 2013 1:10:03 PM

I believe the visual-spatial diagnosis is accurate. I did have problems learning to read and write but I got remedial at a young age and they got better. I think that's because I read a lot for enjoyment. I do still have trouble copying things down, and my handwriting is atrocious, but otherwise language is my one area of strength. It's everything else I have trouble with.

I was just rereading my diagnostic report and one of the things I scored low on was "executive functioning." I think this is the technical term for the "stupid mistake" problem that I'm describing – is that accurate?
[Modified by: millerb on January 05, 2013 01:11 PM]
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