Can you immediately tell right from left?

I'm 27, and until now I have to take a moment to think which way is right and which is left.

For most people it is automatic, but everytime someone asks me for directions, I have to use a visual imagery from when I 1st learned as a kid to remember which direction is which.

Ok, this probably has nothing to do with ADD, but I am always amazed how many things I find in common with others, so I was wondering if anyone else has the same challenge.

I'm laughing as I read your message - because I so get what you're saying!

ANYTIME i have to think about directions, I hold up my hands and look for the "L"

I always get a good laugh whenever I do this!

I'm 45 and still have trouble. I still have people saying, 'Dennise, on your other left'.:rolleyes:

It was hell playing Twister as a child.

Yep, I have problems with this too. As a kid when I set the table I always had to look at my hands. I know them apart easier now, but when directions (either giving or following them are involved, I'm apt to mix them up).

Scattered

OK, I 'write' with the right and this one's 'left' over.

Nothing automatic here either :rolleyes:

I wear three black rubber bracelets on my left wrist.
And never take them off.
To increase the speed of knowing my left from right.
Other wise I have to stop a minute and think about it.
I believe this has more to do with my Dyslexia then my AD/HD.
Or maybe it's both. LOL

I always get confused when I'm driving. I took a wrong turn during my driving test because the examiner told me to turn right and I went left... He thought I was a bit dense but still gave me my licence.

I'm laughing as I read your message - because I so get what you're saying!

ANYTIME i have to think about directions, I hold up my hands and look for the "L"

I always get a good laugh whenever I do this!


Same here :D

While driving for the first time with the driving school, the driving instructor says at a fork in the road " now stay to the left".......

I hear him and thought, I'll impress him by using my directional. He was impressed and complimented me on my use of my use of my right directional and says " I wanted you to take a left"

The rest of the driving lesson he used his left and right hand to tell me which way to turn. I thought I'd die of embarrassment ...... :)

OMG, you guys are so funny! fasttalkingmom, I'm sorry you felt so embarrassed at the time, but your story was so funny.

OK, I guess I'm not the only one.
Toad, I also think about which hand I write with to help me know the difference.

Right and left are easy!

Right <----> Left

Right?

I can, but my ADD son cannot. His brother, who is three years younger (5) has no trouble.

wow, that's interesting.

I know people with Multiple Sclerosis can have such a problem, I had no idea ADD people did too.

It all makes sense now since our learning is slower or rather even lesser then our comrades we tend to I guess not have concreteness in our minds..??..??..!!??
Guesswork.
Need to start cleaning...

oh and try substituting correct when saying right?(not for directions but right as in are you correct/right?)
I think it might help.

I have to make an L with my fingers too! Another stupid thing I can't remember is which light switch turns on which light and the same for the garage doors. I actually have to say out loud "The big button opens the small garage door and the small button opens the big garage door". The sad part about it is I've lived in this house for 6 years, ya think I'd have it figured out by now. I guess now that I'm letting it all out I should just go ahead and admit that I'm 30 and I've never learned how to tie my shoes! I just never caught on to it. It comes right untied after a few steps.

Yes! I still have to think back to my kindergarten class when I learned my left from right, "piano on the left, bulletin board on the right" .

i know how this all goes my boyfriend can't believe that i have to think about my right and left

I know people with Multiple Sclerosis can have such a problem, I had no idea ADD people did too.

Oh, yeah! Big problem, apparently. So is a lack of coordination. I thought I was VERY coordinated, but my husband pointed out the number of times I bang into things (which I thought was normal). My son is actually in adaptive P.E. to work on his coordination problems.

I always get confused when I'm driving. I took a wrong turn during my driving test because the examiner told me to turn right and I went left... He thought I was a bit dense but still gave me my licence.
I did that too!! I kinda forgot about it till I read your post. The lady I had yelled at me and didn't give me my licence. But I lost most of my marks because she said she could tell that when nobody's watching I'm a one-handed driver (which is true). Those driving tests freak me out so I'm glad I won't have to another one, at least for a long time. The first time I took one (you have to pass two different ones in ontario), I was doing a three point turn and forgot that I hadn't put the car back into drive on the 3rd point - I only went backwards about a foot but she said it was a dangerous action and automatically failed me.

But back to the left-right thing...I've almost collided with people in exercise classes when I go the wrong way...and I'm often kicking or steping with the wrong foot.

I did not know my right from my left until I developed a wart on my right hand (10 yrs old).

After that, I had a ready tactile reference for a few years until the wart dissappeared.

And I learned: right is synonymous with wart.

Perhaps that's evidence of an AHDH developmental delay; other children aquire warts on one side of their bodies at a much earlier age. :D

And I learned: right is synonymous with wart.

Perhaps that's evidence of an AHDH developmental delay; other children aquire warts on one side of their bodies at a much earlier age. :D
rofl i had a Red dot on my Right hand. I think everytime my driving instructer yelled at me I turned red.

I'm the same way. I have to hold up my hand for the "L" thing too, or think, I write with my right hand. When I'm riding in a car and giving directions, I just point. I'm 43.

My daughter, whom I suspect is ADD, can't tie her shoes either, she is 11 and her 10 year old sister does it for her.

My daughter, whom I suspect is ADD, can't tie her shoes either, she is 11 and her 10 year old sister does it for her.
I relate. My 8 year old son finally learned to tie his a couple of months ago. I'm hoping the Adaptive P.E. will help.

I actually ended up taking the scenic route during my test because of that plus my failure to see a giant sign the examiner tried to point out to me that I simply missed. The whole thing would have gone considerably faster if I had gone the right way (no pun intended) in the first place, so I actually ended up giving the guy extra time to scrutinise me. I've also been known to drive and ask "Do I go left here?" while pointing right about five times in a row.

I do know where left and right are, given enough time to think about it ;) Probably owing to the fact that I used to have a scar on one of my hands that I used as a reference.