Started new Order Picking job - Dyslexia and dyscalua

jobneeded

Hi folks

I am really in need of some advice

As only in june/july time i started working at the NHS supply chain and was sacked/laid off - don't know which really as I was fluffing the orders up all the time and weren't quick enough.

last thursday and Friday I started working for Hagen for Pets (order picking again) but - better hours, and easier paced.

But yet.. after thursday and friday were just training days as it uses the RF ( barcode type scanners)

yesterday I started picking under my own steam - and straight away ran into an issue after just 15-20 minutes (wrote 168 on a replenishment ticket when it should have been 186) and straight away the supervisor said "are you disclexic" if you are tell me now" - which I gave no answer as I have been tested for it years ago,but do have doubts from time to time.. thinking that Yes I am.

Also... to add im picking items that didn't need picking im writting numbers the wrong way round, im picking the wrong quantaties of items etc and generally anything to do with numbers im making mistakes... in 2 days on my own ive made over 15 mistakes... which I asked the supervisor about and said "its highly likely you will be sacked sometime this week "

the thing is... I did have this explained to me when i was about 13 years old (felt the same at school too)

that I seem to have moments where my head locks up (can't think) as soon as anything arise's

Im always anxious about anything new,challenging or some day to day type tasks (thinking... whats going to happen at work today)

also... as my supervisor did this to me earlier "rob,where's your scan gun?" which i answered, "oh its over by the racking on the shelf" which my supervisor said" no it isn't you left it on your trolley behind you" id only been gone like 5-10 minutes at the most...

I do find my handwritting to be pretty poor too as i had help with the while going through from 6-8 year old (which i don't think did anything)

and discalcular as pointed about many times a day in having problems in adding up sums,division and subtraction which just really extremely annoys me.

and most of all...

*this isn't supposed to sound like a rant*

But lately I find myself depressed and rather annoyed at myself and having no self esteem towards myself and find it can be difficult on a daily basis to do anything in the sense that i can't seem to see the point in do alot of things.. as alot of things i do seem to be a waste of time as its mostly wrong and just going to get me the sack at another job... but yet,i don't want the sack,nor do i want to feel sick and really anxious and depressed and being put down by my supervisor and being told im likely to be sacked as im making mistakes because as stupid,arrogant or whatever, i don't want to be on the dole as it happens (but i have no other options when between jobs...) as im trying to picture things is,if their was no dole and Parents became really sick of me being sacked) which they are now anyway.. then where am I going to be in say 10-20 years from now? homeless?,jobless... lifeless?

but... i can't seem to win.. - my mother sympathizes but... father doesn't

I really don't know what to do because at the same time.. I would like to take some tests to confirm that I either I am Dyslexic or discalcula or suffer from dyspraxia... OR NONE of the above...

Can anyone give any advice...

As i really don't know what Im good for and don't know what to do anymore...

Regards

rob

SarEl

Well it obviously isn't order picking so I would give that up for a start:)

But if you genuinely think that there is something wrong that explains this then do something about it! Ask you doctor or health centre if you can be referred for tests, or contact some of the many voluntary organisations around that deal with these sorts of things. Having failed a test some years ago in school does not mean the results were correct! If you can get re-tested then being able to account for why you act the way you do may help you to get better advice from a disability employment advisor, for example. And if the tests all come back negative, then maybe you have to accept that you are somewhat scatter brained and need to make more effort to concentrate. Either way it's a win for you - because you are getting information that helps you plan yourself better.

jobneeded

Hi SarEl

Could i just ask as to what you mean "it clearly isn't order picking and would give that up for a start?" - that's the job im doing at the minute..

And the test i had previously done at age 5-6 or something was a dispraxia test which came back as negative.. but yet when i moved schools aged 12-13 my teachers all realised i still had a problem as i had missspelt things,when rushed i actually wrote by name with a couple of letters the wrong way round?! like.. don't do that often...

but i never got to know - and neither did my parents of the results of those tests..

I do find adding and subtracting most ammounts of figures or digits difficult.. where in most cases I end up using a calculator

the supervisor at work is sure I have dyslexia as He keeps saying"youve picked 9 of these and you wanted 6.. or visa versa but on more than 10 occasions over a short period..

and all the time im being told.. this is wrong,thats wrong its just winding me up even more as im doing my hardest while trying to think about what im doing.. and still getting it wrong..

what do i do.. as i know as do most of the lads at work, 2 days their - 20 loads done, 13-15 C*ck ups.. with a probable pick rate of 3-4 an hour when it should be around 50 an hour..

they have already said im up for the high jump.. its just making me think well... what am i really capable of doing ? as i thought that picking up a box,putting it on a pallet was one of the easiest possible jobs.. now i really hope im wrong..

