*waves* *smiles awkwardly* *wanders off*

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Hi there.

I am Andria/Andy/Andy-Pandy/etc.
I like turtles, swings, soft things, and purple.
I dislike humans, public transport, and Primark.

I'm currently in my last term of a BA in audio/music technical stuff.
I'm also currently trying to get a proper diagnosis.

I know I'm on the spectrum somewhere, and I've known for about the last 10 years. It's taken me that long to work up the courage to tell someone. The only reason I am seeking a diagnosis now is because I'm realizing with school how much my social inability, peculiarities, and overall distance from the outside world is affecting my life, and I intend on applying to grad school within the next year. When I do that, I want to be able to explain to my instructors that while my IQ is through the roof, there are a lot of simple things that I find extraordinarily difficult. Those things include making/returning phone calls, dealing with other people, arranging things in such a way that I can get them accomplished, and generally being able to speak in a coherent manner.

Current problems I'm having:
- Yes, I can argue my thesis on paper. No, I can't sit here and argue the topic with you. No, it isn't a weak argument, I JUST CAN'T PUT IT INTO WORDS RIGHT NOW. Aaargh.
- Yes, I have musicians who'd help me with my recording project. Why haven't I recorded them? Because I can't bring myself to call them, or if I do manage that, I can't figure out how to arrange a time for them to come work with me. If I do get that far, I still can't convey what I actually want from them. By this point I've usually managed to offend them in some way anyways. Crap.
- I don't want you, teachers, or my fellow students to call me. I don't care if it's important, calling me won't accomplish anything. Seriously. You've tried and failed. Why must you keep trying? Why don't you send me an email or a nice little text message? Being able to see my words makes it much easier.
- Don't ask me to move to the front/center of class when I've chosen a seat slightly away from everyone else. I choose those seats for a reason. If I get nervous, can't answer questions, and end up leaving in the middle of class because the guy next to me is making weird squishy noises with his mouth that are seriously bugging me, it's your fault.
- When I have to ask you to explain an ambiguous concept and make it more defined, please do not respond with this sentence: "Andria, I know you're very intelligent, why aren't you getting this?" I am tired of hearing it, and I don't yet have a way of telling you the truth and backing it up.

In general, I don't think grad school will be as forgiving as the tiny school I attend at the moment, and I think I'm going to need a lot of help and understanding along the way. If anyone else has been in this kind of situation, I'd be glad to here from you.

Hugs, cupcakes, and small furry creatures of doom,
Andy

Welcome to WP!

Hi Andria, welcome to Wrong Planet

Always a pleasure.

Welcome to WP... your avatar is so cute!!

*eats all the cupcakes* .... oh, hello by the way

Hey,

Welcome!

What kind of music do you do? I'm a violist, and I would love to hear some stuffs if you have anything recorded.

Your topic title is the best one I've seen yet. I have done that soooo many times...



Viola

I am also new on here. Your story sounds very, very similar to mine, except I study literature mostly. But I too am a good writer and prefer that as a mode of communication, freak out about phone contact of any kind, and have gotten the incredulous, "You really aren't getting this? But you're smart" my entire life. A couple of weeks ago I was officially diagnosed with AS and ADHD.

For me, the traits have been there all along, but didn't really start being a problem until I moved from my tiny and mostly nurturing undergraduate college to an academically rigorous and competitive graduate school. That said, I would encourage you to take heart: with the bigger and "better" school sometimes comes top-notch disability support. For example, with the help of a newly appointed learning specialist, I was able to plan out and write the first essay I've written since high school about which I can truly say I feel proud. So maybe that could be the case for you as well.

I was also very careful to find a flexible program that would let me more or less pursue whatever interests I wanted, and once I got here I asked around to find a few professors whose teaching style "goes" with the way I'm able to learn. (Large papers at the end of the term as opposed to short papers throughout, minimal courses with required exams, etc.) For class discussions, I also sometimes sit down the night before and prepare a few brief notes about what I'm thinking. Looking around some days, I've noticed that even the (presumably) NT grad students do this.

Anyway, I would say that if you're seriously considering grad school, do your homework, but don't chicken out. I love it ten million (okay, maybe not that much, but many) times more than undergrad, to such an extent that I maintain that, managed correctly, some things about AS can make you a dream graduate student. (You get to think and obsess all day! You get to spend all your time on your special interests! And this helps you get ahead in life! Woo!)

Thanks.