Learning and Autism

Greetings Earthlings! 😀

Leading on from my previous posts about autism and memory, IQ, and studying, this week I’d like to talk about the topic of autism and academic learning.

First things first, autism is NOT a learning disability. It’s a neurodevelopmental disorder which impacts how our brain develops and the rate at which it develops having an impact on motor learning, social learning, language learning etc. That being said, ASD‘s can be co-morbid with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD and dysgraphia.

Everyone’s academic learning journey is unique, especially among autists. Autists can have problems concentrating in classrooms due to sensory sensitivities, issues with social skills can make it harder to interpret teaching cues, and difficulties with executive functioning and information processing can make it hard to process new information.

I’ve always had a passion for academic learning, but even I’ve had my struggles. I struggled hugely with maths in my teenage years. Once letters came into equations I regularly had meltdowns and got overwhelmed when I couldn’t immediately make sense of the topic. One of my most enduring memories of school is throwing my maths book at the wall mid meltdown while doing my homework 🙈

Buuuuuttttt I would usually be able to make sense of the exercises once the meltdown had passed. My teachers unfortunately didn’t understand this (the joys of being undiagnosed) which often made my learning journey challenging. Had I been given the opportunity to work slowly 1:1 with maths, I would have picked topics up a lot quicker.

Everyone’s learning style is different, especially when considering the challenges of autism. There are several different learning styles:

Visual learning– where learners take in information better visually through pictures, graphs and mind maps to help make connections
Auditory learning– where learners listen to information for optimal processing
Verbal learning– using verbal approaches like reading out loud and mnemonic devices
Reading/writing learning– classical learning approach by reading and writing
Kinesthetic learning– physical learning by doing tasks or needing to move while learning
Logical learning– where logic and pattern recognition skills are used to connect concepts
Social/Interpersonal learning– where you learn best by observing others, and talking and communicating with a social group
Solitary/Intrapersonal learning– where you just need to be by yourself to learn on your own with no distractions

Sometimes a mix of learning styles can be the best approach- I have employed all of these styles at different points in my life, but I would largely fall into the visual and kinesthetic learner categories. Seeing things drawn out and or doing tasks is often the best way for me to process information. For example, I tend to take notes using coloured pens as the visual stimulation from the colours makes it easier to process and retain the information.

There are so many different ways to learn, it’s just a matter of sitting down and figuring out what kind of learning style works for you, or working out a plan to limit classroom issues like sensory challenges that can derail your learning process. Lot’s of apps and supports are available for autists these days that can help make learning a lot easier.

The key thing is to not get discouraged. No two autists are the same and it can take a while to find what learning style works for you. When I took maths and biostatistics in college, the lectures were overwhelming, but once I sat down to a tutorial session where we worked hands on with the sums in an intimate environment, I flew through the work and got excellent marks in my exams. It takes time, but once you find the right approach, learning can be a breeze 😊

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

February 7, 2024 3

Autism and Sensory Pods

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about sensory pods and how they can be beneficial for autists!

So first things first, what is a sensory pod?

A sensory pod is an enclosed space designed to be calming and relaxing for autists. Each pod can be different but they are generally soundproofed to reduce outside noise, dimly lit with LED lighting (which has been scientifically linked to behavioural improvements) and may have cushions or a comfortable mat to sit on. Pods may also allow you to adjust the temperature, play white noise, project visuals on the wall, and you can further add in sensory toys, weighted blankets, vests, plushies etc. As autists can struggle with sensory processing and overload, sensory pods are an ideal way to help manage an overwhelming situation. You can see a video about sensory pods here:

I recently booked into the sensory pod on the Carlow campus of South East Technological University (SETU) to give it a try. The university has two sensory pods in the library that neurodivergent students can avail of for time out, or even just a quiet place to study.

So what was my experience like?

