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

[whatisgoingonandwhy]

Posting for traffic. DD has autism but is very bright academically. She struggled a lot in high school but has flown in her A levels as she is attending an online college. She would like to study psychology and work with autistic children in some capacity. Has recently started to make progress in socialising more but is extremely daunted at the prospect of having to attend classes. Are there any Uni’s that have the flexibility to attend classes in person or online, or any that are particularly supportive for those who are neurodivergent?

So when she / you have approached the disability service and said ‘this is in her plan but it isn’t happening- please can you either chase it up or suggest a reasonable alternative adaptation that meets dd’s need (that she will not seek out help if she needs it, due to her disability) and which can be delivered consistently’, what does the disability service say?

@Fearfulsaints I do accept students grow and develop at university but, as others have said, it’s a two way street and a university education is meant to end up with a working person or the state has coughed up a lot of money for no return. Not sure that’s fair either.

The list of adjustments shocks me to some extent. It makes the degree “less” in many ways and I’m very sorry to say, the young person less employable.

If jobs require collaborative working, presentations, going into the office and accurate spelling - they do. Why should employers not employ people who can do the full job over those who cannot? Why would they accept a partial job done and other, over burdened, employees take up the slack? Is that truly fair? We need balance and that’s why we have reasonable adjustments. Reasonable. No employer wants emails sent out with spelling mistakes or in reports. Universities must make it clear spelling is important. Too many adjustments mean career ambitions stop in their tracks and universities should be honest about expectations and parents need to be realistic.

They’re ’chasing it up’

This is just plain disablism.

Loads of people work from home to avoid these sorts of things.

they are paying for a service and it’s up to them before choosing that service to make sure it suits them. With whatever reasonable adjustments the university will provide.

Which has been explained to you multiple times is not going to be weekly check ins on the off chance the student has an issue regardless of what student wellbeing has put in the student’s plan.

you say it’s only 5 mins. I’ve spent hours last week dealing with students who actually have got problems and needed support. On top of all the actual teaching, prep, marking , admissions work and course administration

I am workload planned 30 hours a year for dealing with student issues. And that includes the 3x personal tutorials a year they get. So I hit my 30 hours by mid Oct. The rest of the time and 1-1 student issues including sending emails I’m effectively doing in my own time. It all adds up and is why I’m often answering emails in the evening, or at 7am or prepping at weekends.

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.

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’.

Not everyone can, though?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Isn’t this why the equalities act exists?

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Birkbeck or Open

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