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.

We are not a remote course provider, that's legally and regulatorily a completely different service.

I have no authority to condone absence. Low-attenders get nagging emails which I can't stop.

Often tutors are AMAZING, they will really try and help with some extra 1:1 support, but there's hard limits on that due to workload/student-numbers. Tutors are frustrated cos student wants 1:1 of what was IN class (which isn't fair on them)

Studes often already use noise cancelling headphones etc.

I worry some students are coming to uni cos they feel they have to, and really aren't ready for it. academic and other colleagues and I often wish younger students could have a few years working first, and time to decide what they want to do, not what mum/dad/school push for.

Further Education have government metrics pushing university. Universities are on the hard sell to recruit.

I'm often astonished by students who haven't visited campus before signing up, even when they live locally...

@NatalyaD I forget who it was who recently pointed out that the main purpose of college is to prove to potential employers that you are able to show up somewhere consistently for four years, and you won't just flake on them if they hire you.

The problem is that doing anything consistently is nearly impossible for folks with #adhd, so the entire experience is tortuous.

@mikemccaffrey And universities are really lax about attendance. 80 or 90% is considered good, but in a workplace that would be grounds for dismissal.

I think some ADHDrs do well at uni, especially on ND-friendly courses like music and arts (where I'm sure many of the teaching staff are autistic/ADHD/dyslexic themselves) but others seem to be stymied by this severe anxiety issue.

Time management is another issue. Especially if students no longer have parents to wake & chivvy them at uni.