Requesting accomodations for the first time in years?

[KandelDragon]

Hello! I'm an autistic first year college student, and have been professionally diagnosed since the age of 3. I have not had any sort of academic accommodation or IEP since elementary school, however, now that I am in university I am genuinely considering requesting extra exam time from my school's disabilities services.

I've felt I needed extended time for a while, now. I really enjoy solving complex puzzles and am fairly good at it recreationally, but I am... considerably slow. It is hard for me to efficiently convey an answer to a problem, especially an open ended one, and I often get lost elaborating on details and side tangents and edge cases. Needless to say, this makes timed tests something of a nightmare.

My mom is aware of this and sympathetic. However, she works as a high school counselor and has vented to me about how frustrated she gets with kids asking for time accommodations when she does not think they require them. This has prevented me from broaching the subject with her. And... I understand where she is coming from, I know there are a lot of people acting in bad faith willing to exploit the system to give themselves an unfair advantage. But- although I only have anecdotal evidence of my testing struggles- I think this might be something I legitimately need. Or, at very least, it couldn't hurt to discuss.

However, I really don't want to disappoint her, or make it look like I've regressed- the reason I haven't had an IEP since elementary school was that it was thought I no longer needed it. How should I bring up the topic with her? Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Crossbreed]

How did you do on your SAT or ACT?

I did well, but each had a section that I didn't complete due to their time limits.
I didn't know that I was autistic, so I didn't request extra time.

 

[Progster]

What is IEP? First of all, being in college is different from being at school: different environment, different demands, different responsibilites, so it's not really possible to compare one with the other. Needs for accommodations can change according to environment.

Secondly, while it may be true that some kids ask for accommodations when they don't need them, many kids have a geniune need and it would be unfair to deny them access for the sake of one or two who don't. Each case needs to be individually assessed and evaluated.

If your need is genuine, then you have no reason to feel bad about asking for accommodations. You are entitled to them. To approach your mother, write down what you struggle with, what accommodations you need, and then present her with it. Talk it through with her. If your need is geniune and you really can benefit from accommodations, she should be sympathetic and listen.

 

[Thinx]

I am not sure why you actually need to involve your mother in this? If you (and she, from what you say) regard you as fit to cope and make your own decisions, she can't really want to be the person who controls what you, as an adult, decide? Try asking for this, and see what college advise.

Extra time may be useful, and perhaps they can also coach you about how to use it, so you don't spend it all in doing stuff that's unnecessary and will waste your word count. Extra time isn't useful if you run out of words, as they may not read more than the word quota. Find out how it works, and get an updated assessment if possible to target your needs better.

 

[Mary Terry]

What is IEP? First of all, being in college is different from being at school: different environment, different demands, different responsibilites, so it's not really possible to compare one with the other. Needs for accommodations can change according to environment.

Secondly, while it may be true that some kids ask for accommodations when they don't need them, many kids have a geniune need and it would be unfair to deny them access for the sake of one or two who don't. Each case needs to be individually assessed and evaluated.

If your need is genuine, then you have no reason to feel bad about asking for accommodations. You are entitled to them. To approach your mother, write down what you struggle with, what accommodations you need, and then present her with it. Talk it through with her. If your need is geniune and you really can benefit from accommodations, she should be sympathetic and listen.

IEP is individualized education plan, I think.

 

[Bolletje]

Hey, you should ask for the accommodations you think you need, regardless of what your mom might think about it. While it might not always feel that way, ASD can be a disability and if there are accommodations in place that help you function to your fullest with it, embrace those! Life is hard enough without making it harder for yourself.

 

[KandelDragon]

How did you do on your SAT or ACT?

I did well, but each had a section that I didn't complete due to their time limits.
I didn't know that I was autistic, so I didn't request extra time.

I didn't ask for extra time either. It was actually really interesting- the first time I took a graded practice SAT exam, my performance was really mediocre. I don't think I managed to finish a single section. However, my father's advice (who is also very likely autistic as well and has had very similar struggles to me with standardized testing) was to treat the test as a game to be studied out, with niche strategies. So I did, checking out an SAT prep book that prescribed strange time saving techniques such as never actually reading the whole passage on the reading section, but instead doing all the questions that reference specific lines first and then using what you've gathered from those few select quotes to answer the more general thematic questions. It was very specific to the SAT's structure (and thus impossible to generalize to any other test) but applying those strategies resulted in a 400 point score increase.

My conclusion from that experience is the one thing standardized tests are good for is measuring how good someone is at taking standardized tests.

 

[Bolletje]

My conclusion from that experience is the one thing standardized tests are good for is measuring how good someone is at taking standardized tests.

Amen to that.

 

[Rectify]

How should I bring up the topic with her? Any suggestions would be appreciated

I hope I've read your post correctly. If I have my question is: do you need to bring up this matter with your Mum? Could you just go straight to your university disability service?

 

[FIVER]

Hello! I'm an autistic first year college student, and have been professionally diagnosed since the age of 3. I have not had any sort of academic accommodation or IEP since elementary school, however, now that I am in university I am genuinely considering requesting extra exam time from my school's disabilities services.

I've felt I needed extended time for a while, now. I really enjoy solving complex puzzles and am fairly good at it recreationally, but I am... considerably slow. It is hard for me to efficiently convey an answer to a problem, especially an open ended one, and I often get lost elaborating on details and side tangents and edge cases. Needless to say, this makes timed tests something of a nightmare.

