Best Universities for Autistic DD with social anxiety. Looking for flexibility

But if she has anxiety that is a mental health condition. She’s clearly academically capable, so she needs support with her mental health. Her tutor can’t provide that support beyond signposting her. Indeed, part of our training as personal tutors is to understand that the role does not involve providing a counselling service because of the risk of giving bad or uninformed advice to a potentially vulnerable student.

Students do 3-4 modules per semester. Her tutor may not teach on, or know the content of any of them. He may not even teach on her degree programme. If she is experiencing difficulties with the content of a particular module then she needs to get in touch with the module leader.

Thank you for your input. What would l do without your opinion?

There needs to be a dose of realism about all of this. Be realistic about what a university can do. Be realistic and where and how you will study. Be realistic about suitable jobs. Be realistic about what independence really means and how dc can achieve it,

The idea that all these students will get great jobs working from home is laughable. What lab is in your home? Or hospital
bed? There are of course some jobs where people beaver away on their own, but what if your skills don’t equate to them?

With jobs being in short supply, employers will choose who can do the jobs efficiently and effectively as the tax on jobs is high. Over the top adjustments is a big cost. Reasonable adjustments is not.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow
can I just say that you have completely derailed this thread. It was for the OP asking about her dd and you have taken it over completely, despite having had another thread all about this subject.

That's quite entitled IMO. University academic staff are there because they are leaders in their respective fields, not life coaches.

Personally I feel that if some people need extra support to help them achieve personal growth, that should be facilitated where possible.

Birkbeck or Open

Agree - but it's not the University's job to provide personal growth. You get that by figuring out how you manage independent academic study, living independently, and generally trying your hand at being a grown adult. The University is an academic institution, not a surrogate parent.

And it would only kick in as far as what a company is legally obliged to do. I’ve known people with disabilities who have asked for what they consider to be reasonable adjustments and the organisation say no and then undertake capability proceedings to dismiss them. All legal and above board with the blessings of HR.

Completely disagree with you on this. It's not purely about education as far as I'm concerned.

My autistic, social anxious, in recovery from anorexia daughter is studying psychology at Leeds Beckett. She's in her second year. They've been great. She can do things online and she has extra time for assignments. She has a couple of times last year when I needed to bring her home and they were great. She's doing really well. DM me if you want to know more and good luck

Yeah I don’t think any workplaces are falling over themselves to provide excessive support. Harsh but true.

It’s not exactly rosy in the world of job hunting these days. If some Gen Z wants to vote with their feet and leave there’ll be ten others queuing up for the job.

the workplace won’t give them a second thought.

But no one can make an employer employ someone. Obviously once they are employed then the act would kick in

What's she anxious about though and how would the tutor help with that? YOu said the point of the emails was academic support: you also said she's doing better academically than everyone else. So what's the email for?

Because she’s anxious!!! How many times.

Nobody has come anywhere close to saying she isn't worthy of a degree. But, as for all students, there are probably things she will have to figure out for herself and work on to get it. This is what getting a degree entails. For everyone. Although if she's outstripping everyone else and so on, I agree with others that I'm not sure why this weekly 'are you ok?' email is so necessary.

Isn’t this why the equalities act exists?

Will workplaces actually do that? Surely as far as employers are concerned they want the best people for the job. So if you have 2 equally capable people but one needs a load of adaptations or support then it would be far more likely the other one who can just get on with it without extra help will get the job.

The job market is pretty shit at the moment to say the least

Which is what this is.

. She’s perfectly capable. Shes already outstripping her pets academically.

Bug because she anxious socially she isn’t worthy of a degree
She’s as entitled to a job and a degree as much as any NT.
What a load of disablist shite.

You do understand this is an exceptionally light teaching load? I don't know anyone on a full-time contract who doesn't have at least five times that.

It is not disablism. And frankly if someone's participation on a degree course relies on an email being sent once a week, that they may or may not respsond to, I would suggest they aren't ready for a degree course.

The goal of adjustments is not meant to deliver a perfectly curated perfect degree experience. It's to remove reasonable barriers to participation.

No, but an ND is likely to pick a job which can

And with the big rise in mental health and ND issues, both universities and workplaces need to adapt for his. Not just ignore it.

Gen Z don’t tow the party line any more in work places. They vote with their feet.

Not everyone can, though?

Then let them. And in the meantime, if you / they / your daughter can think of an alternative way to meet the need, suggest that instead.

As a teacher, I have had individual SEN plans that say things like ‘5 minute check in with the class teacher first thing every morning before coming into class’ - which with the best will in the world are not consistently deliverable at a time of day when registers are completed, lunch arrangements sorted, parents wanting ‘a quick word’ are at the door etc etc. So, despite ‘what the plan says’, we do alternative things - eg child enters via Reception instead, and has a chat with a member of assistant staff, who walks them down to the classroom and alerts me if there is something I need to know. Or parent e-mails me before school with concerns. Or the child and I meet at break time. Or they are a ‘priority reader’ for a TA who collects them for a read and a chat at some point in the morning.

I can’t deliver what is ‘in the plan’, but I can ‘meet the underlying need’.

Lucky him. Last week I was teaching 4 days out of 5. That’s not unusual for me.

so I assume your dss says he’d happily email a student of his every week to check in on them even if they don’t have a problem?

you say it wouldn’t be every student. I can promise a third of mine have anxiety, etc and have student plans. So if you started it you’d have to do it for a significant proportion. Because they talk, one finds out someone is getting something extra then they all want it.

I do put out fairly regular cohort announcements reminding them if anyone needs help to contact their Academic Tutor. We’re not even called personal tutors anymore as we’re only supposed to deal with academic stuff. Student services are there for everything else. I’m not a counsellor or a therapist.