I am someone, who guess works through any work that needs to be done, but over time, I have gathered knowledge and have made it to however old I am and to stay in the grade I’m ‘meant’ to be in (If you are a year older than your class average I’m in no way shaming you, everyone does school differently, congrats with sticking with it)
This is also kind of an “Autistic Study Tips” because 1. I have never seen one 2. These tips help me and I’m autistic
Anyway
Clean your space
What’s on your desk and does it need to be there
Where’s your work that you want to do later? Is it somewhere that’s easily accessed?
To Do Lists
Do you need step by steps? To Do List? Write down the task, and then the steps you need to take to prepare and complete the task
Do you just need a list of tasks? Write down the class, what the task is (And when it’s due)
Planner (I use a pre-created planner given to me by the school)
During the school day, write due dates and upcoming tests you’re told about
Write after school to do lists
Daily routine
Go through your normal routine, brush your teeth, comb your hair (It helps keep you calm and prepared)
Only if you have energy to do that and study, if not, put the energy to study (But try and brush your teeth)
Also, put on clothes that make you feel productive (I like wearing button ups and jeans and wear school socks with it)
Check yourself
How are you feeling? Don’t push yourself, but try to get some study done
Are you hydrated? Have you had fruit or vegetables? Something healthy?
What needs to be done? What do you want to do, what do you need to do, what order will keep you motivated, would switching between them be good?
Noise
Do you like listening to music? White noise? Rain? Other sounds? Have a set up of that
What noises distract you, can you block them in anyway?
Do you watch youtubers? A TV show? Movie? How do you watch it, prepare that as you also set up your study space (If you want things there’s a disciplinary skill to put whatever you watch on mute, and look up occasionally)
Phone/Computer Notification Control
Turn off any notifications that aren’t 100% necessary
Focus apps are really good. I use forest (It’s free, but there are paid extras), and the few times I’ve pressed ‘give up’ (a couple were necessary because my parents needed me away from study) I felt bad. But having them grow, it the best thing
That’s all I can really think of for now, so, there you go, I hope those helped you or assisted in you figuring out how to study
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- how your school life could be affected by you being autistic
- how you can productively work around those difficulties, or
- what accommodations you can ask for
so i thought i’d combine all those questions together and talk about everything i could think of about the subject!
Because the video seems quite content heavy, here are my “brief” (yikes...) notes for what i wanted to talk about!
(there might be some things mixed in here that are to do with other disorders/disabilities instead, like dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder as a standalone diagnosis, etc, but to start with some parts of being autistic that could affect you at school are:
- sensory overload if it’s loud/bright/smelly due to sensory sensitivities
- sensory underload if you have to work in silence or aren’t allowed to stim due to sensory processing issues
- difficulty keeping up with the lesson because of trouble processing verbal information
- difficulty writing due to coordination problems/holding a pen being painful for long periods of time/problems with fine motor skills/etc (could be more to do with dyspraxia or other common comorbid conditions)
- difficulty picking out key information, leading to sparse notes/notes with gaps because you took too long writing something easier and missed the next bit/jumbled notes
- trouble remembering information due to executive dysfunction
- trouble concentrating due to executive dysfunction (could also be because of anxiety/sensory overload/overwhelm) (or also specifically because of difficulty tuning out background noise)
- trouble understanding the lesson because of how it’s taught (autistic people might need things explaining in several different ways before we understand)
- difficulty working in groups because of trouble with social skills/anxiety relating to this
- trouble with peers (e.g. bullying/being easily distracted) leading to anxiety/distraction/trouble concentrating) (although this can be a problem for anyone, autistic people might be more vulnerable)
- not being able to ask for help when you need it (either because of difficulty expressing yourself, difficulty communicating, or anxiety leading to reluctance to ask)
- being (or going) semi- or non-verbal (not being able to form speech and express yourself verbally)
- difficulty answering questions correctly because you interpret the question differently/incorrectly, or alternatively because of trouble recognising or expressing your own thoughts (alexythimia)
Some accommodations I can think of off the top of my head for those things are
- for sensory overload or underload - headphones or a hat to muffle noise in class, scented hand cream, cuticle cream or lip balm, stim toys
- being able to leave classes very slightly early between classes might be helpful too, so you’re not in the hallways when everyone else is/it’s very crowded/it’s very loud, to help protect you from overloading and keep your stress levels as low as possible.
