Unable to take notes

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Even if I recorded the lecture, it wouldn't help, as it would be presented in an auditory form, and with the same fast talking speed. I need text/notes in order to be able to understand the material.

Have you ever tried a different kind of note-taking, such as mind mapping? I find I can mind map much faster than I can take notes. I may miss some details, but I can follow the main gist of the information and then I can fill in holes with my reading.

Yep, this is an ASD quality. I could keep notes in the classes that pertained to my special interests (because I can focus on that), but even then I could miss things because of my sensory issues. I used a note-taker a few times, but I find that I learn better when I take the notes myself. My province bought me a laptop (through the disability equipment bursary) to type my notes on instead of having to write by hand. Because I can type almost faster than I can think, I can catch WAY more than if I was hand-writing. This might sound odd (?) but some of the times, I still have no idea what the prof is saying until I go back and read what I've typed. My brain can take it in enough for my fingers to type the words, but even a few seconds later I couldn't tell you what I had just typed. For the things that I miss, I just have to ask someone or try to find it in my textbook.

I also had a lot of trouble with verbal directions in my undergrad too. I can recall in my Chemistry labs, we were given a very ambiguous list of steps for our labs. The details of these written steps came from videos that they made us watch/listen to. I had NO idea what I was supposed to do, and ONLY made it through those labs because they forced me to work with a partner (who, thankfully, had more ability to take in the oral directions than I did). I had an A average though, and I felt soooo stupid in those labs because I was so lost with the directions.

I am the same way, my high school teachers hated me for it. But I tried the first semester with pen and paper. The problem I ran into is the professor was talking faster than I could write AND I would lose the paper I wrote the notes on OR there would be drawings on them from getting distracted or my repetitive writing. So I asked my disability services for use of a laptop in class (some professors don't allow them) and my grades have been way better.

Maybe a laptop would work, if not a note taker is good too.

Depending on what country you're from, there are provisions in place that allow persons with disabilities to utilize software programs and what not to aid in lessons. Using something as cheap and simple as a dictophone or recording device can help tremendously. After "taping" the lectures, one can go back to their dorm/house/wherever and listen to it in sections and write down anything important or test-related. This allows for a recap of the classroom lecture and lets the student take notes or study at their own pace.

Yes, I see what you mean. Hard to pull any kind of topics from these.

Maybe experiment with the middle of sentences? Although that is still kind of a wild card.

And when you have the time, maybe experiment with notes from movies you don't mind seeing again or youtube lectures. I can sometimes surprise myself by taking a nonskill to a good-enough skill if I 'dance' it. Meaning if I try different things without putting a lot of pressure on myself.

All the same, for the sake of this semester, either with the help of Student disABILITY Services or without them, sure seems like you have to get some source of ready made notes.

Yes. It doesn't work for me if the notes are presented in a form of an auditory lecture.



When I'm trying to take notes, I can't even deduce the middles of sentences and write them down. When I'm trying to write something down, five other sentences had been already said, and I end up having only ~2-3 words written down from every ~1 out of 5 sentences.

I have that problem too, and then the lecturer moves on and I miss out on so much. and when I get home I see key words I jotted down and have no idea what I meant. I don't think it's that uncommon a problem though, because in a course I took once, there were some 30 students and one of the lecturers was just giving us oral presentations and the students stopped him time and again because they needed to catch up. It wasn't just me. He ended up giving us copies of the stuff he went through and that worked so much better for everyone.


I notice the same problem even when I'm copying a text, lyrics whatever. I can only remember some 2 or 3 words at a time. I have very poor working memory. That is likely an AS thing, from what I've seen.