Is an AS diagnosis helpful in college

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Would having an AS diagnosis help me in college, or would it depend on my situation? Since I would be going to a community college, I don't know if it would even matter. I'm 27, in case that matters.

I have concerns about college but I don't even know how to express them.

I guess I have concerns that I'm going to struggle with my classwork. I have problems with not remembering things I've just read. Like it goes in one ear and out the other. In high school I would often take a bad grade rather than reading a book because it was too hard to get through it and actually remember what happened. Reading is worse if the subject doesn't interest me.

I'm also slow at classwork and tests. I would often be the last person to finish which is rather stressful to me. I also felt like I needed to rush to meet the time limit.

If the classroom was even slightly noisy, I couldn't concentrate. Things like talking, gum smacking, sucking noises, and sniffling would drive me crazy, but I kept it to myself.

I also tend to zone out a LOT. It's very difficult for me to concentrate on things. Sometimes, even if it's something I like, I will sometimes zone out for a few seconds - just long enough to miss something important.

Sometimes, I couldn't understand the teacher's directions, even though I was listening. I still can't understand and follow directions. I must say that this makes driving a car very difficult. In the car, I often say the laws of the road outloud when I'm unsure. Red means stop, green means go.

I get the feeling that I'm smart but that my brain is lazy or foggy. It's like thinking is too exhausting. I took an online IQ test and it says I'm a little above average, which I find shocking but at the same time, I truly think the test was accurate because I think I really am smart.

I guess maybe I need help learning or with the way I go about my work. I also feel like I need this fog lifted from my brain. I don't know if all this is a part of AS. It could be something else like ADD. Or maybe it's part of my sleep apnea and depression. I do know I had problems in school before I became depressed. Oddly, when I got switched from an easy language arts/english class to a more difficult one, I did better. But then, there were also no distractions in that class. I'm also the type that does better in academic type classes like government or english then in a class like art, home ec or music.

The only thing I rarely had a problem with was writing papers. To me, writing a paper is nothing more than bullsh*tting, and I'm good at that. I wrote my senior english paper on a book I only partly read a year before and barely remembered. I bullsh*tted my way through it and got a B. The only reason I didn't get an A was because of a few grammatical errors and structuring problems, but I was close to that A.

Would having an AS diagnosis help me in college, or would it depend on my situation?

If your school has services for students with disabilities, you would be eligible. They don't do a whole lot to help you in my experience, but they do give you things like exam accommodations (a room to write in alone), or extensions on assignments.

It depends on what sort of resources your school's disability center offers. At my school if you are registered with the disability center, you can register for classes ahead of everyone else which I think would be the best perk because it's a huge school and classes fill up fast. So if you feel there's a certain type of class that's more conducive to your needs (smaller class size, etc.) you'll be sure to get in it.

Also, I like your avatar. It's funny.

It has helped me to received accommodations to helped me academically.

I'm sure, in theory, it should help. Whether it does in practice...is another story.

It can't hurt.

It really sucks to do poorly on a test not because you didn't know the material but because you weren't able to finish it. So if you're able to get that kind of accommodation, go for it!

Accommodations that you can be eligible for include:
-extended time on tests
-separate site testing in a distraction-free environment
-being allowed to record lectures
-note-taking assistance (access to somebody else's notes)
-getting instructions in writing (my instructors are required to give me "clear, concise, written directions" for all assignments)
-preferential seating (in case it bugs you when somebody is sitting in "your" seat)
-alternative text formats (I get my books and articles scanned into the computer, and have access to a computer program that reads the text out loud to me and highlights it on the screen as I follow along)
-extended time on assignments
-being allowed to leave the classroom and take breaks if needed
-access to a disability specialist that can help you work out academic problems, conflicts with instructors, and study skills issues, and can help you find the resources you need, like tutors

So yes, having a diagnosis can make a world of difference!