- for trouble with keeping up in class (maybe due to verbal processing/struggle taking notes/fine motor skills difficulties) use a laptop or record your classes/lectures.
- get copies of any lesson plans/powerpoints/documents/worksheets they use in class - even more helpful to have ahead of class to follow along with the lesson plan as its taught.
- take a copy of your textbook home if this isn’t something students can normally do (so you can reference it later/go over class material if you got lost in class/have somewhere to look for answers for any questions you have) - good for key point summaries/end of chapter reviews, if you struggle to pick out key points yourself.
- have a teaching assistant with you in class - they can help to repeat content or instructions that you missed/forget, to explain anything you don’t understand, and answer extra questions/rephrase things teachers have said.
- if the stress of working in groups is particularly difficult for you - have a set group/one person in your class as a partner/buddy so there’s always someone familiar/comfortable.
- If you struggle with being distracted, seeing if you can sit apart from certain difficult people, or in a certain place in the classroom (like the front, or the edge of a room so you’re not so surrounded by people)
- being able to leave class if you need to in an emergency (e.g. sensory overload/meltdown/panic attack/overwhelm) - e.g. having a card you get out and put on your desk when you need to leave in an emergency so you don’t have to wait to be dismissed.
- having a quiet space to go to at school e.g. a staff room or a designated empty classroom.
- disclosing your disability to relevant teachers/staff, asking whether your teachers are trained/informed about autistic people, and specifically your needs. (Disclosure is a personal choice and is for your own benefit - you don’t have to do it. (The National Autistic Society a leaflet with lots of autistic traits on it and some accommodations that could be a helpful springboard for your own disclosure letter/writing.) Disclosure via email/letter can take some anxiety out of the conversation as you can prepare in advance + have answers to likely questions prepared (less stress on communication skills and processing).
- for difficulty speaking in front of people, being excused from giving presentations/speaking in front of the class (you might instead give a presentation to a smaller group or just your teacher)
- If you are or go semi- or non- verbal, it’s also good if your teacher knows about that, so they know not to push you if you’re not answering. Sometimes I’m taking too long to answer, people repeat themselves loudly because they think i can’t hear them (instead of me having trouble processing what they’re saying and how to respond) so If you do a big head shake for example, to show that you’ve heard them but can’t reply, that could help communicate to them that you’re paying attention but can’t speak about it.
- if you have difficulty asking for help due to anxiety, a traffic light system of understanding might help. You have a green, amber and red card for understanding that you used to show when you were stuck, and the teacher would come over to you and answer your question. (You don’t have to stop the class/speak in front of the class to ask for help.) Can be easily used class-wide or just you.
- if you have difficulty asking for help due to communication difficulties, highlighting the section/sentence that you’re stuck on could help - instead of having to phrase a question, you can just say ‘please could you rephrase this’, or ‘explain what this word means’ etc. (erasable highlighters are good, or translucent sticky notes if you can’t write on something like a textbook) (highlighting also stops you forgetting which bit you’re stuck on.)
- assistive learning devices, and things like those coloured plastic sheets that you can put over handouts to read, printing handouts on different coloured paper, or pencil grips -these examples are basic; there are lots of good technology/electronic aids
- having extended deadlines for independent projects if you specially request them (if you struggle with executive dysfunction), or instead, your school might will want to deal more with ‘the root of the problem’ by supporting you in getting over the thing you’re struggling with. E.g. for executive dysfunction difficulties, giving you time management strategies/monitoring your work more closely to help remind you/motivate you instead of extended deadlines. (Putting the framework into place for you to complete things on time and supporting you to do this). This may mean extra ‘classes’ at school to go over skills like time management and organisation.
So, general tips for coping with school are:
- Speak to relevant people, telling them your needs/difficulties and asking what help/accomodations/resources are available to you, as well as doing your own research into what could help you
- Structure your life as much as you can- to reduce stress and make sure that executive dysfunction isn’t being a big background mental/capacity drain - like using a bullet journal, planner, apps, alarms, visual prompts for timetables, and routines
- Take time out + prioritise your (autistic) health as best you can, like
stimming
making a safe and sensory-friendly environment to come home to and recharge after school/college/university
carrying a pouch of little stimmy things with you, making sure your clothes are sensory friendly,
making sure you have things like ear defenders/headphones/sunglasses/gloves/hat with you if you’re getting sensory overload
making sure you have sensory friendly food in (and also some foods that don’t need any/much preparation if you’re having a bad day but need to eat)
thinking about what you really enjoy/find calming and scheduling in time every day to do that (also, special interest things!)
