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Vitani
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21 Jan 2014, 9:08 pm

Does anyone have slow processing speed (where it takes you 5x longer to read or complete school assignments), and if so, does it affect how well you did in classes or how many credits per semester you could take? How do you cope with it?

I'm currently in school trying to get an associate's degree, but I'm so slow that I can usually only handle one class at a time. I'm well aware I will be in my late twenties or early 30's (I'm almost in my mid twenties already) by the time I finish, and I don't want to be stuck in my parent's house for the rest of my life. :cry: I am unable to work and go to school at the same time.

Generally whenever I talk to anyone about this, they seem to get the impression I'm coming up with excuses, or they don't understand and tell me to basically to just do all work no play (thing is I WILL work all day and still make hardly any progress).



auntblabby
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21 Jan 2014, 10:31 pm

welcome to WP :) you are not the only one with that problem. I realize that is cold comfort.



cathylynn
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21 Jan 2014, 11:03 pm

looks like you have figured out your speed. don't let other people not understanding make you doubt yourself.



cathylynn
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21 Jan 2014, 11:18 pm

I am a slow processor of visual information. I never would have passed college if I'd had to read my texts. I took good notes in class and reviewed them the night before the test. luckily, that got me by pretty well.



buffinator
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21 Jan 2014, 11:48 pm

Vitani wrote:
Does anyone have slow processing speed (where it takes you 5x longer to read or complete school assignments), and if so, does it affect how well you did in classes or how many credits per semester you could take? How do you cope with it?

I'm currently in school trying to get an associate's degree, but I'm so slow that I can usually only handle one class at a time. I'm well aware I will be in my late twenties or early 30's (I'm almost in my mid twenties already) by the time I finish, and I don't want to be stuck in my parent's house for the rest of my life. :cry: I am unable to work and go to school at the same time.

Generally whenever I talk to anyone about this, they seem to get the impression I'm coming up with excuses, or they don't understand and tell me to basically to just do all work no play (thing is I WILL work all day and still make hardly any progress).


I failed my first try at college even though I had a great support system from my friends. My friends didn't understand why they started at the same time as me and yet finished in half the time even though I was hard at work the whole time. For about half a semester I got my friends to work with me but after a while they got more efficient and I didn't so they stopped coming by. I don't really know what to say except to work ahead. By the end of the first week you should be half way through the material needed for a the midterm and treat "breaks" as opportunities to get ahead.


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Vitani
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22 Jan 2014, 1:08 am

buffinator wrote:
I failed my first try at college even though I had a great support system from my friends. My friends didn't understand why they started at the same time as me and yet finished in half the time even though I was hard at work the whole time.


I ended up jumping between college classes and working the first few years of college. I ended up withdrawing from quite a few too when I saw I was beginning to fail and there was no way to make it up. I remember I had a difficult time adjusting college directly after high school, especially since they wouldn't give me the same accommodations as they did in high school.

I wish I could say the same thing for friends, but unfortunately I have become such a severe recluse; I don't have many or any friends to hang with. The few I have live too far for me to drive to. I have often wondered how much it would help me to have supportive friends.



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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22 Jan 2014, 2:37 am

And it is harder meeting people in the Spring semester. I gave a theory that only one out of nine student groups, whether hiking club, entrepreneurship club, even peace activism really work out as far as meeting people. Often doesn't meet often enoughto get any kind of social traction going, leader half regrets taking on the responsibility, etc. I guess the solution is to respectfully light-touch and visit a variety of groups, taking on a task assignment when it feels right.



