When someone on a message board first told me about dyspraxia I didn't think my son could possibly have it because not all symptoms fit.
For example:
He has an extremely good auditory memory and could memorize hundreds of words of script and song lyrics at 4 1/2 and his timing is good when he sings. He could listen to something on the news and retell it complete with important details better than I can even though he had been playing a video game while listening. He did sometimes forget where he put things especially if he was talking or thinking about something else when he put it down. He also has a good visual memory for things like words so spelling is one of the things he is very good at if you have him spell orally or type the words; however, if he has to write a few paragraphs he will sometimes misspell words because the physical act of writing seems to take away from his ability to think about the spelling especially if he feels rushed or tired. His motor memory is not good at all but he is often able to compensate for his difficulty with motor planning and motor sequencing by using his very good verbal memory and verbal sequencing ability.
My son is not unfocused and erratic but the messy and cluttered part fits.
He did not have any difficulty with reading and spelling, in fact he read without being taught and started spelling words when he was 2 1/2.
He does take forever to do any kind of written work because writing is harder for him and he has fatigue issues and often needs breaks. Written math problems are harder for him because of his dysgraphia but also because he has trouble shutting out more interesting things that pop into his head. I remember finding him sitting on the front porch on more than one occasion while his cousins played in the yard. When I asked if what he was doing he said he was just thinking. He always liked to think; he was good at thinking, doing was the problem.
Also, some days he seems to be more dyspraxic than others. That is really hard to explain to other people. For example, he recently managed to quickly learn a new song and dance simultaneously. One day he can play a piano piece well after little practice and the next week after practicing a lot, he doesn't do as well. Luckily, he was having a dyspraxic day when he was tested so we got the diagnosis. He hadn't had enough sleep the night before because he was anxious about the testing and testing lasted for hours to the point where he was getting a headache and was very tired so his compensation strategies were not working very well for him.
