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A story about a neurodiverse student managing their post-secondary schooling and living away from home.<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"295ab3a2-12ee-4bb1-8042-c0efaf65f86d"},"title":"Being a Neurodiverse Student by Sarah Walker"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

I am a neurodiverse student, which I was aware of before I began my university journey. When I was in the process of receiving a psychoeducational assessment so that I could receive accommodations in university, it confirmed one diagnosis I already had. I received two others that I did not know that I had, but that made everything make sense.
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\nNipissing University's Student Accessibility Services department was fantastic at ensuring that I was receiving the accommodations that I needed and helping me become a better self-advocate, but that does not erase the fact that I was a neurodiverse student in a neurotypical institution and world.
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\nLiving four hours away from home, I quickly became overwhelmed at balancing academics, extracurriculars, and domestic tasks. I didn't understand why I was so exhausted from doing the same things that others did with no problems. I knew that my neurodivergent would affect my ability to do tasks. Still, I felt like the level of energy it was taking to survive, not even thrive, was disproportionate to the amount of work I was putting in. I tried so hard to extend myself grace, but I was so frustrated with myself since going to university had always been a dream of mine, and it was not anything like I expected. I felt as though I was proving everyone in my life right when they said that I would never be capable enough to attend university. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"06f4cf45-7155-45b3-b701-037a75acc16c"},"title":"The Wicked Problem"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

One of the most challenging decisions I made was to decrease my course load from five courses to four. I was worried about whether that would affect my OSAP, how it would affect my graduating on time and what other people would think of me. I eventually realized that if I did not decrease my course load, I would burn out in my first semester of university, and then the rest would be moot. That decision may have been one of my most challenging, but it was also one of the best decisions I have ever made. With only four courses on my plate, I finally felt like I had time to breathe again, and since I was not panicked all the time, it was easier for me to focus. As it turns out, I could make up for the two missing courses in the spring\/summer semester, which allows me to remain on track and keep my workload manageable.
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\nHowever, that does not mean that life with four courses was easy for me. Some days I would set time aside to work and want to, but I could not physically do the work. I used to get so frustrated with myself because I knew that I had deadlines approaching and that I could do the job well, but I could not take the final step of committing words to the paper. I thought that my problem was that I was not motivated enough, so I tried focusing on what my degree would lead to before I started working on a task that did not work for me. All that did was make me more frustrated. I felt like I was letting my younger self down because I could not understand why I was not more grateful when I had this opportunity.
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\nI did not realize that my difficulty getting work done was a symptom of executive dysfunction associated with my neurodiversity until one of the videos I watched about motivation mentioned that the two are easily confused in neurodiverse people. I felt better when I realized my difficulty starting tasks and getting work done as part of how my brain works, not because I was lazy or unmotivated. However, just because I could identify the reason behind my struggle does not mean that I overcame the struggle. I now know different coping skills I can use to work with my brain, not against it, but I will always be affected by executive dysfunction. I realized a long time ago that it does me no good to treat my brain like something to be fought against when I could be more effective and kind to myself by giving myself grace. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"cc7a616d-a747-40f2-a4fd-15de33466b82"},"title":"Finding a Solution"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

The best thing that you can do for yourself, whether you are a neurodiverse student or not, is to figure out how to work to play to your strengths. Just because everyone else appears to be doing it one way does not mean that it is the only way to do it or even the best way to do it. My university journey may look a little unconventional, and I may not follow the same tips that others in my program are, but at the end of my four years, I will have the same degree that they will. The best way to figure out what learning strategies will work for you is to try various them, preferably in low-risk settings. Because of my neurodiversity, I need to do extra work to memorize information, as memorizing is a lot of work. I tried various memorization tips, from mnemonics to flashcards, until I found the right strategy for me. The tip is you're trying out a new approach to not depend on it before a test or exam if it is not the right technique for you, and you fail to retain the information. Instead, try out the different methods when there is no pressure on you to perform, such as after homework to see if you can retain the information from your lesson the next day.
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\nThe most important thing that I want you to take away from this is compassion for yourself. Somehow or another, the work will get done. It may take more energy than you thought it would, and it may take more time than you would prefer it to, but it will get done. However, the work getting done is not more important than yourself. You need to have compassion and care for yourself because you are worthy of your productivity no matter the level of your productivity. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"f45df715-e68a-4d12-b801-fbfaa61744a2"},"title":"Final Thoughts"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

Walker, S. (2021, October 7). Being a Neurodiverse Student<\/em>. Liberated Learners. https:\/\/wicked.liberatedlearner.ca\/learner\/being-a-neurodiverse-student\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","subContentId":"e2bf0b61-4062-484b-883d-48c464ca1187","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"}},"title":"APA Reference"}],"hTag":"h2"}

Being a Neurodiverse Student

Liam Peart