My mom is aware of this and sympathetic. However, she works as a high school counselor and has vented to me about how frustrated she gets with kids asking for time accommodations when she does not think they require them. This has prevented me from broaching the subject with her. And... I understand where she is coming from, I know there are a lot of people acting in bad faith willing to exploit the system to give themselves an unfair advantage. But- although I only have anecdotal evidence of my testing struggles- I think this might be something I legitimately need. Or, at very least, it couldn't hurt to discuss.

However, I really don't want to disappoint her, or make it look like I've regressed- the reason I haven't had an IEP since elementary school was that it was thought I no longer needed it. How should I bring up the topic with her? Any suggestions would be appreciated

I would make an appointment with the counselor at your school and make the request. People need extra time for various reasons and this makes sense. You have to trust your own gut. Cite your ASD diagnosis and tell them the reason why you didn't have an IEP. You are transitioning to a new school. It all just makes sense.

 

[FIVER]

Hello! I'm an autistic first year college student, and have been professionally diagnosed since the age of 3. I have not had any sort of academic accommodation or IEP since elementary school, however, now that I am in university I am genuinely considering requesting extra exam time from my school's disabilities services.

I've felt I needed extended time for a while, now. I really enjoy solving complex puzzles and am fairly good at it recreationally, but I am... considerably slow. It is hard for me to efficiently convey an answer to a problem, especially an open ended one, and I often get lost elaborating on details and side tangents and edge cases. Needless to say, this makes timed tests something of a nightmare.

My mom is aware of this and sympathetic. However, she works as a high school counselor and has vented to me about how frustrated she gets with kids asking for time accommodations when she does not think they require them. This has prevented me from broaching the subject with her. And... I understand where she is coming from, I know there are a lot of people acting in bad faith willing to exploit the system to give themselves an unfair advantage. But- although I only have anecdotal evidence of my testing struggles- I think this might be something I legitimately need. Or, at very least, it couldn't hurt to discuss.

However, I really don't want to disappoint her, or make it look like I've regressed- the reason I haven't had an IEP since elementary school was that it was thought I no longer needed it. How should I bring up the topic with her? Any suggestions would be appreciated

You are an adult now. You don't need permission from her.

 

[FIVER]

I am sorry for my abrupt short comment above. I struggled in school with no accommodation. This was a long time ago. I was reacting from past trauma. Transitions are hard. Having help with this to ease the transition to university is not wrong. Perhaps once you get used to university, you won't need accommodation after a while. I know you might feel guilty about getting accommodation. I was also told to suck it up. It wasn't until after I was an adult and going to college I was told how and what to do to prepare for a test and how to take a test.
I learned that studying in an empty classroom helped. My grades improved.

 

[WolfSpirit]

Hello! I'm an autistic first year college student, and have been professionally diagnosed since the age of 3. I have not had any sort of academic accommodation or IEP since elementary school, however, now that I am in university I am genuinely considering requesting extra exam time from my school's disabilities services.

I've felt I needed extended time for a while, now. I really enjoy solving complex puzzles and am fairly good at it recreationally, but I am... considerably slow. It is hard for me to efficiently convey an answer to a problem, especially an open ended one, and I often get lost elaborating on details and side tangents and edge cases. Needless to say, this makes timed tests something of a nightmare.

My mom is aware of this and sympathetic. However, she works as a high school counselor and has vented to me about how frustrated she gets with kids asking for time accommodations when she does not think they require them. This has prevented me from broaching the subject with her. And... I understand where she is coming from, I know there are a lot of people acting in bad faith willing to exploit the system to give themselves an unfair advantage. But- although I only have anecdotal evidence of my testing struggles- I think this might be something I legitimately need. Or, at very least, it couldn't hurt to discuss.

However, I really don't want to disappoint her, or make it look like I've regressed- the reason I haven't had an IEP since elementary school was that it was thought I no longer needed it. How should I bring up the topic with her? Any suggestions would be appreciated

No suggestions for dealing with your mother, but when I first registered with DSS at University years ago, it was just assumed that every disabled student registered there needed extra time on their exams. (time and a half, typically. If you needed double time, however, then there was a need for discussion and evidence and etc.).

One note: if you haven't had accommodations for several years, the University will require a new assessment of your needs. It needs to be current. (at least I assume this applies, no matter what country you're in.)

 

[WolfSpirit]

Hey, you should ask for the accommodations you think you need, regardless of what your mom might think about it. While it might not always feel that way, ASD can be a disability and if there are accommodations in place that help you function to your fullest with it, embrace those! Life is hard enough without making it harder for yourself.

One other comment to add: Just because you don't always need the accommodations you're entitled to, or even have written down in your documentation, doesn't mean you don't deserve to have them, and enforce them!! Something my first autism specialist assured me of, one time when I suddenly needed to use my accommodations letter considerably more than I had in a while. As she reminded me "that's why it's there!" . It can be hard sometimes to deal with, and explain, invisible disabilities, precisely because of the 'moving target' nature of our difficulties. (or 'hit and miss', or 'peek-aboo', depending on your preference, but more and more the technical term is becoming 'moving target')

 

[WolfSpirit]

I hope I've read your post correctly. If I have my question is: do you need to bring up this matter with your Mum? Could you just go straight to your university disability service?

Universities generally prefer to deal with the student directly, as everybody's presumed to be an adult, and therefore responsible for themselves. Especially later on. Of course, that doesn't mean that, on a personal level, you won't have to deal with your mother's reaction, but she can be informed later, after you and the University have made the decision. (of course, if you need her help to pay for the new assessment, that's another issue, but again, might be easier to get if the University's DSS department has already agreed it's reasonable.