Clocks, shoe laces, number recognition, sense of direction

[Suzette]

The thread about recognizing left and right reminded me of a few other minor annoyances.

Telling time with a standard dial clock face.
I have struggled with telling time using an old fashioned analog clock with hands all my life. I can do it but it takes a few seconds to figure it out. Still, I have worn a watch all my life to ensure I don't have to talk to strangers or risk being late for appointments.
Before cell phones it was common for others to ask you the time. When asked I would always lie about my watch not working. When my husband gave me a dress watch with a teeny tiny face, with no numbers I almost panicked. But then I realized no one asks me the time any more and I can use my phone for time.

Tieing shoes
I have shoe tying mastered now but I didn't really get comfortable with it until I was about 10. I still prefer shoes that slip on.

Number recognition
I have mild dyscalculia. Most of the time recognizing 0-9 is no problem but numbers with 3 or more digits gets a little tricky as some times I read the number backwards. My strategy as a child was to asign "counting points" on each number or a mental image of another object to help me figure out the numbers. For example the number "3" can be identified by counting the front points. A "6" is a chair.
"9" is a fat man bending over. For a long number like a phone number I cover the string then reveal each number one at a time.
These number problems are much worse if I am under pressure. If I have time I go slow.

Sense of direction
When I am on the Colorado front range I can easily get my bearings because there is a large wall of mountains due west. But anywhere else I have no sense of direction at all. Directions like "on the south west corner" are utterly useless and is the same as "guess". When using google maps for navigation, I can not listen to the voice because it is just a distraction. As soon as the voice say "head west" or whatever I become confused with too much of my thought process going to trying to figure out the direction.

Can you relate?

 

[Misery]

Sense of direction
When I am on the Colorado front range I can easily get my bearings because there is a large wall of mountains due west. But anywhere else I have no sense of direction at all. Directions like "on the south west corner" are utterly useless and is the same as "guess". When using google maps for navigation, I can not listen to the voice because it is just a distraction. As soon as the voice say "head west" or whatever I become confused with too much of my thought process going to trying to figure out the direction.

Yeah I cant do that either. I can use maps (well, my phone as a magical talking map anyway), but other than that, north/south/east/west mean nothing to me. So I end up in weird places sometimes.

Oddly though I will eventually always find my way to where I need to be. No idea how. I try not to think about it too hard.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

@Suzette, usually you and I are on the same page, as it were, but in this case, I can say, at the very least, I haven't had these specific issues,...more or less, the complete opposite, in fact.

I'll sit this one out and see what the others post.

 

[Progster]

I can relate to the not knowing the compass directions. It's a similar problem to the left/right one - it asks you to translate verbal directions into visual/spacial ones. I'm not good at that, the two don't connect somehow.

I don't have issues with analogue clocks, though. Actually, I prefer analogue to digital, I can understand/process visual representations of information better than numerical.

 

[Unclewolverine]

I can tell direction we'll but im with you on the rest of it. Hate analog clocks, takes me forever to read one. I had trouble learning to tie my shoes; I almost exclusively wear slip on now. I get numbers mixed up occasionally, (especially problematic for a mailman!)

 

[Suzette]

@Suzette, usually you and I are on the same page, as it were, but in this case, I can say, at the very least, I haven't had these specific issues,...more or less, the complete opposite, in fact.

I'll sit this one out and see what the others post.

Don't worry. I still consider you a friend, despite your flaws.

 

[Luca]

I have the same exact issues with every single one of these!!
Glad I’m not the only one. Lol

 

[Suzette]

I have the same exact issues with every single one of these!!
Glad I’m not the only one. Lol

I am glad I am not alone in these things. All of these things were much more difficult as a child. Few people today would even be aware that I do still use some childhood created strategies in my life.

 

[Tom]

My sense of direction is very poor in some circumstances. In buildings for example, especially large ones with many corridors. The same with road networks.

But I have no problem with clocks/compass/maps, so am very dependent on them.

I also seem to take a lot longer to learn/memorize the routes and locations of things. Like if I moved to new work location with some others, they know their way around in a day or so and weeks later I am still getting confused/lost.

 

[Shamar]

I have no problem with most analog (dial) clocks. If I have to be somewhere at 6:00, 5:50 on a digital clock does not seem too late, but ten minutes to six means I have to get my butt moving (or, more usually, my wife's). 24 hour clocks (rare, but sometimes useful) look weird until I absorb what I am looking at and shift mental gears to accommodate. Noon looks like 6:00 on a regular clock. Counterclockwise clocks (run backwards) almost make me dizzy. Since I'm a wise-ass, of course I have one.
Maps. As an exploration geologist, surveyor, and navigator, I love maps. There is so much information revealed. Of course, I am also trained to see more information on a map than most. By necessity, I have a really good sense of direction and location. I have been places where getting lost was not an option, and rescue services could be a day or more away, assuming they could even be notified.

 

[Suzette]

I don't have any problem with compasses and maps. I can read most maps, including nautical charts and, with a compass can take my bearings, but I have lousy sense of innate direction. Maybe that is practice. The sun runs eastish to westish, so it should be no problem having a general sense of north / south. But it is because I can't "feel" direction, so a cloudy day leaves me with no info to go on.

