Dysgraphia, Dyslexia & Dyscalculia in Adults: Symptoms, Struggles & Support

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Why You've Been Struggling (And It's Not Your Fault)

Living with learning disabilities (LDs) is like navigating the world with a different set of lenses—one that’s often clouded or distorted, but not without your own incredibly unique perspective on life. 

If you've been struggling with "simple" things like handwriting, reading, or using numbers, it's not a personal failing. That said, these challenges can feel very isolating—especially as an adult.

Please understand: you're not alone and that there are resources available, which could make all the difference. In this post, I’ll sharing my personal experiences with dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, how I’ve learned to cope, semi-thrive even, and share some resources that could help you semi-thrive too.

TL;DR – Quick Takeaways

• Dysgraphia: Struggles with handwriting, inconsistent spacing, and organizing written thoughts. Writing can be physically exhausting.
• Dyslexia: Difficulty reading fluently, reversing words, and remembering the order of steps. Struggles with word retrieval and sequences.
• Dyscalculia: Challenges with basic math, time, and money management. Trouble with spatial awareness and directions.
• Resources: Plenty of tools and support available, including TypingClub, Khan Academy, and the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
• Be Kind to Yourself: Your experiences are valid—be compassionate and seek out the resources that help you thrive.

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Dysgraphia ✍️

Dysgraphia is a learning disability affecting writing abilities. Here are the common traits and challenges that individuals with dysgraphia may experience: 

• Difficulty with handwriting: Writing can be slow, uneven, and laborious.
• Poor handwriting: Letters may be poorly formed, inconsistent, or difficult to read.
• Struggles with spelling: Even familiar words may be misspelled.
• Inconsistent spacing: Irregular spaces between words or letters.
• Difficulty organizing written thoughts: Difficulty structuring sentences and paragraphs logically.
• Poor fine motor coordination: Often affecting tasks beyond writing, such as using scissors or tying shoes.
• Trouble with copying: Difficulty copying text from a board or paper.
• Fatigue: Writing can be mentally and physically exhausting.
• Frequent erasing or crossing out: High frustration with writing tasks.
• Inconsistent letter and number formation: Often varying from day to day.
• Difficulty with note-taking: Not being able to capture key points quickly or legibly.

My Struggle with Writing

When I first started noticing difficulties with writing by hand a few years ago, it was like something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Handwriting has always been a struggle for me. 

It’s not just that I write slowly or poorly—it’s that my writing feels like a constant battle against my own hand. The letters are often uneven, and the spacing is inconsistent. It's illegible to others (which kind of works, I don't need anyone being nosy!) 

It was actually this article about identifying dysgraphia struggles in adults that first alerted to the fact that I might have this challenge.

There are times when my thoughts get stuck midway, and I can't seem to find the right words to express myself in writing. I end up erasing and re-writing, sometimes multiple times, trying to get everything just right. It’s mentally draining, and it can take a lot out of me just to get a few sentences down some days. 

Speaking has always come naturally to me (I'm quite the certified "yapper" as the kids say), but when I look at my physical journals, published articles, or the pages I’ve filled with notes, I’m often frustrated by how hard it was to get to that point.

My biggest breakthrough was realizing I could just use voice notes, start video journaling, and/or utilize voice-to-text technology instead of struggling to hand write my journal entries! These tools have saved me so much joint pain and frustration over the years. 

Today, I have over 5,000+ video journal entries from the last 8 years and counting! Still working out cloud storage solutions, but yeah... 

I also discovered a beautiful little journaling app called Diarium, which only costs $9.99 once and I cannot recommend it enough. So easy to use, feature rich, and I can use voice-to-text easily with it as well.

I’ve also noticed how tough it is to take notes. In meetings, phone calls, or lectures, it feels like I’m either too slow to jot down the important stuff legibly, or my handwriting is so messy that it’s hard to read later. This leads to a lot of missed information and a sense of falling behind. 

The way I accommodated myself in this regard while working remotely was to always request a meeting recording and transcription. It really helped lower my stress levels, and other folks were almost always willing to, especially if I framed it like note-taking is taxing and, "this helps me focus on our conversation better." 

Here are some pointers on how to create accessible meetings in the workplace.

