(d) If you have bilateral coordination problems that make handwriting difficult, see if your teacher will let you take oral examinations, give oral instead of written reports, have extended time on exams, use a lap top computer in the classroom, and tape record the lectures.
(e) If you suffer anxiety attacks or bouts with depression that interfere with your ability to function, you could request flexible assignment due dates, flexible testing dates, permission to attend other sections of the same course, and permission to make up missed assignments through extra credit work.
(f) If you are a visual thinker, ask your teacher if it would be possible for him or her to create visual aids for you such as graphs, charts, video tapes, elaborated examples that include a great deal of visual descriptions and computer tutorials that include good visuals.
(g) If you have hyperlexia, dyslexia, poor spelling skills, illegible handwriting or any other reading or writing disability, tell your teachers so they direct you to a tutor or special education center for appropriate support.
(h) If you are easily upset by new routines or quick changes in schedules, ask your teachers to give you at least a few days warning if they are going to have to alter the class schedule, assignment requirements, meeting days or times, or the overall routine.
(i) If you have problems taking turns in conversations or if you interrupt people when they speak, ask your teacher not to require you to engage in group discussions or debates.
Help finding your way around campus
Many people with AS might find it very difficult to navigate through large college campuses. Like congested shopping malls they can be visually confusing, overly stimulating and stress provoking; all variables that will work against the AS person’s academic and emotional stability. The following simple reminders will make sprawling and complicated universities easier to navigate.
(i) ASK FOR SPECIAL NEEDS BUILDING, TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING COMPENSATIONS SUCH AS:
(a) Handicapped parking passes. The ability to park your car near your building will enable you avoid overcrowded and visually perplexing parking lots.
(b) Elevator keys. Ask for these if you find yourself easily disoriented when faced with big crowds and continuous flights of stairs or if you think a few moments in the cocoon like elevator space will help you to calm down.
(c) Special student transportation assistance. If the school runs a bus service for students who would otherwise find it hard to drive themselves to campus, inquire to see if you can purchase a pass to use this benefit.
(ii) MAKING THE CAMPUS MAKE SENSE TO YOU
(a) Walk around campus as if you are a photographer and take mental pictures of everything that catches your interest with your mind’s eye. Sketch what you see, even if you are not an artist and have to rely on boxes, circles or triangles to represent the buildings, structures, walkways, streets, and landscaping elements you want to include. Use colored pencils or markers to help the sketches look like the real thing.
(b) Write detailed notes that tell you what you will see as you go from one place on campus to another.
(c) Take a tape recorder with you as you walk around campus and record what you are seeing and where you are going. Include all the details you need, but keep separate tapes of each destination’s trip so that you do not make things too confusing. For example, record one set of directional instructions that follow your morning class schedule and another that records your afternoon schedule and others that might help you navigate from your home to the library or your home to the athletic stadium or the student center to a shopping mall. In other words, separate each trip as if it were a separate song on a tape.
(d) Practice moving about campus with someone who will help you find your way around. As you do, make certain you talk about what you are doing, and that you do not become distracted by small talk or other discussions. Focus on making a mental, verbal and auditory map. Keep in mind that the more you practice, the better you will be able to imprint the information you need on your long-term memory banks and so, the sooner you will be able to find your way all around campus without relying on your maps or other information.
Making the most of your time and efforts
Many colleges will make special arrangements with special needs students that will allow for great flexibility in scheduling and graduation requirements. For example, you might be allowed to take less than the standard course load, you might be granted waivers or course substitutions, and you might even be able to plan a completely unique field of study that is designed solely for you. With those thoughts in mind, consider the following things:
(a) Never let an advisor or friend talk you into taking a course that you know will be more than you can handle at the time.
(b) Never sign up for a class that meets earlier than you routinely like to wake up or later than you routinely like to relax. If you are a morning person, do not take evening classes and vice versa.
(c) Try very hard not to take advanced level courses before you have taken their prerequisite courses, unless you have spoken to the instructor and have been reassured that you can master the material without the introductory level course.
(d) Build in time for fun and recreation, no matter how you define those concepts.
(e) Keep drop dates on your calender so that if you decide a course is too difficult for you, you can drop it without affecting your grade point average.
(f) The moment your instructor tells you when homework is due or when tests will be administered, write them on your calendar so that you cannot fail to remember them.
(g) Send a copy of your course syllabi and your schedule to your parents or support friend so that they can help remind you of important dates and commitments.
(h) Do not schedule your classes back to back unless they are in the same building. It can be too taxing to try and navigate your way through campus under time pressures.
(a) Study your least favorite subject first.
(b) Study during your most productive part of the day, avoiding times when you typically feel tired, restless, hungry, over-stimulated, anxious, etc.
(c) Experiment with studying in the same place — a «study spot» reserved only for studying, not sleeping, socializing or relaxing.
(d) Prepare short study tools that you can rely on and review when you find you have a few minutes to spare.
(e) Experiment with your environment when you study. Determine if you need quiet or background noise, bright or diffused light, a well organized or messy desk and possibly a snack or something to drink.
(f) Set short-term and long-term goals that you try to meet by a certain time. For example, a short-term goal might be that you set a goal of studying one hour a day for each course, while a long-term goal might be that you review your materials for at least two hours before each examination.
(g) Monitor your attention span, so that if you feel you are growing restless, tired or bored, stop studying and do something else until you find you can go back to studying. Discover how long you can study at one given time and try not to go beyond that time limit before you do change your activities.