Fresher's blog from an aspie :)

Luckily I've never had to leave a lecture, but I always put my recorder at the front of the lecture hall so if I ever did I could just leave it there. In my lectures they don't use white boards that much, if at all, so all the stuff that they show in the lectures are all on the presentation slides

That is lucky. I have no idea how many I left at college, or school, I can't imagine I will suddenly be able to stay in classes, as they are really big no matter haw much support I have.
That's what I meant, on the board as a presentation or written on. College was a mix of both so I usually had to write what they wrote up in the lesson. But if it's all on the presentation then that's good because I should get sent them so I will have all the information.

I can't speak about all courses of course but my lecturers generally just use presentations. In school I never remember actually leaving class. Many times I thought about it but my anxiety always stopped me leaving so I just sat there suffering in silence. It wasn't any better believe me, nobody never knew what was going on. If your worried about aspects of the course like numbers and structure you could try and find an email for someone in the department that could answer the questions, or try asking on here. It might help you prepare yourself more.

That defiantly happened to me too! It depended on the teachers or the subject or both I think. But I was not diagnosed with autism in school so teachers were completely confused how some lessons I never stayed in, some I always stayed in and some it was completely random. I am still trying to work out what causes me problems so I can try and reduce the bad behavior but it's hard. But then at school the problem was I was then so anxious being 'naughty' out of a lesson I was supposed to be in I could not talk so they could not find out anything about why I left the lesson.

I'm doing a really rare course, so there is no information about it. Their is no section for my course or even subject on here. I posted about it in the questions bit but no-one replied. Finding information on my course is really hard. But I am visiting the disability adviser on Wednesday so I am hoping they will have more information. I do probably need a list of questions though.

Hopefully you'll get more information then I wasn't diagnosed at school either, I was only diagnosed about a year ago. It does make it more difficult as there is no explaination for why you do certain things. I blame the late diagnosis for my anxiety being so bad now, if I'd got help sooner I don't think it would have got this bad, but I can't change anything, I'm just glad I'm getting the help now

That's a good way to think about it. I was 16 when I was diagnosed, 3 years ago. That must be hard to get diagnosed then have uni so quickly after. the college I went to after school did not work, but the second college I went to was much more successful because they knew about me having autism from the start of me applying. I'm amazed you got through year 1 of uni successfully just diagnosed.
I defiantly think things would be easier for me now if I got more help as a child, like all the specialist help at the right age would have been good. They recommended lots of help then I was 16 a month after I was diagnosed so then everywhere I was referred to said 'no we can not help, she is 16' so I never got anything.
I am quite amazed with the help I get now, it's a bit of a nightmare to try and arrange and manage it all but when it works it's really good.

Weirdly enough all the females on the induction programme was diagnosed late. There was 4 of us, the earliest diagnosis being 16. For some reason females are being missed when it comes to diagnosis.

I think that's mainly because people do not recognise the symptoms in females compared to males, so it's harder to get diagnosed as a female.

They also say that females are better at hiding things.

I've not heard hiding things. I have heard copying though. So meaning like we automatically copy others (like other children in the class) so sort of manage to 'fit in' or appear more 'normal' so it is less easy to notice. I think is the theory anyway.

Probably a mix of things and also depends on the person as well. Your other post saying about how it effects girls differently defintely seems to be a lot of it. Hopefully with awareness it'll get better. They also need to make it easier to get assessed for autism spectrum disorders, and that doctors can get hold of this information. My GP didn't even know where to refer me to. I ended up going privitely as the NHS waiting list in my area was too long.

I agree.

That's not good with your diagnosis though. I have heard so many terrible stories of how long it took to get diagnosed, or how bad that system is generally. I was quite lucky though with mine I think-but I think they somehow 'fast tracked' me to the top of the waiting list for assessment because of my age, I was 15 years 11 months when I was tested, and the place I was diagnosed at stopped at 16! It was a bit before that they first started thinking I had asd and putting me on the list ect but it was all fairly quick.

I went to visit the uni today and met the other disability adviser. Seems like they are quite good, like willing to have good ideas of what might help and try it etc. So I am a bit less nervous now, but am also waiting for more information like about the Get ahead event and also information from my tutor about a camp some time near to the start of the year.

I was told there was a 2 year waiting list where I am. I needed a diagnosis before I went to uni as I knew I would need the help. It's done now fortuantly, cost £500 though and I come from a low income family so money isn't something we have a lot of.
At least your starting to get the information you need. I'm sure they'll message you soon with details about the event and any other information you need to know. Having the information does help to ease anxieties and fears of uni.

Wow, that's a lot. I'm being tested for Dyslexia and Dyspraxia next week, need to pay £250 but because it's through my uni I get £200 back when I enroll, so a lot less compared to yours. But I think you were right to get diagnosed before uni.
It's coming through slowly yes, It is annoying me a bit when they say 'we can do it nearer the time' when first that's quite vague as to how near? second I like to know things as far in advance as I can, because the closer I get the more anxious I get, so I would like more information really.

It is annoying that they don't give out information sooner, especially considering that they kniw they have people with conditions like autism. My uni didn't give the information that quickly either, it is quite anxiety provoking.

They keep saying it needs finalizing. So like she showed me a draft version for get ahead, but said I can't keep it because it is likely to change. I imagine that will be the answer for the other information I asked for too.

Maybe. I'm sure they'll give you the information as soon as possible. They can't give you information they don't have of course.

Very true, as frustrating as it is.
You seem to manage things like crowds or noise better thsan me so this might not help. But at college they had a room just for disabled people to use, so it was smaller and supported to do work in, and so I always went in there. I have problems going into libraries but they say at uni that is the only place to work, first it is massive, so will be lots of people in there in term time, and the so called 'silent study room' had no people in but was not silent. Either the lights, computers air conditioning or all 3 made some loud and horrible buzz, so I basically cant go in there ever. So I dont have anywhere I can do work yet, although she is going to try and find out if there is anything they can do I am wondering if you had a similar problem and how did you solve it?

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I always did my work in my room, I can't work in the library either, not very well anyways. Hopefully they'll find a better space for you to work in. I have up and downs with how much noise I can take. Sometimes I can put up with a little and sometimes any little noise can cause problems.

I am a bit like that.
Did you have any none medical helpers out of lessons? I've got quite a few, did they go to your room? I probably would but I don't know if they will be allowed there or not. Or if there will be space etc..