I Have Cerebral Palsy Forum & Chat Board | Easily lost.

Is anybody else here lost constantly? And I mean like, all the time... If my husband or someone were to drop me off at the nearest grocery store, I wouldn't know how to get back on my own, despite the fact that I've been there countless times.. I have no sense of direction whatsoever, or depth perception for that matter, but I'm not sure if this has to do with my CP or not...

In school, I failed the "block design test" miserably, and it's supposed to measure visuospatial and motor skills, not sure if that means anything though...

 

Angel,

Your situation is a lot like mine. I was born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy and crossed eyes (a condition that commonly accompanies CP). While I have undergone two surgeries to correct the position of my eyes and wear glasses daily, I have difficulty navigating and my depth perception is terrible. I get lost all the time, and I can't read street signs unless I'm standing right next to them. It's so bad that it prevents me from driving, since I can't accurately judge the distance between cars on the road.

I talked to a neurologist a few years ago, and he told me that this is a side-effect of the Cerebral Palsy. People born with the disorder often have terrible spatial skills, and this causes them to lose their barrings frequently. I've also found that it makes efficiently packing containers nearly impossible, because I always manage to overestimate the size of the container that I need for the amount of stuff that I have. :D

Thank you very much for posting on this issue. I have never encountered someone else who has the same visual problems as I do, and I've always been embarrassed that I've found it so difficult to do what most people do without any hardship at all.

Take care,

Seth

 

At least now I know I'm not alone, but is there anything we can do about our... navigation deficiency? or are we doomed to be driven around by others for the rest of our lives? It really wouldn't be an issue if I could afford my own personal limo driver lol

 

I actually am a big fan of the personal limo idea, but if you're tight on cash, what you might be able to do is buy a Garmin GPS. They cost less in the long run than GPS capability on a cell phone, and you're given free map updates for life. The pedestrian setting works reasonably well, and the unit is small enough to carry around in a pocket. Granted, it's not a perfect solution to the problem, but it has helped me to feel a bit more at ease while walking the town.