School is difficult

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Somedays when Im in a very bad mood, I show up to school late, leave early or I just dont go. School is stressful. Its loud and even though I can work somewhere quiet, the school work stresses me out and I cant sit still.

I get overwhelmed in class and start rocking and waving my arms around. I also click my teeth. When I am like that, my teachers have a difficult time calming me down. At least I dont bite anymore. Sometimes I get out of my seat and wander around. My aide follows me, to see what is wrong.

Sometimes I go nonverbal and dont respond which is when I can leave the class and work somewhere else. Or I start to speak in 3rd person. It makes people feel uncomfortable.

Sometimes it feels weird to have 2 invisible "disabilities"(ADHD, Autism). People cant see it and that causes them to feel even more surprised and shocked when I act out. Sometimes I wish people were better educated.

On a positive note, it sounds like strategies are in place when your "behaviors" appear.

I would say it's probably that you have an IEP, so I'm not going to ask that question.

The reality: people really are not, usually, all that well-educated in autism.

What is your favorite subject in school?

Yeah. There are strategies in place. Im the most difficult student in the class. I get a lot of attention. My favourite class is English

I'm sorry that things are so stressful.

There should be an annual IEP review. If you're not happy about your current accommodations, you could always share them during this review.

Thank you also for not biting your teachers.

II'm glad your IEP has a plan in place that allows you wander about or to leave the classroom and work elsewhere if you're feeling stressed out.

I agree that it's unfortunate that when people look at you, they don't always see a disability unless you choose to act out. This is admittedly different with other disabilities such as those with Down Syndrome.

I also agree that it would be nice if people had a better understanding of autism.

If school gets too stressful, you could always look into the possibility of taking on-line classes at home. I personally would not recommend this because a physical campus provides additional learning experiences that aren't available in a virtual school.

One thing that you learn in school is how to interact with others. Having some degree of social skills and learning how to work as part of a team will be useful when the time comes for you to find a job.

I had an IEP meeting this year. I got more behavioral support. Yeah. The biting thing was something I did in elementary school. I would bite when I was upset. I bite still but not people. I have a necklace I can bite instead. Its soft and it satisfies my need for oral stims. I love being able to wander around. Im in grade 12 and online school might not work. It might be too late. I am in a social skills group that meets every friday after school. I learn stuff but I still feel very socially impaired compared to a lot of people. I dont know if I can do certain things alone.