Could I be dyslexic?

Question

So for as long as I can remember I mix up numbers and sometimes letters in my head. However I've always read at a higher reading level than my age. I'm 20 now and work at a gas station. I've really noticed the number thing recently.

I also stutter slightly when I get stressed or excited and I've always had trouble with left and right (I still have to do a little hand trick sometimes) My handwritting is horrible no matter how hard I work on it. I also wet my bed longer than most people. (I know... TMI)

Anyways those are all symptoms of Dyslexia but then I read very well (but not outloud, I mix up words and letters when I read outloud) and I'm pretty good at math. I've never been diagnosed with dyslexia but is there a chance I have a mild case of it that gets worse when I'm nervous or excited?

Oh, and I don't work at a gas station because I'm too stupid to work anywhere else. I work there because I live in a small town and needed a job and it was the only job available. I went to college for 3 years but am taking a break because I was tired of getting in to debt without knowing what I wanted to do

Answer 1

It is possible that you have a mild version of some form of dyslexia or some other neurological "cross-wiring".  But most people get mixed up like you say, when they get nervous.  As for reading aloud, some people just can't do two things at the same time, like recognizing what's on the page and forming the words with the voice to speak aloud.  How often are you called on to read aloud as an adult, anyway?  The bad handwriting might be dysgraphia.

The point of the whole thing, though, is that you recognize the things you have difficulty with, and you have developed or are developing strategies to get past them and function, like your "hand trick".  Obviously, it isn't holding you back, because you've already done three years of college.

Different people are good/bad at different things.  Like me, I'm directionally challenged -- once I literally got lost in an elevator!

Answer 2

Mixing up numbers and cardinal directions in addition to left and right could be dyscalculia, a type of dyslexia that affects numbers instead of words. A friend of mine has this, and it's obvious after knowing what to look for, but she's never been officially diagnosed. She's also very good at reading, writing and languages; just not great with directions, phone numbers, or some math.