 

[Aneka]

The thread about recognizing left and right reminded me of a few other minor annoyances.

Telling time with a standard dial clock face.
I have struggled with telling time using an old fashioned analog clock with hands all my life. I can do it but it takes a few seconds to figure it out. Still, I have worn a watch all my life to ensure I don't have to talk to strangers or risk being late for appointments.
Before cell phones it was common for others to ask you the time. When asked I would always lie about my watch not working. When my husband gave me a dress watch with a teeny tiny face, with no numbers I almost panicked. But then I realized no one asks me the time any more and I can use my phone for time.

Tieing shoes
I have shoe tying mastered now but I didn't really get comfortable with it until I was about 10. I still prefer shoes that slip on.

Number recognition
I have mild dyscalculia. Most of the time recognizing 0-9 is no problem but numbers with 3 or more digits gets a little tricky as some times I read the number backwards. My strategy as a child was to asign "counting points" on each number or a mental image of another object to help me figure out the numbers. For example the number "3" can be identified by counting the front points. A "6" is a chair.
"9" is a fat man bending over. For a long number like a phone number I cover the string then reveal each number one at a time.
These number problems are much worse if I am under pressure. If I have time I go slow.

Sense of direction
When I am on the Colorado front range I can easily get my bearings because there is a large wall of mountains due west. But anywhere else I have no sense of direction at all. Directions like "on the south west corner" are utterly useless and is the same as "guess". When using google maps for navigation, I can not listen to the voice because it is just a distraction. As soon as the voice say "head west" or whatever I become confused with too much of my thought process going to trying to figure out the direction.

Can you relate?

I don't get left and right mixed up but I suffer from a mild case of dyscalculia. My mother wanted to get me diagnosed, my father who is dyslexic, fought it.
I believe that I'm still quite capable in mathematics for someone with dyscalculia, it just takes me longer to solve tasks and I'm bad at mental arithmetics.
I need to think a moment longer reading analogue clocks.
My biggest problem is my sense of direction.

 

[Ame568]

I can relate. I still can't read an old fashioned clock correctly so I'll ask my mom what it says and the same for tying my shoes, couldn't do it until I was 12 and still would prefer slip on's (I leave the laces slightly loose so I can do that). The number thing is kinda? Sometimes I'll see a number (example 123456) and read it as such until it clicks in my mind that it's actually 123,456. And the sense of direction is the same basically. I know where to go in my town but when I go to the small cities closest to me (and farther) then forget it. Good thing my parents drive me everywhere since Idon't know how to drive! I dunno I'm autistic or not but I believe that I may be.

 

[Thinx]

I think my innate sense of direction is ok. But I do tend to be optimistic admittedly. I remember where West is on the compass by thinking of it's similarity to the word Left. This also works for port and starboard. Port is more similar to the word left than starboard is.

But yes, on the whole trying to do anything meaningful with these terms isnt happening. If people give me verbal directions I lose the thread after the first line. I do like maps, and can usually work out where I am if I have one. Smart phones have been a boon too.

 

[Fino]

People who can read clocks instantly are clinically insane.

 

[Thinx]

People who can read clocks instantly are clinically insane.

But we're getting away with it heh heh heh

 

[Crossbreed]

People who can read clocks instantly are clinically insane.

Say that to my face...!

 

[Catherine Read]

I remember specifically being taught 1 on 1 in year 6 to learn to read an analogue clock as I didn't pick it up with the rest of the kids. I understand how it's meant to be read but can't look at it and know the time, it takes several seconds to decipher it.

Shoelaces, I do remember also learning a little later than everyone else, but was still fairly young when I got the knack of it if I recall (can't remember my age).

I hate having to read numbers out to people, I don't have dyscalculia but have been known to read numbers wrong, it's especially stressful if numbers and letters are mixed, I'm likely to call a '9' an 'N' or '5' an 'S' or similar. I do mix up some concepts like left and right or blue and green. if I'm writing something with the letter b or p it often comes out like þ as I always get the stalk the wrong way around.

For direction I have to navigate via landmark, I can't seem to navigate via road name.

It also took me till the age of 10 to learn to ride a bike. That's another thing I remember struggling with.

 

[Crossbreed]

It also took me till the age of 10 to learn to ride a bike. That's another thing I remember struggling with.

I was about 9 or 10, too.
(Once I learned, I bicycled everywhere. )

It took me a little longer than my peers to get my driver's license (and to just get comfortable with driving).
On the plus side, I have a very good driving record, which I heard isn't that common.

 

[Suzette]

It also took me till the age of 10 to learn to ride a bike. That's another thing I remember struggling with

It took me a little longer than most kids to learn to ride a bike too. I always thought it was because my parents did not give me the same attention learning to ride as my brother. But maybe it was me?

I also was late learning to drive. I did not get my liscence until I was 32. The idea of it scared me. I had driven friends cars a couple of times down the street though. When I finally did get my liscence it was because my employer paid for lessons.

But I never actually did the driving portion of the lessons. When I went for my first lesson the instructor had me drive and said I didn't need lessons and I should just try the driving test. I did and passed first try! I decided that I did well because I had spent years watching other people. I have been driving ever since. And I have a very good record too!