As I mentioned in my last blog, Turner's girls have some learning differences. To clear up any misconceptions here is your special edition of Turner's girl mythbusters!
Myth #1 Turner's girls have lower intelligence-- False. There is no correlation between Turner's Syndrome and lower intelligence, in fact most Turner's girls are of average intelligence. We are very similar to the normal population with some being below average intelligence, most of average intelligence and some of above average intelligence. In the early studies of Turner's Syndrome doctors were under the impression that Turner's syndrome caused some mental retardation or cognitive impairment, not knowing that what they were observing were ancillary conditions not common among Turner's girls at all. The Turner's girls that I have met have all been of at least average intelligence and I myself love to crack Shakespeare puns and participate in intellectual/nerdy activities with the best of them.
Myth #2 Turner's girls have learning disabilities-- Again, False. This is no more true than of the average population. However, most Turner's girls do struggle with visual spatial tasks and often have a harder time with mathematics. For me this meant that I hated geometry class, and, while I did have to work harder in my math classes, even so I still did pretty well. The take away message here is that even if it is frustrating or hard for your Turner's girl, keep encouraging her and praise her for her efforts. Also, this difference in learning visual spatial tasks was a challenge for me when I was learning to drive. I cannot tell how far away a car is from me or how far away a light is when I am driving. I navigate this by learning these little tricks: 1. For in town driving if I can see the base of the tire of the car in front of me when it is lined up with the top of the steering wheel or decal on the hood of my car I am a good safe distance and don't want to be closer. 2. For highway driving if I can clearly read most of the license plate of the car in front of me I am too close. 3. Find a tree or house that is right by the light that is turning red and stop when you are aligned with it. These little tricks have greatly helped me be a safe driver and navigate my visual spatial problem. That being said however I do not like driving after dark because it is a lot harder for my methods to work in the dark.
That's it for this post. Next time I will be answering any questions you folks may have about Turner's Syndrome or any particular way that it has affected me. Feel free to send me your questions. Farewell until next time!
