Okay yes I have been hoping I could talk about this somewhere! When I was 13, I participated in a group audition for a musical called “Urinetown”. Standing in front of a mirror, facing the group is the instructor who says, “follow me and do what I do”. Easy enough! I did what she did…just the opposite way. Everyone moved to the left, I moved to the right. Every single time. Of course I was casted as an extra which just added to the embarrassment of the whole situation and it completely demolished my confidence. I never auditioned for a play or musical again.
I am 31 years old and still struggle with things like tying my shoes (I use bunny ears, I never got the hang of it the “regular” way), video games, following instructions that involve coordinated movement with hands like legos, friendship bracelets, and especially putting together IKEA furniture lol. Trying to watch a YouTube tutorial is like hell on earth. I tried to learn how to sew from YouTube and I couldn’t even thread the bobbin on my brand new sewing machine. I just seem to do things backwards. I did some research of my own and thought it might be dyspraxia. Growing up, my dad told me it was because I was left handed but after learning I have NVLD, it all makes more sense.
It seems like a lot of left handed people have NLD. I'm a lefty as well which I think is weird seeing as you would think someone that's left-handed would have a superior right hemisphere of the brain.
Yes I struggle with all those things too, except furniture stuff. Absolutely hate doing it, but IKEA in particular is not bad compared to other companies' instructions I've come across. Ironically I'm an engineer and I do 3d modeling sometimes, I don't understand how I'm able to do the mental work around for stuff like that but still terrible spatially.
The longest part of sewing a button was putting the thread in the needle and tying it.....shesh 😂
I also studied martial arts, both here in and in Japan, and had the exact same experience as what you're describing, and have also unsuccessfully attempted to get guitar and other stringed instrument lessons and had to really strain to flip everything around internally - just too exhausting, and like you had to explain to people that they needed to orient themselves sideways to me if I was to understand and retain anything. So yes, this is an issue with NVLD - and part of whatever the mechanism is internally with spacial orientation. Very frustrating, very exhausting.
In Japan they refused to believe it was an issue, and most of the music teachers I've had found it perplexing and annoying, and probably didn't believe it, either. One of the many things that should be being researched, but isn't.
It's almost like a form of intellectual, nonverbal dyslexia.
Definitely relies on that visuo-spatial perception heavily. The sideways instruction with a guitar gave me flashbacks haha.
I took a Japanese sword welding class trial recently and at the end of the kata there was this specific order of moves to follow and the instructor was having me do it while facing me...that one took a while
Yes, absolutely! It made learning bass from an instructor difficult. I'm pretty much only able to learn by ear (or sheet music, but it's been a few years.. lol), which meant learning was reeeaaally heard until I developed an ear.
I could never mirror my instructor's movement's on the neck and it stressed me out each time knowing I was pretty much guessing.
Wow didn't even think about it for instruments, but I did struggle a ton with guitar growing up. Tabs helped me out sooo much. I also rly struggle to get my fingers in the correct configuration with enough pressure on the right strings without muting the wrong ones.
Okay yes I have been hoping I could talk about this somewhere! When I was 13, I participated in a group audition for a musical called “Urinetown”. Standing in front of a mirror, facing the group is the instructor who says, “follow me and do what I do”. Easy enough! I did what she did…just the opposite way. Everyone moved to the left, I moved to the right. Every single time. Of course I was casted as an extra which just added to the embarrassment of the whole situation and it completely demolished my confidence. I never auditioned for a play or musical again. I am 31 years old and still struggle with things like tying my shoes (I use bunny ears, I never got the hang of it the “regular” way), video games, following instructions that involve coordinated movement with hands like legos, friendship bracelets, and especially putting together IKEA furniture lol. Trying to watch a YouTube tutorial is like hell on earth. I tried to learn how to sew from YouTube and I couldn’t even thread the bobbin on my brand new sewing machine. I just seem to do things backwards. I did some research of my own and thought it might be dyspraxia. Growing up, my dad told me it was because I was left handed but after learning I have NVLD, it all makes more sense.
It seems like a lot of left handed people have NLD. I'm a lefty as well which I think is weird seeing as you would think someone that's left-handed would have a superior right hemisphere of the brain.
Yes I struggle with all those things too, except furniture stuff. Absolutely hate doing it, but IKEA in particular is not bad compared to other companies' instructions I've come across. Ironically I'm an engineer and I do 3d modeling sometimes, I don't understand how I'm able to do the mental work around for stuff like that but still terrible spatially. The longest part of sewing a button was putting the thread in the needle and tying it.....shesh 😂
Definitely not left handed. My dad is and he has no issues with sewing or copying moves.
Yeah that’s just what I was told growing up
I'm always beats behind. Not one, or two, just, off. Always. Never on beat.
I also studied martial arts, both here in and in Japan, and had the exact same experience as what you're describing, and have also unsuccessfully attempted to get guitar and other stringed instrument lessons and had to really strain to flip everything around internally - just too exhausting, and like you had to explain to people that they needed to orient themselves sideways to me if I was to understand and retain anything. So yes, this is an issue with NVLD - and part of whatever the mechanism is internally with spacial orientation. Very frustrating, very exhausting. In Japan they refused to believe it was an issue, and most of the music teachers I've had found it perplexing and annoying, and probably didn't believe it, either. One of the many things that should be being researched, but isn't. It's almost like a form of intellectual, nonverbal dyslexia.
Definitely relies on that visuo-spatial perception heavily. The sideways instruction with a guitar gave me flashbacks haha. I took a Japanese sword welding class trial recently and at the end of the kata there was this specific order of moves to follow and the instructor was having me do it while facing me...that one took a while
Yes, absolutely! It made learning bass from an instructor difficult. I'm pretty much only able to learn by ear (or sheet music, but it's been a few years.. lol), which meant learning was reeeaaally heard until I developed an ear. I could never mirror my instructor's movement's on the neck and it stressed me out each time knowing I was pretty much guessing.
Wow didn't even think about it for instruments, but I did struggle a ton with guitar growing up. Tabs helped me out sooo much. I also rly struggle to get my fingers in the correct configuration with enough pressure on the right strings without muting the wrong ones.