The most difficult and troublesome school subjects for students with ASD

Has the NAS carried out any research into what the most difficult and troublesome subjects are in secondary schools for students with ASD, and why?

Parents
  • Sports and gymnastics are likely to be a big issue for many.

    To this day, I have almost zero interest in competitive sports, and far prefer exercise in the form of walking, cycling and what I would call occupational exercise. To that end I have always really preferred work with quite a degree of manual labour. Although there are some sports I quite enjoy watching, I can't even begin to tell you the rules of most of them either. It just doesn't seem interesting. I'm a very ill-coordinated person with appalling balance and very erratic manual skills. I balance better when moving fairly rapidly, so a fairly strenuous walk or cycle ride appeals to me. I was late learning to balance on a bike, and even now I have to be constantly observant while riding. Over the years, I've worked hard to master construction skills, and enjoy them despite still being cack-handed. Skills also desert me sometimes. Today, I might make a good job of fitting a door lock, and the next day make an appalling hash of it.  But still I persist.

    I think there could be an element of infant neural damage in my case. I seem to have issues with balance. I could hardly climb a couple of feet up a tree until my early teens, and I definitely fear heights - although I eventually found I could cope with roof carpentry. I've heard that some people on the spectrum avoid gymnastics because they can't stand the idea of having their legs and body above their head. When I heard that, it immediately rang a very loud bell with me. And it does suggest some sort of what might be termed neural impairment - in my case possibly through a serious metabolic disorder in infancy.

    Maths has been a pain, but I have to say that with a decent teacher it can be quite a joy. Particularly when the practicality of each course component is explained right from the start.

Reply
  • Sports and gymnastics are likely to be a big issue for many.

    To this day, I have almost zero interest in competitive sports, and far prefer exercise in the form of walking, cycling and what I would call occupational exercise. To that end I have always really preferred work with quite a degree of manual labour. Although there are some sports I quite enjoy watching, I can't even begin to tell you the rules of most of them either. It just doesn't seem interesting. I'm a very ill-coordinated person with appalling balance and very erratic manual skills. I balance better when moving fairly rapidly, so a fairly strenuous walk or cycle ride appeals to me. I was late learning to balance on a bike, and even now I have to be constantly observant while riding. Over the years, I've worked hard to master construction skills, and enjoy them despite still being cack-handed. Skills also desert me sometimes. Today, I might make a good job of fitting a door lock, and the next day make an appalling hash of it.  But still I persist.

    I think there could be an element of infant neural damage in my case. I seem to have issues with balance. I could hardly climb a couple of feet up a tree until my early teens, and I definitely fear heights - although I eventually found I could cope with roof carpentry. I've heard that some people on the spectrum avoid gymnastics because they can't stand the idea of having their legs and body above their head. When I heard that, it immediately rang a very loud bell with me. And it does suggest some sort of what might be termed neural impairment - in my case possibly through a serious metabolic disorder in infancy.

    Maths has been a pain, but I have to say that with a decent teacher it can be quite a joy. Particularly when the practicality of each course component is explained right from the start.

Children