CNN article on Aspies at College

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Lonermutant
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14 Sep 2008, 2:26 pm

srriv345 wrote:

Lonermutant wrote:

How many Aspies really get an education beyond junior high?

According to Tony Attwood, aspies are more likely to seek higher education, not less. I suspect there's some selection bias going on there, though, possibly. I personally know many aspies who are either at college or have finished college. Some have even completed/are seeking higher degrees, which is what I hope to do. I also know someone diagnosed with "classical autism" who is in college

I kind of wish the article would have acknowledged the fact that autistic college students have always been here. I don't think these kinds of programs are "mollycoddling," but I do think that they need to focus on academics and the students' interests. According to Temple Grandin, developing one's knowledge and talents about special interests is the best way for autistic adults to enjoy fulfilling employment later in life.

I think that the Norwegian upper secondary/high school system is more centered around getting students with learning disabilities to either complete a vocational education or just get a job rather than go to college. I think that it's more accepted to give young people social security rather than adapt an education too.

ToadOfSteel
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15 Sep 2008, 12:22 am

Personally, I've been doing fine at college. The place I go to (New Jersey Institute of Technology) is almost entirely based on science, engineering, and technology degrees, and as such there are far more nerds and people I can identify with there. Since I commute I don't have to deal with the "night life". Since the male:female ratio is 4:1 theres alot less of the gender-related drama going on (although it makes it nigh-impossible to find a date). And classes in college are an easier format for me to take in than the format of high school classes. Overall my college experience has been markedly better than in HS, and my grades reflect that (pulling a cumulative 3.3 going into junior year)...

Lonermutant
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15 Sep 2008, 4:57 am

So what Wikipedia says about Aspie students being worse at math must be untrue.

chever
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16 Sep 2008, 12:10 pm

Lonermutant wrote:

So what Wikipedia says about Aspie students being worse at math must be untrue.

Discalculia and related things can happen with various kinds of autism, maybe more frequently than usual. I used to find math kind of difficult but now it's my major so, meh, whatever...

The major difficulty would probably be with failing to abstract. Once you hurdle that, it's not hard.

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skywatcher
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27 Nov 2008, 7:19 pm

I went to one of these programs, but I went to it when it was free. Then someone else took it over, and for some reason made it into the whole equal-as-tuition payment that is at all the other programs (and in fact founded all the other programs).

I honestly believe that any disability services program can, with adequate training and if there is a government program in place, provide equal or better support for little additional cost to the student, perhaps only a slight tuition increase to the overall student body. The only reason we have such programs in place is because government is failing to provide adequate support for its autistic citizens. That is all.

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01 Dec 2008, 10:46 pm

my college hasn't done much to accommodate my AS, except for letting me write my exams alone in a room by myself. My prof's will usually give me a 1 week extension on papers too. This is the same as they give anyone else with any type of disability or mental illness. I wish they had something to help AS people to integrate into university and have a social life, that is badly needed.

Shiggily
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02 Dec 2008, 9:23 am

Lonermutant wrote:

So what Wikipedia says about Aspie students being worse at math must be untrue.

I have a Bachelors in Math. graduated with honors.

now I am in education and fighting grade appeals left and right.

Lonermutant
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02 Dec 2008, 9:27 am

I simply think that if you need help in school, you should be working, not studying.

Mosse
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02 Dec 2008, 7:52 pm

They shouldn't really do this. The people should at least learn to deal with the new environment, so that they can then deal with the work environment later. There IS no services like this at work.

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Katie_WPG
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02 Dec 2008, 8:23 pm

What should be done instead is that if they want it, they can attend seminars on time management that are open to all University/college students. But getting people to do everything for them, rather than encouraging them to manage their affairs on their own is a recipie for disaster. They will be unprepared for when the services are no longer available (due to unavailability of volunteers/staff members) during their school year and during their working years.

Lonermutant
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03 Dec 2008, 1:15 am

Mosse wrote:

They shouldn't really do this. The people should at least learn to deal with the new environment, so that they can then deal with the work environment later. There IS no services like this at work.

I totally agree with you.

Shiggily
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03 Dec 2008, 1:42 am

Lonermutant wrote:

I simply think that if you need help in school, you should be working, not studying.

I don't need help with the materials or with balancing my workload. I need someone to force certain professors to work with me.

I have problems understanding vague communications or communications with underlying meaning. And while most teachers are happy to explain what they mean some will not. They refuse to give me feedback, to explain assignments, or to clarify remarks. Then they sit back and tell me I am going to fail and they don't care and the college backs them up and I have to pay hundred of dollars to take the same class over again.

tcorrielus
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03 Dec 2008, 7:01 pm

zeldapsychology wrote:

It's an interesting article but the issue of having problems with school doesn't apply to everyone. I LOVED College and got A's B's and did my work before hand. (example 2 week Christmas break I did a research paper for the following semester.) :-)

I'm an Aspie, but I made a commitment to studying and working diligently and independently in college and thus, obtained A's and B's just like zeldapsychology. I also have enhanced some of my social and communication skills during college.

BUT the BIG thing is that I still have less than 5 friends and I haven't been communicating with or seeing them on a daily basis due to the large amount of coursework that I must complete every day. It's been difficult for me to balance my academics with my leisure time since frosh year in college because I'm being compelled to keep my grades up.

Another problem is that My Aspergers could be preventing me for getting internships today, especially during this weak economy in the USA.

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04 Dec 2008, 3:17 pm

Shiggily wrote:

Lonermutant wrote:

I simply think that if you need help in school, you should be working, not studying.

Yep. And they can do so, too. There's nothing to stop them, really. I just HATE it when people cannot communicate clearly and precisely. I don't care for guessing games. But a whole lot of the time, it's a guessing game. The words they say are not what they really mean..... :roll:

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05 Dec 2008, 3:27 pm

skywatcher wrote:

perhaps only a slight tuition increase to the overall student body...

As an aspie student who is doing just fine in college without extra help or tutors or anything like that, I would absolutely HATE to see my tuition go up for the sake of the less capable autistics. :roll:

Socialism FTL!! !

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