There is a point to having some vague assignments. I hate them as well, but what your professor is saying has some merit. They want you to be creative, think outside the box, and learn to not worry about the rules as much. Since the real world will lack the rules us Aspies tended to love in school, this is not a bad skill to learn, though it can be frustrating.
Zany wrote:
Self-diagnosis is not a thing. You are not diagnosed, therefor you don't know that your issues stem from being on the spectrum, AND you don't have the "right" to special help in school, to have assignments made for your way of learning. I mean, that is something that would be great for ALL students, who wouldn't want assignments created specifically for their preferred way of learning? But you're only entitled to it if you have a diagnosis.
You cant tell your teachers you have aspergers just because you think you do... So I would advice you to turn to a psychologist with your concerns.
If you need special help, you have to have a diagnosis in order to have any right to demand it, thats just how the system works, unfortunately.
A few comments...
Correct, self-diagnosis does not matter. I would never tell a professor about anything except an official diagnosis because I would be afraid they would think I was making something up to get things easier. Even outside of the Autism Spectrum though, people learn differently. You may try coming from an angle of this would help me instead of I have X so need Y. Since you don't have a diagnosis there is no way to tell if it is ASD. I have ASD plus some others and many of my learning needs come from other things. I would advise getting testing. If you are on a university campus, the campus may have a counseling center or clinic that can help you find resources.
I don't agree with the word "entitled" in here. I don't think I am entitled to certain things because of my ASD. I should not be discriminated against and treated differently, but I think sometimes we get to caught up in being entitled. When I approach my university or professors for accommodations I let them know what is going on and what would be helpful. I don't use words such as require or entitled because really, we are not entitled to it. Accommodations are not a right, they are a privilege. I'm fortunate enough to be in a situation where some accommodations are offered to me, but this does not make them my right or entitle me to them.
08 Jul 2014, 11:43 pm