Dysgraphia Resources

• Coping with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and ADHD: A Global Perspective by Catherine McBride: A book exploring the challenges and coping strategies for individuals with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD across different cultures.
  Learn more here

• Understood.org: Provides expert advice on supporting children and adults with dysgraphia, including strategies for handwriting and written expression.
  Explore resources

• TypingClub: A free online tool to help improve typing speed and accuracy, which can serve as an alternative to handwriting for people with dysgraphia.
  Start typing lessons

 

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Dyslexia 🔠

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that affects reading and processing written language. Here are the key signs of dyslexia:

• Difficulty with decoding: Trouble breaking down words into sounds and recognizing patterns.
• Reading fluency struggles: Slow, laborious reading.
• Difficulty understanding written material: Trouble grasping the meaning of text.
• Reversing letters or words: Writing "b" instead of "d," or "saw" instead of "was."
• Inconsistent spelling: Difficulty spelling the same word consistently.
• Difficulty with reading comprehension: Struggling to remember or make sense of what’s been read.
• Slow reading: Reading at a slower pace than peers.
• Avoidance of reading: Preference for oral over written content.
• Problems with rhyming or sound patterns: Difficulty recognizing rhymes or letter sounds in words.
• Poor handwriting: Often linked to the difficulties of letter and word recognition.
• Struggling with word retrieval: Difficulty recalling words or names.
• Difficulty following sequences: Trouble with following directions or remembering order.

My Struggle with Reading and Word Recognition

Dyslexia definitely is one of those invisible struggles for me. It doesn't always show on the surface, but it can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming. 

For me, reading wasn't always a slow, frustrating process. When I was a kid and teenager, as a way to cope with a difficult home environment, I'd get lost for hours in reading. Sometimes I'd finish and entire 300-500 page fiction book in an afternoon! I'm a slower reader now, but that's mostly due to non-dyslexic reasons (fatigue, brain fog, ADHD-inattention, etc.) 

I got an accommodation covered at my last workplace, Read&Write, a Chrome extension. It helped me with the veritable mountain of mandatory trainings readings I had to do. It highlights the words as it reads it aloud, which helped me make sense of the text and follow along.

Where my dyslexia shows up is like this: sometimes I find myself replacing words with their similar, perfectly spelled but unswappable words, like typing "them" instead of "that" or similar. This happens especially when I'm tired, stressed, or under pressure. But it does makes me second-guess myself as a writer and definitely slows me down.

Word retrieval is another area where I struggle. In conversations, I can find myself searching for the exactly right word, even if I know exactly what I want to say in simpler terms. It’s like the words are hiding in the dark corners of my brain, but they won’t come out. This causes moments of frustrated confusion for me and befuddlement for others as I visibly mentally flail trying to retrieve the word.

Following sequences or remembering the order of steps is where I face significant issues as well. Whether it’s a set of instructions, tasks from a boss, or me just trying to organize my day, I get lost in the details and often forget important steps or confuse the order of things. This means I have to recheck everything more than I’d like to admit, and it can take me twice or three times as long to accomplish complex tasks. 

The way I have always coped and continue to is by writing everything down. Having a record of what needs to happen when allows me to relax and focus on delivering great results.

Dyslexia Resources

• Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan: A site filled with 8 pages of resources, including articles, videos, and tools to support individuals with dyslexia.
  Visit Dyslexia Help

• LD Online: Adults with Learning Disabilities: A collection of articles, books, and web resources focused on supporting adults with learning disabilities, including dyslexia.
  Explore resources

• Text-to-Speech Tools: Services like Natural Reader help by converting text into speech. For free options, check out the 1,600+ text-to-speech (TTS) software options a kind Reddit stranger found on Internet Archive. 

• Audiobooks: Don’t forget to check your local library for free access to audiobooks! Many libraries use cloudLibrary or similar services, making it easy to access books in audio format.

Find your library on cloudLibrary

 

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Dyscalculia ⏰

Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects math abilities. Here are some of the common difficulties associated with dyscalculia:

• Difficulty understanding numbers: Struggling to grasp number concepts or relationships.
• Difficulty with simple math facts: Forgetting basic arithmetic operations (e.g., addition, subtraction).
• Struggling with mental math: Difficulty performing math without paper or a calculator.
• Difficulty with mathematical concepts: Concepts like time, distance, money, and measurements may seem confusing.
• Inconsistent math performance: Inconsistent results, even when given the same problem.
• Trouble with word problems: Difficulty understanding the verbal cues in math problems.
• Confusion with number sequences: Struggling to order numbers or remember the order of operations.
• Difficulty with time: Problems estimating time, understanding time-related concepts, and calculating time intervals.
• Difficulty with money management: Struggling to manage and calculate finances.
• Poor sense of direction: Difficulty with spatial awareness and understanding directions or maps.
• Difficulty estimating quantity: Problems with estimating distances, amounts, or sizes.
• Trouble with geometry: Difficulty with shapes, symmetry, and understanding spatial relations.

