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University

NAS89164

Has anyone had experience attending university with autism? I am in third year of a four year course and have been finding it difficult. I find the academic side pretty straightforward but struggle a lot with the social side. Does anyone have anything that helped them or strategies to cope?

  • I didn't know I was autistic at the time- though apparently my friends all assumed I already knew!- but yes, I attended university in person for my undergraduate degree. It's hard! But there were a couple of things I found helpful:

    • I was lucky enough to live in a hall of residence for some of my degree which was really good at putting on events for the quieter students, those who didn't drink, etc. It was easier to socialise in a relatively quiet bar for a quiz night than it was to try and go clubbing, which I hated
    • It can be really daunting to go along to clubs and societies but I would absolutely recommend finding the weirdos. I was an undiagnosed autistic, newly goth, fantasy reader and once I was brave enough to go along to a few meet-ups for people who were into the same things I was it was a lot easier to make friends. There's a lot less pressure to be normal when everybody's being not-normal on purpose.

  • Blundered through with no clue I was autistic.  My dyslexia was known about but there was no support with this as it was the 1980s and no one had a clue how.

    I did find later study with the OU way easier - not a lot of social to navigate there.

    Is there a student welfare service?  What if anything are they offering you?

  • A lot of my studying has been by distance, but I did my social work training on campus. To be honest I avoided most of the social stuff. I was living at home and only really attended lectures and tutorials. If you are actually living on campus I can see it would be difficult. I found the Students Union bar and some of the social areas very noisy and distracting. If your peer group is doing something, could you stay for a short time then make a polite excuse and leave?

  • NAS89164 said:
    I find the academic side pretty straightforward but struggle a lot with the social side.

    That is a pretty broad topic - can you give some more specific situations that you are interested in getting help with?

    For example is it:

    Socialising with others in my class

    Small talk with staff

    Making new friends

    Finding a partner

    Going to parties and socialising in general

    etc