Last week some people from the University of Amsterdam filmed me.
It was my first time being filmed, and beforehand I wondered whether I was actually good at it. Wouldn't my voice become really weird? Would I be able to speak with my head up instead of looking at the ground (which I often do). Moreover, would I make myself clear?
Being clear in this case was extremely important to me. Namely, the topic of the film is: autism and higher education.
Questions like 'How did I experience being an autistic student in higher education?', 'Had I asked for help?' and 'Did I receive any?' were asked.
Actually, at the start of the Master's programme, I've decided to tell about my disability to the coordinator of the programme, as well as to one teacher. I didn't do that with my Bachelor's degree or at high school (mainly because I didn't know about my autism right then).
Some people advised me not to be open about my autism, others agreed with my approach.
In short, helping me with my autism comes down to helping me reduce energy costs. Because social interaction and communication is not natural for me, it takes me more effort. Especially, with respect to being a student: uncertainty about what is expected of me, uncertainty about what is going to happen in class, doing things differently than normal, not having a normal at all (not having routines) is very very stressful to me.
So, teachers should:
1. have a good and clear schedule
2. stick to their schedules
3. be clear about what they are going to teach in a certain lecture
4. give a break exactly in the middle of the lecture
5. have a good structure in their lecture
6. be clear about when I am able to say something and when I'm not
7. be clear what is expected from me with a certain assignment or test (give example exercises)
Next blog I will write about how I experience being an autistic student at university.