Adult dyslexia: Anyone else dealing with this?

Amy Newman4, you know, it really could potentially be dyslexia!

I should probably mention that I’m actually pretty fine when it comes to writing things down, but man, once I have to speak out loud? Ugh. It’s like my brain and my mouth just refuse to sync up, especially if I'm standing there in front of a big crowd!😢

Since I'm 59, I guess it’s kind of ridiculous to be asking about this stuff. But... I don't know. It feels like I'm running into more and more blatant signs of dyslexia lately. Things that lana10 listed here:
Main indicators of dysgraphia:

• messy, illegible handwriting – I've always struggled with bad penmanship and staying focused enough to keep things readable. If I actually try to make it neat, I have to focus entirely on the physical act of writing, which kills my creativity... I'm not capturing thoughts, just transcribing. To manage, I use varying pressure—thin vs thick strokes, like they taught me back in school—and I have to force the letters to be bigger. If I'm just trying to get ideas down, I can barely even read my own writing later.

• skipping or swapping letters within a word
• mirror writing
• running words together
__________________
Mirror writing—I have no clue what that is, though the other two points happen to me constantly. I'll write "sma" instead of "sam." Or I won't separate words. That's why I can't write by hand anymore; I have to use Word because the red underlines catch my mistakes. Everything I mess up, I only realize once I go back to read it.

Mostly, I type with just two or three fingers, glancing back and forth between the keys and the screen. Maybe (and maybe intentionally too) it's happening because of poor technique—my motor skills when writing... I'll leave this sentence here as an example: It might be due to poor technique. So, even though I wrote "sma" (there it is) while looking at the keys, I end up hitting a key that isn't even adjacent, let alone right next to it. (I still type faster than I realize, but I'm still hovering over the keyboard, looking at it all at once, sort of hunched over... probably looks weird to everyone else.

Not to ramble on forever, but can dyslexia show up later in life? Is there any actual research or papers on that, or just what you guys think? Since I also deal with astigmatism, I was wondering if dyslexia could "develop" in a similar way. See, someone born with astigmatism usually has their brain and eye muscles compensate for it while they're young. That's why the issues often surface later—for me, it hit around age 48 when driving started wearing me out. After two or three hours behind the wheel, my head would spin. My ophthalmologist diagnosed the astigmatism immediately, gave me glasses with some specific cylinder correction to fix how light hits the eye, and that fixed it. Now, it feels like something similar is happening. It's just like certain types of concentration or reactions aren't under control anymore. It's acting slower than my actual writing.

If you're still around—virtually, I mean—I'd appreciate an answer. Thanks, John 😕

Does anyone happen to know the name of that condition where you hear things in reverse? Like, if someone says the number 56, you end up writing down 65 because it just flips in your head. It’s been happening to me quite a lot lately. I guess it’s not exactly "hearing" things backward, more like your brain processes the information and then writes it down mirrored... it's hard to explain, but it's definitely not just writing letters upside down or anything like that.
I think I saw a mention of this once on your TV during some series, but I can't quite put my finger on it. 🙂
Seriously, I need to figure this out quickly.
Thanks!

Bryan Lee73 said:Does anyone actually know what that condition is called where you hear things mirrored? Like, if someone says "56" and you write down "65" because it keeps happening constantly... I guess you can't really say you *hear* it mirrored, more like you record it mirrored, though not literally upside down or anything, just flipped like this example..
I think I saw it once on TV in some show, but I can't recall which one 🙂
Seriously, it's urgent.
thanks

Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is basically when you mix up your speech, and dysgraphia is when your writing goes sideways. I think that's pretty much what we're looking at here.

hiddenmarlin61 said:Dyslexia is when you talk backwards, and dysgraphia is when you write backwards. I think that’s what we're looking at here.

The link breaks it all down perfectly.
We're talking about dyslexia, which almost always shows up alongside dysgraphia, defined as:
Dysgraphia is a persistent inability for a child to master writing skills according to standard American English grammar and mechanics, manifesting through frequent, lasting, and characteristic errors. These struggles aren't caused by a lack of spelling knowledge; they persist regardless of a child's intellectual capacity, verbal development, hearing or vision health, or consistent schooling.
As for the numbers, they are listed as a symptom of dyslexia:
-trouble following letter or number sequences (like elephant-tnahpele, or 12-21),

Thanks so much! 🙂))) 🙂🙂🙂

I'm actually super curious about how I might be able to double-check that too.

So, basically... I was writing something the other day and I was totally convinced I’d nailed it... but then I realized I'd typed stuff like "citizens" instead of "citizenship," messed up some grammar on a commission check, or wrote "foundational" when it should have been "founding"... you know how it goes.

And honestly, sometimes I just completely skip over an entire word without even noticing.