SUESMITH_2

i think she means that this sort of job isn't for you, it certainly sounds like dyscalcula which would explain why you have problem with numbers. i think picking and packing is a job where you have to be accurate as no one like receiving the wrong goods or the wrong amount of things.

have you thought about getting tested?

good luck

jobneeded

Ahh right thanks for just clearing that up for me and yes i must agree with both of you as when faced with sums and adding up etc and i begin to get things wrong on what i think as easy and i can't get it right (but knowing " god i should be able to do this whats going on?" i become frustrated.. which isn't really a good sign for any employer to see.. so having this as my second order picker/packing job with the same feelings and mistakes.. it stands to reason that yeah,it just isn't for me.

And really after being tested at a youngish age and coming back negative, and then being tested again at age 12-13 and then being unable to face any type of mathematical questions that seem hard to me, but are normally easy for most.. i would like to put an end to the doubts ive had about having dyslexia and dyscalcula too. if i have problems, i have them and can begin to work on them or around them if i don't have the problems then their has to be other reasons as to why i feel this way and act and can't do day to day addition and other mathematical questions.

Can't go to the doctors at the minute as we have just moved house not too long ago and currently aren't registered with a local doctor.

Will ask parents if their is anywhere else i could possibly go.

Also one question - may make you laugh -

When (or if depending on your answers) i do visit someone for these tests.. it will be just paper type written tests or computer related tests? as last time i did them they were just on paper. eg - whats so n so add this = OR copy this sequence" and they don't begin by wanting to run brain scans or anything do they?

Rob

SUESMITH_2

i don't know just how they will test you but there is nothing wrong with being dyslexic or haing dyscalcula - you are not stupid or thick, your talents just lie in other areas, have you looked at this site? http://www.dyscalculia.me.uk/testing.html#why

SUESMITH_2

and there is a test you can try http://www.dyscalculia.me.uk/testing.html#quick

SarEl

I think that there are a range of tests depending on what they are testing for - they are often both paper based and computer based because each type of test tests different things in different ways. I do get it - I have mild disnumeracy, which when I was at school (in the dark ages!) wasn't even recognised as a disability. Because I was a straight A student, except at Maths (C's and the odd D - terrible I know!) nobody thought it was anything other than "not my subject". But when I was a bit older, and in the USA (where such things were recognised) I realised that I had been able to do Maths in Chemistry and Physics, just not in the Maths class (where I could do marvellous Algebra!), so I got tested out of curiousity. It's very mild, so not enough to make it a hazard for me, and I can get around it because of my ability to write formula (which is a "brain skill" closer to writing than numbers - that's how your brain read it) - so with computers I am totally able to overcome it.

You just have to work at getting someone who will recognise that this is a problem for you and "do-it-yourself" - push until you get somewhere. Don't worry about what your dad says. You wouldn't be on here trying to find an answer if you were stupid or lazy. But you are a grown up now, and you have to take responsibility for this yourself. And if you can show that you have done so and are making progress, then Dad will have to eat his words!

Guitar

I'm almost certain I suffer from Dyscalculia (possibly Dyslexia as well as I often write words I didn't mean to or get words mixed up)

I've never been formally tested as I feel it'll hold me back on job applications. Funny thing is I actually work in a job that requires a high degree of numeracy (Programming and statistics) but I've learned to hide my nature well.

While I struggle with basic maths...I can't do sums in my head, estimate shopping bills, work out what my change should be...I have learned to compensate and develop my own ways.

For example when putting in a telephone number I don't think in terms of numbers, I think of the positioning of the keys. I'm excellent at my job not because of great math skills but because I can understand the work on a level that isn't constrained by numbers. I'll start a piece of work and I have an instinct from the beginning what the solution is. At times this can be frustrating as I have to wait for everyone else to catch up. I don't know how this works and I get strange looks from people because I can't explain things in words and numbers but the answers is just there, almost as a form of prescience.

I have to be careful that I don't make silly mistakes but because I know my limitations I can guess from experience what sort of things I'm likely to mess up. As I result I know to double check (or more) my work. I can read and re-read an email several times before I hit the send button.

I used to think this sort of disability was a hindrance but I've learned that it actually just means that I tend to view the world different from other people, or at least not in the way society expects. My thought processes aren't made up of words and numbers, I don't mentally tally up sums in my head in the way people are taught at school, I don't visualize objects with written labels.

My brain just works different and I've learned to watching out for it's failings but also to have confidence in it's talents.