Professor's semester with an "Asperger's" student

Post Reply New Topic

Or one that he assumes has AS, anyway. What do you think--there seemed to be something missing in the first part of the article--I couldn't figure why he started reading up on Asperger's after his first meeting with the student, unless it was because he sent so many emails?

http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/08/my-semester-wit.html

I personally don't think the person described is representative of a college student with AS. I'm not saying he doesn't have it, just that he's not representational and I hope no one takes him as such.


_____________
Edited to put quotes around "Asperger's" because it's not certain that the person being described really is Asperger's! --Norah

I loathed this article when it appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education last month, and I still do. I wrote a blog entry about it here. This student may have AS. I'm not qualified to judge and neither is this professor. Either way it's a huge privacy violation, and it is irresponsible to definitively call this student "An Asperger's Student." I'm nothing like that; this is just one student who may or may not be on the spectrum.

Edited to add that if this professor allowed the piece to be posted on Age of Autism, that indicates he has some utterly wrong and offensive views about autism. I'm surprised he didn't call this student "vaccine-damaged."

This "Fred" doesn't remind me of my AS son AT ALL. While I think it's great when a professor tries to understand and accomodate specific students, I have to agree with the others here that the professors reasons and assumptions seem suspect.

I remember reading this story when it was originally published, and really didn't understand why the prof thought his student was autistic. I just read it again and still don't understand. Except for the mention of possibly not meeting his eyes, there isn't a single attribute mentioned that's specifically autistic, and that couldn't be accounted for by other explanations.

A little learning is truly a dangerous thing.

I've spent a lot of time at university (currently on my third degree) and this doesn't sound like me. Doesn't sound like any of the other spectrumites I've ever met either. It sounds maybe a bit more like someone who had failed the course several times already, was frustrated and determined to get it right this time. I know that I would not be hassling the lecturer for more information on stuff. I hate having to do that - I would much rather absorb myself in a big pile of books and work it out. If anything, I'm to reluctant to ask for help when I need it.