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Living with Asperger Syndrome at University

Wonder Boy

Hello, I'm an italian 20 year-old Physics student and I have been recently diagnosed of Asperger Syndrome. Thus, I have seen my life backwards in time and finally comprehended the issues encountered in all my academic career.

Unfortunately, this difficulty does not allow me an orthodox study and professors don't seem to understand my "too original" way of thinking. I've a repulsive attitude towards any kind of book, inducing me distraction and loss of interest. While on the other hand, a text formatted in the same way as Wikipedia, enhances my learning and satiates my necessity of knowledge.

Could you give any possible solution to overcome this damned annoying problem?

Thanks! Innocent 

  • Thank you all!

    I will take your advice to heart and do whatever I am capable of, to overcome these difficulties... 

  • Contact your universities disabilities team. They can liasie with your department and see what can be done to help you learn in a way that works for you . Maybe someone can help you by breaking books down into more manageable pieces.

    I am sure they will have encountered others with simiar issues and may be able to help.

  • As a retired lecturer this is a familiar issue. Wikipedia has its merits and its demerits. Although it is thoroughly checked by volunteers, it gets its information from individual contributions which are not academically corroborated. It has long been a challenge to spoof Wikipedia, and while they are getting better at clearing out the spoofs, it is still possible to put nonsense on the site.

    Being collative knowledge from many correspondents, it doesn't suit academics. While you may find Wikipedia fascinating, what your professors/lecturers are trying to instil in you is good academic practice, which involves supporting an argument in a discussion by means of properly referenced underpinning, preferably papers in refereed academic journals, and if not possible, recognised undergraduate level text books or better.

    Part of your degree is about demonstrating this ability, which you will have to do time and time again in assessments, and in a third year dissertation.

    If you don't do it, and keep using non-academic websites like Wikipedia, then you either wont get a degree, or you want get a good degree - pass or third class. Your choice.

    It has to be said that a major problem for students on the spectrum is conforming to the requirements for assessment. At the moment I know of no degree course that has been adjusted to accommodate aspergers thinking. Universities will provide support to students but still expect them to compete for a degree to the same standards of excellence demanded of all other students. Where this is particularly of concern to me is in writing style, which is often a sticking point for students on the spectrum

    Your professors/lecturers have to enforce these levels of attainment and course outcomes, as they are externally assessed. Academics from other universities attend the exam boards and scrutinise the marking. Lecturers who fail to enforce these high standards risk serious disciplinary action. Like school teachers who live in fear of OFSTED inspections, university academics live in fear of a bad external examiners' report.

    Start reading books and academic papers. There are ways round the boredom and the trials of reading them. Continue to defy the system by only using wikepaedia, and only you will suffer.

  • I've no idea of a solution to your problem, but I just wanted to post:

    http://youtu.be/ACiA1TX0tvA