I was unaware I was autistic until I was an adult. In school, I never had accommodations because of the lack of that diagnosis. When I was discouraged about a certain assignment, I didn’t get help; I got motivation, and that can be good, but only to a point.
I am the type of person who needs to be shown how to do things verbally and visually, and that is harder to do when you have tests or homework. Autistics don’t need to be told: “You can do it!” because that is not how our brains work. We think logically, and when we don’t understand something, being explained one-on-one goes a long way more than being told to do our best.
I was never a good test-taker. I think if I had someone read me the questions and be in an environment with just me and that one person, I would have done better during tests. Motivation can only go so far, and to be honest, it feels like they just don’t want to help. Instead of saying they believe in you and that you can do it, they need to show that they truly want you to succeed.
I struggled through school so much, but once I was in classes that taught you how to study and helped you take tests with the teacher, and when I got accommodations in university so I could have an extra chance to do homework or tests, I started getting better grades, and then I graduated. I succeeded in graduating and getting good grades because of the accommodations I was granted.
If we start helping students and make sure they are diagnosed early in life, especially young girls who are often overlooked even when they do the same things as young boys do, they are seen as shy or quiet. I think that is what happened to me. The sooner a child is diagnosed, the sooner they can get help in school and get the accommodations that will lead to a successful school life.