And finally, join societies/clubs/something that you’re interested in as a means to meet people. It can be easy to be isolated at school or college as an autistic student, especially if you don’t like or can’t do the things that students typically do to socialise, like party, drinking, or spontaneous plans. Benefits of clubs/societies/evening classes:
something in common is a great basis for approaching someone to make friends with them because it
gives you an automatic conversation opener! It’s easier to be like “hey, I heard you like (a thing), I really like that too, especially (this particular part of it)!”, than if you’re just approaching them with a blank slate.
a structured environment (easier to excuse yourself and to know what to do when you’re there
So, I hope that if you’re finding school tricky, there might be something in there that could ease things a little for you. An important thing to remember that if school is hard for you, it’s probably not because you’re not trying hard enough, but maybe because it’s not accessible for you. Keep going! ✨
Welcome to day 10, I’m tired, have what I assume I’m meant to tell you organisation tips/what I do for organisation. So have at it:
I love to think I’m organised. But if I really look into it, I’m not. I’ve spent years leaving projects, assignments and drafts to the last second. Which, has very recently, come back to bite...in a school sense. For packing and tidying, it’s always been an issue…
Lists.
Lists are my best friend, what do I need to pack to go home, to one friend’s place, to another’s place, what do I need to go to an event, what homework do I have to do, what assignments need what done, when are they due. I used to think they were useless, “Of course I know what I need, I won’t forget anything” truly, the words of a fool with no memory.
I have the worst memory ever seen. Nothing important stays. Information I know about my ex best friend who I haven’t spoken to since I was 11? Memorised.
Information needed for a test because I can’t have a summary booklet/sheet? Who’s she?
Colour/Pen coding notes.
I have 3 pens for each class, plus one highlighter. I have my standard black pen, a coloured pen, a coloured felt tip pen, and the matching colour highlighter
All of them have their uses to what classes need.
For math I use pink. The pink pen used to show any small changes in the example, the felt tip shows what and where instructions go, and the highlighter is for subheadings and formulas.
Classes each have a different set up for what I use the different pens for. Any of my science subjects, have the same formula to how I use them, english is kind of similar, computing has its own weird set up, and Indonesian has something similar to english but also, different.
Separating information from text.
Most of my assignments come in the form of useless information with important information mixed in, and I hate it.
My computing class in particular comes in the for of client requests especially for SACs. And so what I do for this, is I get two copies of the assignment (Whether asking or photocopying) and I go through highlighting one sheet with the important information, and making extra important notes to the side (Due dates, information to include). And then write it all to a seperate sheet that is for my draft information.
There you go, maybe that helps? Maybe you have your own thing.
Hi guys, after chatting about my previous video where I talked about the lack of helpful resources for autistic people, my friend Thomas and I wanted to shar...
Hi guys, after chatting about my previous video where I talked about the lack of helpful resources for autistic people, my friend Thomas and I wanted to share some study tips! If you know of any good resources (school-related, or otherwise!), please leave a comment or message me so I can share them (:
The 2 flashcard apps mentioned: https://www.ankiapp.com/ and https://tinycards.duolingo.com/ (:
The Pomodoro Technique https://francescocirillo.com/pages/po...
(A quick note on this! You might be someone who struggles to go in and out of tasks and is disoriented by starting and stopping something you’re working on - that’s a difficulty that a lot of autistic people have, so it might be better for you to use longer periods of study time before you take a break. That way, you don’t have to worry so much about the difficulty of getting back into it after going away.
It’s a case of thinking about how much time you’re able to effectively concentrate for and making sure that you’re not overloading yourself by not taking breaks regularly enough - if you try to take in too much at a time, the information often stops going in. The Pomodoro technique is about making your time most effective, and that depends on what works for you!)
Hope you enjoy + good luck with your studies!
(a gentle yikes @ my patchy skin - that red complexion & concealer combo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. As a wise friend told me, "acne is a value-neutral attribute, yo!")