I can highly recommend the sensory pod. While it was a bit awkward climbing into it as a fully grown adult in her thirties, once I was lying down in the pod it was so soothing. The room was kitted out with an interactive screen on the wall where you could avail of streaming services like Netflix to take some chill time out from your studies. There was a mirror on the wall with a panel of dials to adjust the lighting to your liking- blue, green, red, white and even no lights. The college even provided a USB mouse and keyboard that students could avail of if using the pod to study. Lying there on the squishy mat, I could easily have fallen asleep with the sounds of the library dulled around me. You would forget that you were in the middle of a busy college campus on a Friday evening!

It’s great to see a sensory facility like this for neurodivergents in an academic institution, I would love to have had something like this to study in back when I was in university (then again, I was only diagnosed as I was leaving third level education 🙃).

I also had the opportunity to try out the sensory room on campus which I will talk about in my next post.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

November 17, 2023 2

Autism and Studying

Greetings Earthlings! 😀

This week I’d just like to write a quick post about studying and autism.

studying

Knuckling down and studying can be hard at the best of times, but even more so for an autist. There are often learning challenges such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and concentration issues with ADHD which can make studying quite tricky. Frustrated meltdowns when things aren’t clicking can also be tough to navigate (can’t tell you how many times I chucked my maths book at the wall trying to study!😂).

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So here are some of my top tips for studying on the spectrum:

Stimming-Self stimulatory behaviours can be a useful way of channeling excess brain activity. By having a stress ball, a pen to chew or something to fidget with can help to free up your mind and allow you to better concentrate on the topic you’re studying.

Make it Visual- Autists are often very visual and highly creative, many operating between both the logical left and creative right hemispheres of the brain at the same time (due to the absence of a connecting bundle of nerves that splits the brain in two). Making things visual using graphs, videos and images can help to improve concentration by stimulating the creative right hemisphere of the brain instead of the usual logical left.

Aoife’s top tip: Use coloured pens for note taking. This was one of the best pieces of advice that my art teacher gave me as it really helped my concentration and retention levels by manipulating neuroscience! However, be careful with the colour choices as some autists can be hypersensitive to certain colours like yellow. Find the colours your child likes and buy lots of pens in those colours for them to write out their notes. My friends in college often told them how happy my notes made them as a rainbow of colour waved back at them every time I opened my notebook 😂

Bribery– I know this is one of my more common tips for managing numerous autistic traits, buuuut bribery is one of the best motivators! Concentration wasn’t always an issue for me when studying, but motivation was. When it came to boring subjects I just tuned out, so my mother traded me gaming hours for hours spent studying- 2 hours study meant 2 hours on the Playstation! It proved highly effective! 😂

Set small goals and take frequent breaks– This can be tricky for the all or nothing autistic mind, as once you get going, you tend to want to get it all done at once, which can often lead to frustration when you’ve pushed your brain past it’s limits. Setting small goals and taking regular breaks can be one of the best ways to study, especially where concentration levels can be an issue. Focusing on one small task at a time can build up a sense of achievement and encourage you to keep going without getting overwhelmed and frustrated. To this day I still do this at home or in work when I get overwhelmed by the volume of tasks that need to be completed.

Focus on what you can do before tackling more challenging subjects– One of the most commonly advised exam strategies is to complete the questions you do know first before going back to the harder ones to avoid getting overwhelmed and to build up your confidence. The same goes for studying- I’ve used this mantra several times of late when I’m writing to get me started on a task and keep from getting overwhelmed and it never fails! It’s not the easiest habit to form for an autist (as logic dictates everything should be done in exact order), but once you get in on it everything becomes so much easier 🙂

Take advantage of all available aids– when it comes to exam time, accept the help of a scribe or a reader (if you’ve dysgraphia or dyslexia) and take any extra time offered to you. Educational departments understand that autists often need a little extra time and help during exams, so if you need it take it- there’s no shame in asking for it. I was past my schooling by the time I got my diagnosis, but it would have been nice to have had a little extra time for exams when awkward questions threw me, or at least the comfort of knowing it was there if needed.

If you follow these tips you’ll be studying like a pro before long!

And always remember- it’s just temporary! We all have to study at some point (unless you’re one of the lucky few with an eidetic memory) to get to where we need to go, but it’s not forever, just keep focusing on the finish line and you won’t go wrong 🙂

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