My Struggle with Numbers and Math

Out of the three, dyscalculia has always been the most overwhelming and frankly, aggravating, for me! Math, in any form, has never clicked. I had four (4!) different pre-algebra teachers in 8th grade, when I was supposed to start learning more complex math and none of them knew what they were doing. 

But even basic arithmetic can feel like a monumental task to me. Without a calculator or paper, mental math is almost impossible. I need physical tools to help me process numbers.

When it comes to grasping relationships between concepts like time, distance, or money, it always felt like I was disabled (turns out, I am!) I can’t always estimate time correctly, and I have trouble pinpointing when certain life events from my past happened. It could be 27 days ago or 3 years ago. Who knows! 

Sometimes, this has meant that others think I'm lying about a date or when something happened in my life. I swear, I'm not (also, why would I?) I just have dyscalculia!

Money management is another tough area. (Understatement of the year.) Even with basic budgeting knowledge, I often find myself unsure of how much I’m spending or whether I’ve made the right calculations. It’s a constant source of anxiety, and I’ve had to find alternative ways to stay on top of finances, like using budgeting apps to help track my spending. Even then, I struggle to say in the clear.

Add to that my bipolar hypomanic episodes and ADHD impulsive, dopamine-chasing and yeah, my bank account is almost always mad at me. Only my autistic sense of dogged determination keeps me on track. I also monitor my bank accounts a LOT, and always do a full assessment of where I stand financially every Sunday night (it's a reoccurring reminder in my Gcal.) 

Also, Tiller is a fantastic resource if you really like to get into the weeds with budgeting! It took me about 30 minutes to set up in the provided Google Sheets spreadsheet, but now every morning I get an accurate report of my finances sent to my email inbox. No avoiding that! 

They have a 30 day free trial, and then it's a reasonable $79 bucks a year. (My only beef is that occasionally, you'll have to go in and refresh the bank connections, but that has more to do with the connection providers (like Plaid) than Tiller.)

Geo-spatial relationships also real challenges, especially with understanding directions. I go to great lengths to avoid getting lost, even in places I should be familiar with, simply because I struggle with spatial awareness. Also I never ask for directions from a stranger. Ha! Are you kidding? There's no point, I won't comprehend or remember what they say.

There was a time that I was out while shopping in a city I had moved to almost 3 months prior, and even though I was only 15 minutes roughly from my house, because my phone battery was at 3%, and I did not know the way home, I was panicking HARD. 

Luckily, I was able to use the maps app to navigate home safely (and then my phone died in the driveway!) but to avoid that, I made sure I always had a charging cable in my purse and my car, from then on out.

Dyscalculia Resources

• The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD): Offers guidance on understanding and coping with dyscalculia, as well as specific math-related accommodations. Their website has easy, on-page options to listen to the content. Check out their YouTube channel too.
  Learn about your rights and protections as a person with an LD

• IXL Math: A platform offering personalized math practice and tools that allow individuals to work at their own pace at any level. IXL Math offers a limited number of free questions per day, but you do have to subscribe for unlimited access.
  Explore IXL Math

• Khan Academy: Provides free, easy-to-understand math lessons that can help introduce or reinforce foundational math skills and help you build on them continually, at your own pace.
  Start learning on Khan Academy

A Reminder to Be Kind to Yourself

It’s way too easy to get frustrated with yourself when things don’t come as naturally as they might for others, but remember: your challenges are real and they're not your fault! And, no doubt, they shaped you into someone resilient and resourceful. 

Be compassionate with yourself as you navigate life with a learning disability. I hope these resources provide much needed support and empower you to keep moving forward. If you’ve found this post helpful, share it with friends, family, or managers who may benefit from understanding your journey better. You’re not alone, and there’s a community ready to support you!

Come talk to me on BlueSky about this, if you want!
Stay awesome,