Individuals with AS and above average intelligence are sometimes in an awkward situation in society I’m a 26-year-old graduate student in educational psychology with a paper published in an academic journal. I also can’t drive, can’t recognize my bus stop in the dark, struggle to recognize faces, group conversations are very difficult for me, the list goes on.
Sometimes when people first meet me they notice my motor clumsiness or social awkwardness and assume me to be developmentally younger than my age in all areas. In school or work situations people are sometimes unsure how to handle my awkward attempts at social chit chat. Yet, I could talk about one of the latest theories for working with children with autism and implement it successfully with a child.
Sometimes people don’t even notice they are treating me different than their peers. Or sometimes they are friendly with me, but stare wondering why I do things a certain way.
It’s frustrating to have to ask for a seat on the bus because I can’t balance on the poles, to have to ask for help tying a child’s shoe on a job working with children, to ask for directions to an obvious place, but over the years I have learned to ask for help with these things, even if it is awkward.
This year, for one of the first times, I have classmates coming to me for help. There is a research methods course in our graduate program and my undergraduate experiences gave me more research opportunities than most of them. Still, the same classmates that ask me for help may be the ones helping me find a place on campus.
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2 comments:
It's really exciting that your classmates are coming to you for help.
And a lot of recipriocal relationships could come from that, as they help you on campus.
I admire your honesty about your experiences. I think it is definitely okay to ask for help. Everyone has to at some time or another, even people who do not have any type of illness or disability. I think it's great that you are doing so well to be a graduate student despite the challenges you've had to face. I am struggling through college with Schizoaffective Disorder - which is different from Asperger's of course but still a challenge - and I know how hard it can be. Congratulations on your accomplishments!
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