NatalyaDMar 13

Wondering if any #ActuallyAutistic or #ADHD people have ideas that I'm missing.

My day job is supporting disabled university students. We have increasing numbers of autistic/ADHD students who are too anxious to attend classes. So they miss class 1, and then can't understand content of classes 2 onwards so get more anxious - and it spirals.

It's HUGE uni, often 100+ in class. Most buildings are HUGE, with vile acoustics and visual stress - can't change those. We do have quiet/sensory spaces.

Show threadBloomnolia   
@NatalyaD I was one of those kids :( Just in the US, not UK. Wasted some big opportunities out of avoidance, eventually made it in my career but had to take the very long way around. I think the lack of clarity and the overwhelm of taking on too much (full time study) did me in, combined with the freedom to fail and lack of direct accountability. I almost feel like an intermediary ramp up for us after high school is important so we can develop the strategies to self-teach and self-manage complex schedules but that's probably outside of your realm to control.
Mar 13 at 8:22pmWeb
Show threadNatalyaDMar 18

@magnolia It is so tricky cos part-time study is really not popular even though I think many students would benefit from it. The system isn't set up to allow part-time study with enough money not to have to work. Heck, a lot of our full-time students have to work a lot of paid hours just to get by due to loans not keeping up with cost of living.

And many who don't work have MASSIVE family responsibilities which can either be impossible to avoid, or a source in themselves of 'legit avoidance'.