I’m feeling the exact same way. I was just venting to some other teachers in my grade, and they’re all saying the same thing—it happens to them constantly. Like, one teacher will say, "Okay, solve tasks A and B," and they'll end up blurting out "1 and 9" instead. Sometimes even something simple like "lunch today" comes out totally mangled. 🙂 It might be because I grew up bilingual, or maybe it's just a random glitch in my brain, but sometimes I'll accidentally slip into English mid-sentence and say "The phone is ringing" when I'm trying to speak American. 🤣 Plus, my eyesight is absolute garbage right now—huge prescription and I'm dealing with early-stage glaucoma... :/

So, look, I’m basically a first grader in terms of how I process things. People have told me I’ve got some level of dyslexia. My handwriting has always been a total mess, too. Now, when I’m reading to myself, I constantly lose my place—instead of moving to the next line, I end up re-reading the same one over and over. It happens when I read out loud, too. And sometimes, I'll just write the exact same word twice in a sentence without even realizing it. At school and at home, my concentration is all over the place, even though my teachers swear I’m actually super focused during lessons. The hardest part is that I study my heart out at home, only to pull a C or maybe a B-, and honestly, that just kills my motivation to keep trying. It’s discouraging, you know? Plus, when they quiz me in class, I feel like I know everything—it's right there on the tip of my tongue! I don't really get anxious, but it feels like the answer is just inches away, and then five hours later, someone asks me about it and I'm like, "Wait, I totally knew that!" This doesn't apply to the stuff I actually love, though; I usually get an A in those subjects. I've noticed I have a massive memory for numbers, though. Also, full disclosure: I'm a huge pessimist if that even means anything. Another thing is math... man, I just cannot wrap my head around it. No matter how much I study or get help, it just won't stick. I’ve always found it way easier to just talk through an answer than to sit down and take a written test. I actually used to have some paperwork to prove I should be allowed to do oral exams instead of written ones, but I think those expired or something because I don't have them anymore. Honestly, I truly believe I can master all this material if I could just get past these hurdles.

@Emily White2 - what's your current situation? asking because there’s actually a whole thread on this right here:

Hey there!

I'm not totally sure if this thread is still active, but I figured I'd just throw a question out there. I was reading through some of the symptoms mentioned in a few posts earlier and I can pretty much relate to most of them, except for one thing—writing struggles. My handwriting is actually super neat and legible, and I’ve never really messed up my grammar or anything like that. Still, though, I really struggle with spatial awareness, my focus drifts constantly, and I find it such a chore to connect my thoughts when I'm speaking... plus, trying to take notes while listening to a lecture is basically impossible for me. Do you think this could be dyslexia?

Hello, everyone.
I’m wondering if it is actually possible for dyslexia to manifest for the first time at age 24.
Over the last few months, I’ve noticed that I constantly stumble over my syllables when speaking—either skipping them entirely or adding extra ones in. My writing remains flawless. Until recently, I hadn't experienced any of these symptoms, and my speech was always perfectly fluent.
I’ve also started noticing that I’m beginning to forget certain information, like people's names, and I have dealt with issues involving both my left and right sides for quite some time now.

Angela Wright said:The link explains everything.
The condition is called dyslexia, and it usually shows up alongside dysgraphia, which is basically:
Dysgraphia is a persistent inability for a child to master writing skills (based on standard spelling rules), manifesting through numerous, lasting, and typical errors. These struggles—these mistakes—aren't due to a lack of spelling knowledge; they persist regardless of sufficient intellectual and verbal development, normal hearing and vision, or regular schooling.
As for numbers, this is listed as a symptom of dyslexia:
-difficulty tracking sequences of letters or numbers (like elephant-tele, 12-21),

Screw the rules. Especially for those weird letter combinations... you know, when we used to write things phonetically instead of using all those little accent marks. They've totally messed up the language.

Honestly, I probably have issues with both, but screw the rules—there are just too many of them, and that’s exactly why so many people struggle with spelling.

To hell with grammar.

Both American English and Canadian would be better if there were fewer rules. Just like how people actually spoke back in the day—what they used to call "literary language."

I don't give a damn about the rules from Vukov and whoever came after him.

Sorry for the swearing. I'm just having a rough day. I don't usually swear like this, but I just needed to vent a little.

I would totally write you something more, but nica just laid down the law on me, though I still think

Larry Scott43 said:I’d write you something back, but I got nicked by the mods—not that I’m actually complaining, though.

Just hit me up in a DM then. I won't hold it against you—I'm really not one of those people who holds grudges or gets all worked up over nothing. Honestly, my memory is about as good as a goldfish's.

I came across this thread... I’d appreciate it if someone could walk me through how an adult actually goes about getting an evaluation and a formal diagnosis. What is the process? Do you need a referral from a primary care doctor first? Should I be looking for a speech pathologist—or does a local clinic handle the referrals?

Thanks,

Honestly, he could just go see a psychiatrist who can run some tests for OCD and actually get him the help he needs. Or, you know, he could just head straight to the IRS if he wants to deal with more headaches.