A lot of people with dyspraxia go onto Further Education but most of them don’t find jobs connected to their degree. Unfortunately office jobs - whether doing clerical or call centre work can be as difficult for dyspraxics as working in a manual job. (What might be termed Blue Collar Dyspraxia is an under-examined field and we'd like to hear of any fellow dyspraxics' experiences of trying to follow in a family trade or who has been able to learn skills as an electrician, plumber or the like.)
Here are some signs of dyspraxia that may manifrest themselves in the workplace:Here are some observable characteristics we adult dyspraxics can exhibit a work, at home &, in social situations (again, not all may be immediately apparent): obsessional characteristics; co-ordination, balance & posture difficulties – affecting home maintenance, learning to drive; tendency to spilling drinks, bumping into things etc; lack of manual dexterity; losing files, untidy desk; receiving unexpectedly poor appraisals; difficulties in filtering out background noise in order to concentrate fully on work; inability to keep still in our seats;untidy & rumpled personal presentation; poor handwriting; low self-esteem; being bullied; unrealistic expectations; difficulty remembering instructions, directions etc; inability to learn from written instructions; avoidance & reluctance to perform tasks which require sustained mental effort; inability to complete tasks quickly & properly, just not able to get the hang of some things: whether work-related or leisure activities - from book-keeping, bar duties, cleaning to shuffling cards, playing pool;a tendency to be chaotic, forgetful & disorganised, despite our best intentions; difficulty in refocusing after interruptions; difficulty making decisions; inabilityto converse with colleagues by relating jokes, anecdotes or descriptions that require a degree of sequencing; appearing not to listen when spoken to directly; difficulties with retaining jobs.
Not everyone with dyspraxia has exactly the same strengths & weaknesses so while one dyspraxic may find working with computers daunting another may take to computer work like a fish to water, imbued with the relief that the ability to cut & paste & not having to write longhand can bring. However, despite variations, organisation is a common tendency amongst us, so here are some tips regarding seeking - & holding onto – work.
Before you start your day’s work it can be a good idea to plan your tasks & prioritise them. Ask your employer for plenty advanced warning of deadlines.
Organise your work into two main piles: urgent & non-urgent. Tasks and projects are easier when broken down into manageable chunks. Large projects are really a series of small tasks which can be finished in sequence and rewarded by a short break to renew concentration. Try to make sure your employer understands the reasons behind this modus operandi. Ideally they will understand that with the right support you can be a determined & effective worker.
When using computers, mouse speed can be reduced in order to make it easier to use.
Basic mind & body relaxation exercises can help you reduce your stress levels. Often information overload can lead dyspraxic employees to seek solace in peace, quiet and a good book on their break rather than socialise with colleagues, who may also share different interests to someone with dyspraxia. It's easy to become isolated - sometimes it's what you want, sometimes it's a wall you'd rather not have built. Assertiveness training may help you with more effective communication in the workplace.
Job Applications
Only apply for jobs you feel you can do –it may be your dyspraxic determination has sharpened your writing, photographic, broadcasting skills. Traditional “steady” jobs may be beyond you, & you may feel slightly inadequate about your lack of adaptability, especially if you come from a background where working with one’s hands has been a source of family pride & a breadwinning necessity, but today’s job market does have something to offer the dedicated, focused dyspraxic candidate. Caring for the elderly, for children, for animals as well as “hobby”-based professions such as photography & writing seem to suit some of us. If you are prepared to do voluntary work in the area you’re interested in, your dedication may pay off when it comes to applying for paid employment.
Prepare your typed CV
Seek assistance from the Disability Employment Adviser at your local Job Centre Plus. You can get free assessment under the Access To Work scheme, & funding for equipment & training. Workstep - or Supported Employment as it used to be termed - is a possibility for those with severe Dyspraxia who would find it hard to gain and maintain employment without assistance.
If possible, download the application form & type your answers.
If this is not possible, photocopy the application form & have a go at a rough draft, thereby ensuring that you send in a form that is as neat & well-presented as you can make it.
Interviews
If possible get a friend or colleague to give you a mock interview
Make a list of questions that it’s likely you’ll be asked
Prepare in advance a question you can ask at the interviewabout the company or organisation.
Because clothes that are not “broken in” can be especially uncomfortable for Dyspraxics, ensure well in advance that you will be comfortable as well as smart in your interview clothes.
Disclosure
It’s difficult to advise on whether you should tell your potential employer about your Dyspraxia on the application form or in an interview situation. Despite many employers’ stated commitment to be positive about disabilities, not everyone in a position of hiring new employees is as altruistic as they profess to be. Perhaps you reckon your dyspraxia won’t have a major impact on your potential new job. Even if you think it may affect the way you do the job, there is always the chance to “come out” to your line manager later, or to keep your condition private. A situation may simply arise where you can mention it quite casually, almost in passing: your inability to open or close venetian blinds, perhaps. It’s not an easy decision to make although if you feel it won’t sabotage your chances of landing a position, disclosure could be a good way of establishing your identity – not forgetting the strengths you’ve developed – from the start.
