Being at University with Autism

Hi everyone, my name is Lewis, I’ve recently turned 20, I’m currently preparing to start my second year of university studying Digital Media, and I also have autism. Going to University can be a big change and presents many challenges for any student, so when you add something like autism into the mix it sounds like a brewing disaster. That’s definitely what I was thinking this time last year but as I’d later figure out, most of my worries stemmed from overthinking. There’s a lot of things I know about Uni life now that I wish I knew sooner, so whilst I can’t exactly tell myself from a year ago all about this, I can tell others. I’d like to take the time to talk to anyone out there who like I was terrified about how you will juggle uni life and autism together, and hopefully I can make the experience even slightly easier for you by explaining useful info I know now and explaining how I coped with what was one of the biggest changes I’ve had in my life.

On the topic of changes, I’ll start there. Change is something autistic individuals tend to struggle with, and I was no different. My first day of uni went super well but once it was over and I was sitting on my bed, I had this overwhelming sense that there was something wrong. Whilst I had a great day, it was still completely different from school and college, and that was when the realisation hit me that this would be my brand new life. So, what do you do in a situation like this? Well to start with, change is only scary at first. As the weeks passed and the new life became my norm, things slowly got easier and felt more natural. So even if it seems impossible that you’ll adjust at first, time can really work wonders.

Now, whilst that’s all well and good in the long run, what about right now? What do you do in the meantime while you try to adjust? Distract yourself, maybe with assignments or by making friends with other people as I’ll cover later. Personally I tend to overthink things, so by keeping busy I am able to avoid this. Another thing I can suggest is to try and make the transition less drastic. For example, if you’re leaving home try to spend nights away on your own before you move out, if you have to commute, try getting up early and travelling on your own. Try to be out and about more during your summer, so you become familiar with the experience of living out at university.

Moreover, meeting new people can be, so this next section provides some tips on navigating that. Firstly, in your First Year, both autistic and non-autistic individuals are in the same boat. Even if you feel everyone around you is doing better, that might not be the case. It took an entire first semester, before myself and my coursemates really started becoming friends outside of lectures. Before that, we would leave lectures and I would sit alone for the first few weeks during my free time. However, what I didn’t realise at the time was that they were all doing the exact same thing. Eventually, I spotted one of my coursemates wandering around, and I asked him what he was doing, at which point I found out he didn’t have any friends at uni either. After that, we spent every lunchtime together and after one friend, a second became easier, and slowly but surely, we recruited each person in our class into a neat friendship group.

By the end of the first semester, we were a solid group both in and out of lectures. Even the Second Years on my course were a tight group from the moment I met them, though they were once strangers at a point. Making friends isn’t easy, but your classmates are a good place to start, as you are likely to have common interests. In my case, it turned out a lot of us shared interests. On the topic of interests, I also must give a quick shout out to Societies. Autistic people often have special interests that we hyper fixate on, and if you can find a society based on that interest then you will find a space where you can meet other likeminded people.

Lastly, I would like to talk about the help and funding available for disabled students. For help available on campus, I recommend talking to your lectures as some may have trained in Mental Health first aiding. Additionally, I recommend talking to a Student Success Coach if you have issues. I strongly recommend speaking to Success Coaches, as their whole job is to support you, my only regret is I didn’t talk to mine more, you don’t have to worry about needing to talk to them too much, it’s their job and they’ll be happy to help. You can also find more wider support through your Health and Wellbeing team, and I recommend this as the support available is widely varied. Support for disabled students at my university (among others) includes:

- Individual Exam Arrangements. Based on evidence and normal ways of working, we can consider, Extra Time, Reader, Scribe, Own Room and Rest Breaks as adjustments for example. You will need to opt in this support as soon as you arrive at University to ensure this is in place for the next exam period and all subsequent exam periods
- Equipment Loan including digital voice recorder, laptops and Assistive Technology.
- Advice and support to arrange your Disabled Students Allowance at any point throughout your course.
- 1:1 Mentoring Support.
- 1:1 Study Skills Tuition.
- Lift Access.
- Notetaking.
- Access to Assistive Technology.
- Permission to record lectures.
- Course team to use lecture capture where possible.
- Access to session materials at least 24 hours in advance
- Library Support.
- Access to a quiet working Space.
- You can also access the Centre for Academic Writing and Maths Support Centre.

Finally, depending on your course and whether you are a home student, you may be eligible to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) to cover some of the extra costs you may have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability.

Thank you to everyone who read this post, and I hope I can be even slightly helpful in making the transition to uni life whilst having autism easier for you.

Kind regards,
Lewis

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