CSR1991
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22 Jan 2014, 7:33 am

I have had significant difficulties in college, although not to the point of having to take only one class. I was in Chemical Engineering the first 2 years, and my slow processing made learning the material very difficult while everyone else seemed to be getting it more than me. I was constantly getting help from tutors for quantitative classes, and introductory engineering classes to the point where tutors often knew me by name. This caused anxiety to build so much near the end of my freshman year that I wanted to drop out. I stuck through it and realized engineering was not for me. Now I switched to Environmental Science and I am liking it much better. I can't take on more than 4 classes at once (tried freshman year and I didn't get nearly the grades I was capable of), although amount of credits does not seem to matter, since they can be 3 or 4 credit classes. This causes self esteem issues seeing that my peers are always doing more, and because it is a very competitive college to get into. I also tend to avoid getting near 17 credits as well. I definitely improved over my college years, although I would not have if it weren't for the support services I receive. Work more closely with your disability department and see what they can do for you. Make sure you fully enjoy your major as well. My main problem now is with the social aspect and comparing myself to my peers, which is difficult to avoid at times. Whatever you can do is good enough, at least you got into college. Many of us don't even make it that far!



buffinator
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22 Jan 2014, 10:40 am

Vitani wrote:
buffinator wrote:
I failed my first try at college even though I had a great support system from my friends. My friends didn't understand why they started at the same time as me and yet finished in half the time even though I was hard at work the whole time.


I ended up jumping between college classes and working the first few years of college. I ended up withdrawing from quite a few too when I saw I was beginning to fail and there was no way to make it up. I remember I had a difficult time adjusting college directly after high school, especially since they wouldn't give me the same accommodations as they did in high school.

I wish I could say the same thing for friends, but unfortunately I have become such a severe recluse; I don't have many or any friends to hang with. The few I have live too far for me to drive to. I have often wondered how much it would help me to have supportive friends.


I became a recluse in college and my second year I really didn't have many friends.


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AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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22 Jan 2014, 6:58 pm

In a speech, Temple Grandin said people on the spectrum tend to have one of three intellectual approaches, with some overlap of course:

1) abstract thinkers, like math, music, chess,

2) story / narrative thinkers, or

3) visual thinkers like herself.

I am largely a story / narrative thinker, and I tend to get either an A or an F in a math class. I have to be at a place in my life where I'm able to really put the time and concentration in. I have to translate it, almost as if I'm preparing to describe it to an audience. I do best if I only take one technical class at a time.

And this also explains why I have done well at biology and geology, whereas I have struggled in chemistry and physics. Biology and geology tend to be more story / narrative type of subjects.



T1nd1v1dual
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23 Jan 2014, 10:56 am

Try getting more accommodations if necessary.



Vitani
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27 Jan 2014, 10:28 pm

T1nd1v1dual wrote:
Try getting more accommodations if necessary.


I do get accommodations for double test/quiz time, but they are very strict with the time. They won't give me reduced work like I received in high school.



buffinator
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27 Jan 2014, 11:08 pm

I spent 6 hours trying to process two 25 page documents in Starbucks yesterday and it was so exhausting. I havn't even started on the book for which I need to read 170 pages by next week... and thats just one class.


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Bisabing
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28 Jan 2014, 2:53 pm

I've been in college for 4 years now. I was aiming to get an Associate's at first, but then my 2-year college came out with a Bachelor's degree in music (I'm a music major). A lot of my classmates have already left and I still haven't finished my GEs. This semester is harder than most, because I just want to be done, but I still have about a year left (including summer classes). I do have accommodations, but I'm just so exhausted.



mr_bigmouth_502
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29 Jan 2014, 5:09 am

Trust me, this isn't unique. I'm an aspie with perfectionist tendencies, and as a result whenever I try to do any sort of schoolwork, or really anything requiring precision, I tend to take a LOT longer than an average person. I remember back when I was in high school, I hated doing my homework at home, and I never had enough time to get my assignments finished in class, so as a result the teachers decided it would be a good idea for me to have more spare blocks than my peers and take a lighter course load. While this occasionally worked in favor of me actually getting my work done, most of the time I would just build up this huge backlog of work, and waste my spare blocks sleeping, listening to music, writings lists, and surfing the web. :P This was partially the reason why I never finished 12th grade, among other things, and now I'm working 40 hours a week as a cashier making minimum wage, while living in a friend's basement.