Hi Keely! So, for the first time I’ve gotten a mark lower than an 80 on a test, and it’s really shaken me up a bit. I’ve never studied, nor had the need to before, and I think I should start, at least for larger tests. How would you reccomend I go about studying, as I am autistic, it is hard to concentrate on something I don’t want to do. I get bored studying, and often get distracted by other things.
Hiya! I have some tips that I use that may help you too.
1. Always have breaks when studying to help prevent overload. I will study for an hour then take a half an hour break, I will then continue studying for another hour. If you feel yourself getting stressed don’t feel guilty for taking breaks, they’re so important.
2. Put all distractions in another room (your phone, tablet or whatever distracts you) so it’s easier to focus on studying.
3. Have some sensory items, stim toys or fidget toys with you. These will help to keep you calm and focused.
4. Have a schedule/routine for what times you study. This helps me so much because it takes out the worry of forgetting to study or not knowing when to study.
5. Choose a place that you’ll study in and and make it as comfortable as possible. I study in my room with all my sensory lights on because it makes me feel calm and helps me to focus. When I’m stressed or anxious it’s impossible for me to study.
6. If you’re not motivated to study or don’t have enough energy, watch a documentary. I do this when I’m out of energy but still need to study, I search up a documentary on the subject I’m studying and watch it while lying in bed. If I’m doing something like maths I’ll search up a video on the subject I’m studying and watch that. YouTube is a great place for stuff like that.
7. Try to make studying something you enjoy doing and not something you hate. For example you could do quizzes, watch videos, write stories (depending on what subject) or even study with a friend and have a laugh. I don’t really like studying either but I try and make it as fun as possible so I don’t loose interest straight away. I was studying World War 2 history the other day and made a PowerPoint. I didn’t want to write down all the information on paper so I did it in a PowerPoint and designed it and stuff which I really enjoyed. You don’t always have to sit and write on paper for 3 hours, you could do it in other ways.
8. When you’re given a massive sheet of information it can be extremely overloading. Take a highlighter and highlight all the bits that are important and the bits you need to focus on. This way your brain isn’t trying to process every single word which is so overloading and can cause a meltdown or shutdown.
9. Don’t worry if the first time you’ve studied something the information isn’t processing, sometimes it takes a while to stick. Every day (or every several days, every week, whatever suits you) re-read the notes you’ve written to make sure the information sticks in your brain so you remember it for exams. I re-read my notes every week.
10. When studying do one topic at a time and don’t try to do several topics all at once. This is super overloading and none of the information will process. If you need to do more than one topic that day, do one then take a break before doing another one.
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Hi, I have recently been diagnosed with autism. The diagnosis hasn't effected my daily life so much, but I was wondering what is the best way to study that has worked for others with autism? I know this isn't a cut and dry answer, but I would love to hear what everyone has to say! Also, should I consider social therapy??
My answer would really depend on what you’re studying, but I can tell you some stuff that has helped me. When I’m studying for subjects/tests that rely on knowing facts, I use my love of repetition to memorize lists of facts (for, say history classes). This repetition could also work for languages. I also have synesthesia so I match up words based on their colors with each other as a mnemonic device (it’s harder to explain in words, sorry). Relying on repetition and synesthesia is also how I struggled my way through science and math classes since understanding the concepts combined with math always confused me.
In my English/literature classes, I’ll sometimes look up online summaries of whatever I’m reading if I can find them so that I know that I’m focusing on the right thing. Meaning, since autistic people tend to focus on details, we might have a harder time picking out the “important” (according to our teachers) stuff from what we’re reading. But websites like shmoop or sparknotes will give me a good idea of what are the key things to take away from a piece of writing.
Followers? Does anyone else have any studying advice?
This might be an odd q, but how do autistic ppl best learn things? I want to learn about politics but I don't know where to start & I don't know how to memorize facts. I've always had a good memory for general overviews of events and their moral core but concrete facts (names, dates, statistics, the stuff you'd need in a debate) is alien to me. Where do I start? How do I remember things? Can I force it to be a SI even if it's overwhelming and dry rather than cozy? Autistic studying tips? ❤️
Autistic people learn best in all sorts of ways; it depends on the autistic person in question. Some of us are kinesthetic learners. Others are visual learners. Autistic people can be any form of learners. As such, we can’t really give advice on how autistic people learn best.
I’m absolutely terrible at memorizing things so I don’t have any strategies for that. I would recommend trying out different techniques until you find something that works for you.
