A UK university's take on understanding students with AS

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I noticed this on the University of Leicester's website, and am so far quite impressed, though I haven't read it all yet.

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/acces ... y.pdf/view

What do you think? I hadn't realised that Aspies have so much trouble with seeing the "big picture," though it's obvious now I think about it.

There's a lot of detail about brain connections and how the impairments relate to them. Or do you think the article is assuming tentative theories to be known facts?

Not a tiny url topic

That is one humongous url, TD. I would make a mistake copying it out, but maybe you pasted. .

Now I will read it.
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Now I will not. My computer does not do PDF files. Not enough working memory.

(Took a while to load, too.)

I only have time this evening to have a quick look at the first few pages. It's a pretty lengthy and comprehensive document.

I do agree that they seem to be treating tentative theories as factual, but that aside from what I've read so far this is an amazing document for a university to have produced as guidance to staff and others.

I'm particularly impressed by the way in which the various difficulties (with communication, sensory issues, anxiety etc) are detailed, and then the reader is invited to consider how they would feel if they were affected in such ways and what impact that would have on their studies.

Well done, Leicester!! !

I notice there isn't a section in the document about admissions, it's all about students who are already at University.

I applied to a University as a mature student (because they said they'd consider other skills and experience besides academic history for mature students) but made the mistake of putting my past grades on the application, and then saying in my personal statement that I had been diagnosed with A.S. after I had completed formal education.

The admissions department said that I couldn't be accepted because of my grades, and after referring them to my personal statement, that they had seemingly ignored, they said that A.S. was not a learning difficulty that would affect my past examination results, so according to policy the grades I had submitted were all they would take into consideration (so no interview for being a mature student). At the same time the university's own learning support department (which had alledgedly been consulted on A.S.'s status as a learning difficulty) had drawn up a support plan including no less than 6 hours a week 1 to 1 support, and special conditions for exams. Support I have never had before.

Both the people from the N.A.S. and the specialist solicitors they referred me to said it was a blatant case of disability discrimination, but without money for a lawyer the University walked all over me, and I couldn't get into my dream course, despite having significant skill in the course subject matter, it being my obsession.


Beware of University documents on Disability Policy. It's very rare anyone outside the support department has the slightest clue about disabilities, and a lot of the time they're only on the website to make the University look good. Luckily Leicester is a big enough University that it should be required to keep a higher standard than some of the less well known ones. Unfortunately the subject I want to study is only taught at a few, and only the one I applied to started teaching the subject in the first year, while the others had up to 2 years of basic skills in related areas taught first, that I'm already well versed with.

A lot of it seemed like a giant generalization.

Many of the things they described apply much more to young children, rather than adults. I know a few adults with AS in University, and none of them have problems with idioms and common expressions. They occasionally come off as odd, but never rude. They don't have any difficulty with handing in assignments on time. They are all pretty "with it". Out of all of them that I can think of, I'm probably the most popular, but they certainly don't need the level of assistance that this article claims that all students with AS should get (even though they aren't doing so well on the social front).

That's fantastic, I'm going to be seeing if I can show this to someone relevant at the university where I work.

That is probably the best "Dummie's Guide to Autism" I've seen, a very useful document. Katie_WPG, of course a document like this would have to be a giant generalization, but it's very clear that each trait is only there in some autistic people, it never misleads into thinking that every aspie has all of these problems. It lays out each difference as just that, a parallel development, a clear biological difference that causes a change in what is normal and automatic for that person.

Katie_WPG: The print actually says that the effects different students with AS will experience varies and it is a overview of ALL the difficulties one might have.

I am at University as a mature age student and I certainly have problems handing in assignments even if they are done. I remember spending two nights in a computer lab doing a tiny little java applet to display funny patterns to the screen because I didn't like the exact look of the pattern. I spent almost two days solid (I slept in the LAB) and handed it in a day late because of that.

I also missed an exam because my family were unaware there was an exam on and disrupted my morning routine so I couldn't get out the door and had to start it three times before I could finish. I did get special dispensation and sat the exam some two hours later (THe lecturer was friendly enough with me so gave special privilige) but I was so distracted by the morning events that I couldn't cocentrate and only JUST scraped a pass... even though my work through the year was averaging mid 90's percent wise.

So it's not just as simple as saying "The people I know at uni with AS some 'with it'..." some of the people attending Uni are NOT with it.

All that said, alot of the support suggested I wouldn't need. But I still think it is a worthy document to outline some of the difficulties an AS student MIGHT need. That you don't need much assistance is awesome, and I wish you the best of luck. But for those that could only get in WITH that level of support... I say Kudos to the author and the Unviersity for having that much by way of accomadations.

A different approach could be used, though.

Perhaps it would be in the best interest of a student seeking accomodations to print out the document, and highlight aspects of the document stating:

Okay, this is what I DO have, this is what I DON'T have.

It would be far better than the student simply coming in, saying "I have Asperger's", and the disability services staff proceeding to speak to them like a four-year-old (which I have heard of happening on a couple of different occasions on these forums).

Being patronized often turns off students from receiving any kind of help. Some can feel smothered with all of the offers for help that they may not even need.

It definitely looks like a comprehensive and clearly explained guide to the types of problem we experience at uni. I'm thinking of showing it to the disability advisor and asking her to circulate it to my tutors next year. Highlighting the specific areas you need help with is a good idea as well.

Good article, thanks for sharing! I wish it didn't take another hundred years for something similar to reach the workplace...

Gold!
Thank you ToughDiamond, I've saved this to a USB stick to show to my support people.

I'm printing out this guide and studying it!! It's very straight forward and will help me a lot.

I'm sure that if students were given the option and flexibility to work alone on assignments instead of all this enforced group work, I'm sure there'd be far fewer problems.

I say this because I've met people of previous generations who were given this flexibility in their education. In fact many didn't even have to work in groups at all, or were given a choice.

I really enjoy working along side people (which is common in the workplace), as opposed to working with people. I also enjoy helping others out and discussing things informally on a one to one basis. However, I still don't really understand the logic or focus behind this new team based ethos. It may be well meaning, but it does put a lot of unnecessary pressure on everybody, energy that could be better spent on individual brain-storming, or allocating different tasks to individual class members (like in an office environment).

I do feel that group work should be made available for those who enjoy it and want it.

I also believe that some people's personalities simply aren't that well suited for group work. Just because they enjoy working things out on their own as opposed to a in a group doesn't make the "sick" or "disabled": it makes them a unique individuals.

Some people just aren't as social as others.
People I know and myself find this kind of enforced socialising disturbing.

It's never helped me to be labeled as "disabled" because people have looked down on and pitied me.

Others have told me to ditch the label because they feel that it is stigmatising and wouldn't help me.

Surely there's a constructive way around all of this without all of the negative labeling and pathologising my personality.

I'm not anyone "with" anything.
I'm an individual.

I am me: this is the brain I inherited.

Everyone has a different brain and therefore different strengths and weaknesses.

This is my take on this.
There's been a cultural change.

I enjoyed reading that (I read most of but not all, yet). It was informative and detailed. I used to go over the same thing over and over after going out and it was nerve racking for me. It took the fun out of socializing and caused me a lot of stress which is why I became more resigned and less enthusiastic. Most of what I read is right on target even though the extreme male/testosterone brain bath theory I don't agree with entirely, in all instances of autism.
I hope that paper or something similar gets distributed wherever it's needed, maybe even psychologists, therapists and counselors need a copy? It would come in handy.

Bravo Leicester!