In the work environment it can often be difficult to cope with background noise and it is often preferable to work in subdued lighting. Work brings out the inability to filter noise, the inability to remember verbal instructions. Pens, papers and equipment are often mislaid. Not only can it be hard for us to find our way around, but our processing differences can lead to difficulties learning specialist language, acronyms and abbreviations, and they may find they get lost when trying to find their way to a new building or department. Starting a new job can be particularly daunting to those of us with dyspraxia.
Dyspraxics tend not to be "office animals", chit-chatting all day about last night's Reality TV or what we'd do if we won the lottery, while working steadily through reams of paperwork. We are by nature individuals. We have no choice in the matter.…The workplace is designed around the needs/features of the Neuro-Typical: e.g. open plan offices (without screens to reduce distractions), and an expectation of organisational/administrative skills and an ability to multi-task.
Background cackling in an office would tend to irritate a Dyspraxic more than a NeuroTypical person. The dyspraxic mind tends to “riff” on people’s remarks, examining the implications of what they’re saying, honing in on cliché, like a habitually zealous customs officer – waving very little through unexamined.
Conversely, precise details seem to evade us in meetings or when following instructions.
Shops can be nightmares to work in – presenting the complexities of till operation, counting out the right change, not banging into the stock & knocking stock over… but for the purposes of this site we’re mainly dealing with office practice. In future we’d love to expand our focus and hear from people with experiences of working in shops, on site, anywhere..
For the present, though, let’s get back to that striplit, open plan office, the radio blaring on in the background & impenetrable jargon being bandied about all around you. For a start, as Mary Colley’s Living With Dyspraxia notes: “The untidiest desk in the office will be yours”. Also, the intricacies of office politics may be beyond you & you’ll feel outrage at what you see as hypocrisy, pettiness & injustice. Of course, not every office is like this but, like classrooms, many share similar characteristics.
Initially, the prospect of work in an office may seem a relief to a young adult dyspraxic after the rigours of school: no P.E., no more bullying, the prospect of a settled future.
Unfortunately, the workplace can be a minefield for the Neuro-Diverse! And the bullying doesn’t always stop at school. Certain colleagues can detect a “difference” in you &, like a school bully, exploit it. You may find yourself “picked on” by supervisors who seem to let others get away with misdemeanours and open flouting of the rules.
Here's a telling quote from Living With Dyspraxia:
“Every organisation has its own unwritten rules & procedures. There are those who really have the power & there are those who are only nominally in charge. Try to make sure that you do not get on the wrong side of your office’s inner circle.”
In some offices, supervisors & managers may seem hard to respect & take seriously as they try to impress their superiors, power dress & pepper their sentences with jargon while still being keen to be “one of the lads”, displaying a juvenile attitude to supporting football & a tendency to resort to casual racism, sexism & homophobia which may upset & irritate you. Attributes, such as good grammar, which may seem important to you and which are strengths in some dyspraxics may not seem important to them. The juxtaposition of jargon-peppered vocabulary and careless grammar may prove especially irksome to you. You could end up feeling superior in certain ways to your superiors which in turn leads to more frustration as you imagine that if you only had their organisational skills you could do their job a lot better and more fairly than they do. Of course, you don’t have to be dyspraxic to recognise the role-playing & stereotypes that exist in today’s work environment (TV sitcom The Office did this brilliant to comic, often cringeworthy, effect) and you certainly don’t have to be dyspraxic to feel frustrated in a work situation. Colleagues who share your views may sympathise but say: “I keep my head down & just get on with it”, advising you to “Cover yourself "– i.e. "Don’t stand out". Unfortunately not standing out & “just getting on with it” aren’t at all easy for dyspraxics.
Over the years, dyspraxic office workers have found themselves with a constant need to rewrite letters & reports till they’re legible & presentable. Thankfully, computer packages have largely alleviated this problem, though filing by hand can still be problematical and result in heaps of papers surrounding you & a half-open filing cabinet and an urge to run away overtaking you.
If you’re dyspraxic, you may find that attempts at carrying out practical tasks tend to get you noticed in the wrong ways – double-sided photocopying, adjusting blinds,etc. can leave you feeling useless and embarrassed and you mail fail to understanding how & why various processes take place in the office. You may also have problems with:
Remembering instructions & carrying them out correctly in the right order; achieving deadlines; taking messages accurately & remembering to pass them on; writing letters & reports longhand without having to copy them out again; sitting through meetings & taking in what’s being said without your mind wandering. Practically everyone would say their mind wanders while they’re in a meeting but dyspraxics tend to be in a different league; staying in your seat & not “going for a wander” too often; relating to colleagues. The Dyspraxia Foundation publishes a leaflet called Dyspraxia in The Workplace For Employers.
It is certainly worth considering “coming out “ to your supervisor or line manager, giving them information on your strengths & weaknesses & clarify what dyspraxia means generally & for you specifically. It can work wonders to explain your strengths and how you can maximise these, although some supervisors may not understand why you flinch at the prospect of balloons festooning desks or why you would like to wear an MP3 player to create a personal aural space in which you can work while at the same time you object to a radio being on constantly in your or a neighbouring section.
Flexi-time can help if you are able to do paperwork when the office is quiet at either end of the working day. You may find, though, that the radio blares out even louder for the benefit of other early or late workers while you’re attempting to write your report or study the figures in front of you. Often for reasons outlined in this section, many dyspraxics find themselves unemployed/unable to attain the posts their skills and abilities would suggest they should be employed in
