Email from my uni - Please write and complain.

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I have seen this type of thing from both sides, I work at a university and on some occasions I have had dealings with dyslexic students who sometimes sit their exams under different conditions to the rest of the student population. I have also had some dealings with students who have mental health trouble such as stress related problems which have caused them to drop out for a year and repeat a year.

When I deal with such a student I normally do my best to help them navigate their way through their studies and time at university. But at the same time I am a dyslexic aspie who is not open about my state. When I went to university nobody told me how to report the fact that I am dyslexic and I was never told what if any help would have been offered to me. As no reward to reporting myself was shown to me, and as I feared being stamped with an damning label I kept my mouth shut about being dyslexic.

I was spotted by a few fellow students, and one member of staff but I went under the radar. I have heard some academics who have said some bigoted things about dyslexia while others are more accepting. I have always strongly opposed outing a person with dyslexia against their wishs. On the subject of AS I hold the same view.

The question of do I disclose is a complex one. Please see the following documents for more details.

www.equalityforwardscotland.ac.uk/documents/91

Here is one about the different attitudes which staff can have to dyslexia

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/s ... ioncode=26

A book on the subject of dyslexic "profs" has been published

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/s ... ioncode=26

I have not been formally DXed with AS, but I strongly suspect I have it. When I went to university years ago and started my adult life it was unknown. It was before L. Wing rediscovered the work of Hans, so as a school boy or school leaver I had no chance to be DXed then. I suspect that this is quite a common problem, many people with AS are much older than the work of L. Wing. So we have been around longer than the modern clinical DX of AS.

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Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

I think the OP is doing more damage to the Aspie image by complaining and kicking up a fuss than the letter is.

personally I see nothing wrong with this letter, I doubt any Trained Medical professional would argue that it is unfair.

Then again, I suppose the Truth hurts for some people

Yes. And it's not surprising, given the widespread misconceptions of it. Having labels can provide access to support and services, but labels can often lead to more discrimination.

And this isn't just an "at first sight" thing that I'm describing. I'm refering even to people who have known these AS people for about a year or more. If you were to ask these people if "Person X" (one of the AS people that I know in real life) is "severely impaired", most would say "No, not impaired at all". If these people knew about the AS, they might say "Well, mildly impaired, maybe". Even the lower-functioning aspies I know, people wouldn't refer to them as "severely impaired".

Also, one thing that I didn't explain is that when I refer to "severely impaired", I'm refering to overall function. Not just one particular area. For example, a blind person may be severely impaired only in regards to their vision. But since their cognition, communication, mobility, and hearing skills are just fine they would only be "moderately impaired" in the overall scheme.

Erm, it's part of Mental health awareness week, is it not?

Making it taboo to talk about Aspergers is just going to make more people take the piss out of it. It's basic psychology, really.

Tell someone they're not allowed to do something = they will want to do it,

Tell someone it is taboo to talk critically about a group of people (geeks, autistics, the disabled, black people, asian people, etc.) = they will mock them even more mercilessly.

Refuse to provide information and understanding = fear of the unknown = more incentive to react negatively.

There is nothing slanderous about what has been said about aspergers. everything I have read seems perfectly truthful and reasonable. In fact i probably think the reason why the Disalbility people have been patronising is because of your attitude.

I have been known to complain about things and still do, but I agree with -Vorzac- on this. Ok it is not a mental illness, but it does currently come under mental health.

What are you hoping to achieve by doing this? If it is a retraction email sent around you might get what you wish for and regret it.

Besides if you have so much as anxiety you have a common mental illness. Welcome to the mental's club