Autism and University

Great advice

I understand and appreciate your point of view about going to university vs online courses.  But I disagree.

Going to an actual physical university was for me an experience I that I don't regret.

Socially, I am retarded.  But I still look back with nostalgia at my university life.

Advantages were, meeting other students doing the same courses.  Wondering around the campus, an actual library with large, old book collections, travelling there every day, subsidised canteens ( saves on cooking and washing up).

Similar here. I got through Uni but I had a miserable time in my second and third years. I pushed myself through it, passed and then had a mental collapse at the end of it. It did teach me the skills of research (not as sharp as I used to be - which is a drag) and ignite a passion to know stuff which, since my diagnosis, has been pretty helpful. 

Although when I was there mental health was a bit taboo (20-something years ago *cough*)- wasn't the open and frank discussion you get nowadays so my guess (hope?) is the environment and support is much better. From the changes I've seen it work... it's on the right track. 

I hadn't been diagnosed when I went to University. If I had I think it would have been easier. But it was very ***. And if I had my time again I wouldn't go.

I'm glad I got a degree but I wouldn't go away to get it again. I have done some other courses online and they were better.

I enjoy reading Wikihow pages on the internet. I find them very clear and step-by-step. My husband and I have also created our own diagrams and lists to remind us about things that we need reminding about, like which controllers operate which jets on the gas cooker :-) That's great news about your son!

The best advice I can give you is that he should live with other students and they should help him out.

Bristol - I lived there for ages before I moved up North. It's an awesome city, so much going on - fantastic place to be. 

If it helps re: cooking (I speak as a reformed takeaway addict) a subscription to BBC Good Food might be an option (it's not particularly cool - sorry!). Or anything by Jack Monroe. She's got a website https://cookingonabootstrap.com/ and her book of budget recipes "A Girl called Jack" is still one of my favourite cookbooks.

Thank you :) 

excellent

Hi there! I went to the University of Bristol so I know it very well, so any questions on the university itself, just ask!

Unfortunately I didn’t have a diagnosis of autism until I finished uni, but I did access some mental health support whilst I was there. The student advisors were pretty good at being able to fit you in when needed, and responded promptly to emails. 

In terms of being able to cope physically, mentally and socially, this is some advice I probably could have done with myself! What I will say upon reflection of my time at uni is that I regret not getting involved with a society, as I feel this could’ve helped me significantly with finding the right friends for me, and then feeling like I had the right support. If you go onto the Bristol Student Union website, you will find a list of societies - perhaps it would be good to suss them out beforehand to see what he could potentially get involved with, and so that the idea of joining one isn’t such a daunting prospect.

Other tips: If, like me, your son needs quiet spaces at the university to study or soothe, I would avoid studying at the big libraries like the Arts and Social Sciences Library, and choose quieter spaces that people wouldn’t think to go to, like the Grace Reeves Study Centre, or the Woodland Road Complex.

I can’t help much on the cooking and cleaning front but a word of warning - students are often not willing to clean up after themselves. If your son is living in halls, please prepare for the fact that other people are lazy, as constantly cleaning up after other people was quite stressful for me!

Hope this is somewhat helpful! Congrats to your son!

I think you are new so welcome to this forum :)

Hey,

I am a student with ASD and I am currently doing my MA. I can only recommend getting in touch with the DSA as well as with the support services of the university. At my uni they allowed me to visit everything before I got there so that I could get used to the facilities and that helped me with reducing anxiety. They also allowed me to use quiet rooms so that I can go there on my own if I get a sensory overload. I would say he shouldn't be afraid of asking and to make a concrete plan with the uni regarding his needs. I learned cooking in cooking classes that you could book (pre covid). Otherwise, there are fun youtube shows like basics with babish.

https://www.youtube.com/c/bingingwithbabish/search?query=basics%20with%20babish

For shopping, you can help him by getting his shopping online over Ocado or any other online shop. 
It helped me to create a routine with cleaning, for example, spending 10 min on the sink, 15 min on shower etc. I use an app called Tiimo to do time management. You can also do this for your son or help him with it if he does need help. 

For health and safety, I have a quite connected flat (smart lights and smart fire alarm that can be programmed to give visual alarms or alarms on my mobile.) They can also send alarms to multiple phones. Get a first aid box as well as a fire extinguisher/ fire blanket in case he has a gas hob and teach him how to use everything. I am sure there will be some first aid courses on youtube. 

I also always have noise-cancelling headphones with me. Airpods pro or other in-ear noise-cancelling headphones are small and don't seem to alienate people as much as over-ear headphones unless he wants complete isolation. 

If you have any questions though just get in touch. Uni life is a bit scary at first but its ok. 

here are the services available at bristol university

www.bristol.ac.uk/.../

If he has an autism diagnosis he can get help by applying for Disabled Student’s Allowance. Through this he could get non-medical help such as ASD tutor support, exam support, etc. (if at all needed), which can be super helpful.

But have a look at Bristol Uni’s website - they should have info on what to do, how to apply etc. Plus they probably have a lot of in-house support as well, groups to join and stuff and they will be able to give you more details. 

Congratulations to your son. I'd have a look at Bristol University's student services pages to see what they can offer in terms of practical support if you haven't already. 

I also recommend that he considers joining a society that shares a common interest with him. 

I'd just teach him some basic go-to recipes like spaghetti bolognes, chilli con carne, sausage and mash (or veggie equivalents if needed) so he can at least rotate his meals or alternate home cooked with ready meals. You could always consider batch cooking and freezing handy single portions of home cooked meals to get him through the first week or so. Some unis also have subsidised restaurants and meal card type systems so depending on what Bristol offers that may also be an option. 

He will probably cope with it better than you so try not to worry too much!