How Did You Cope In School?

We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

JD_INCINERATOR

When you have a disability, I think school is very tough to contend with. For me personally, not only was I held back in Year R and had to contend with learning difficulties, barely anyone knew what skills I had and they saw me as a boy with a disability more than anything else. One LSA saw my potential and knew who I was, and that LSA has become a long-term friend outside of school many years after I left.

These days I feel I'm stuck in a lonely position of neutral, where it's clear I have a sharp mind, but people don't see the issues I have with my condition, so they think I can function like everybody else. That's the thing with having Hydrocephalus, some people may not be able to see what the ailments of the condition are.

JD_INCINERATOR

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/910146#Comment_910146

No offence caused at all, I'm glad you asked about the condition. Hydrocephalus is a condition that much like autism-causes various behavioural, cognitive and physical symptoms. I'm convinced many of the symptoms of Hydrocephalus align with autism and that they converge somehow because I think I have autism as a result of my Hydrocephalus.

Anyway, in terms of what I experience everyday with Hydrocephalus include repetitious behaviours, obsessions with certain objects, a great need for guidance and support, social difficulties, and issues with motivation. Although I've attained academic success, I've struggled immensely to find my place in life and haven't had the support I had in education to get further.

When I was a boy I had educational difficulties, needed to wear glasses, and I had several operations to replace shunt valves which are required to control the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid-the overflow of which causes Hydrocephalus because without interference, the head expands uncontrollably.

I've found that through my life that my close friendships have been a bit obsessive on my mind too. I had a best friend in school who had Asperger's Syndrome, and some of his behavioural traits rubbed off on me, and my mind was enveloped in those traits for years.

Everyone who has Hydrocephalus have different symptoms. Some have short-term memory, or they see situations in black or white with no grey areas, or perhaps their perception and vision is flawed.

I hope some of these insights give you some understanding of what complications and problems Hydrocephalus can cause.