highly educated? and Aspergers?

Post Reply New Topic

Yes. That is the same for me. Even the requirements of having to go from one subject to the next re the tute and lecture timetable was too much shifting and dynamic change in a day, for this little ASD person. I tended to waft around the grounds of Sydney University on my own as a young twenty years old. The memory of having a wonderful brain, and yet not being able to fit and not even knowing why (i was not diagnosed until age 46-47) remains painful and raw.

I've started this year with applied mathematics and applied physics bachelors (Yes that are two different tracks, and I know I'm crazy ) at a university in the Netherlands.

"High school" (the system here is of course different, but this is close to my three last years) was quite boring and frustrating. There were subject I quite disliked and were hard for me. Mostly languages and other mandatory subjects (some quite useless). Though the four beta subjects were too simple for me, I didn't make any homework for them and past almost every exam as the best of my class. The most boring and difficult were the books I had to read for literature and the essays (I hate those because they were always for the less interesting subjects) I had to write.

Now I'm happy and the courses are not that easy any more . I'm planning to have my first BSC in about three years.

I graduated with high honors with a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering.

I am a diagnosed Aspie and have two degrees
B.S. special education and M.Ed special education
My daughter with ASperger Syndrome is intelligent enough to go to college, but I don't know if she will due to anxiety. I am not sure about the other two kids I have with AS.

I couldn´t get a degree yet. I dropped out of college last semester. It was my last semester at college (only 3 disciplines to go) and I left college because of the depression and because I wasn´t interested in it anymore. My psychologist advised me that because of my unstable depression (sometimes good sometimes bad) I was not in the condition of going to college and that I should commit myself to psychological treatment first. . It was the best economics college in my country but I intent to study something else in the future...

I have a Juris Doctor.

Part of the problem with the "struggle with school" paradigm is not always true. It is not always an academic issue as more of a social or environmental issue. I have met folks with AS and other ASD who have Ph.D.s. There has also been aspies here who complain about Academia who have Ph.Ds. I think the stereotype tends to be one more of overeducated and under employed or unemployed, than one of lacking academic credentials. There are tons of aspies with Masters and Doctorates who just struggle finding work because of difficulty with social skills.

With that being said, some of us fall into the savant category. I had a college understanding of history, economics and social science when I was 13...not norm

Perhaps true in some regards. There are many ASD people with quals who cannot go on to navigate the complexities of the workplace environment, Certainly the social and the environmental on campus, are issues for many aspies and contribute to a difficulty with regards to fulfilling the requirements of a degree.

For some of us however, the issue is that we cannot fit our autistic minds into the academic paradigm. That is a fact. Brilliance may be there, but the academic strictures or requirements conflict with the self-propulsion of the special interest (which may exist on its own terms and cannot be confined.) Look At Michelle Dawson from Canada. She is a perfect example. That is why I considered going straight into a Masters Degree. There was more freedom. But still, the requirements - even of a research Masters - would impinge on the free-flow of my specials interest too much. I follow my own singular autodiactic processes and clipping them or confining them by way of degree requirements is completely unrealistic. And I have tried. If that is not an issue for you, that is simply wonderful. Others can achieve in the academic realm and I am happy for them and think it is wonderful to see ASD people achieving in this way.

My point is simply that there are some who cannot. I am one. I believe danielsmyname makes the point that he may be one, also (apologies if i am wrong here, danielsmyname.) Inventor who posts here is also one of these. Incredible knowledge base but too individualised to click in with the prevailing academic systems.

as for savantism - I have some savant capacities in a couple of special interest areas. Without a degree and without following the usual career trajectory, i managed to win awards and garner mainstream "success." Even though I am happy about that, I also don't really care very much about it as others do. Quite frankly, in the end I had a big chuckle. It's all such a crock of illusion. I am far happier doing my own research away from course requirements, and very annoying hoop jumping that gets in the way of me and my great special interest twists and turns.

Recently - mid career (and yes, I made a career for a time out of a special interest and in that career there was a dominant paradigm (that had to be adhered to and really has little room for ASD people,) it became apparent that the jarring issue for me with regards to this was that I could not fit my autistic mind into that paradigm. Again, that is a fact. i pursued my career in a manner that was purely self-driven, and in the end, the establishment path found this somewhat unsavoury and unacceptable. (Who is this heathen, this rule-breaker, this woman who flouts rules because she has her own rules and routines and ways of pursuing things, and who places the things we hold most dear - success/power/wealth and CULTURE, way below the primacy of her love for her special interest???)
I am talking real world. Me and it, do not fit, and it is because the prevailing paradigms are not suited to autistics. end of story. Those who have more dynamism can adapt more easily. Those who do not have this kind of dynamism on a daily basis cannot fit in because the issue of adaptation long term to the prevailing paradigm is simply impossible and completely uninteresting. I see my greatest challenge and reward as a 47 year old ASD woman is to live very purely as me, to live very honestly and to derive meaning from what I love which are my interests.

Recently I have been drawn into another linked special interest which will no doubt consume me for a while. THAT happens a lot to me, and THAT is completely at odds with academia and the prevailing societal paradigms! (it' just not normal.)

The point is...do you maintain the direction of your special interests...or do they direct you?

I am the latter. And my bet is, those who fare better in the real world over the course of a life with an ASD are more dynamic (more flexible) and less static in their autistic presentation and fit into the former. The former makes for easier adaptation into society. The latter does not. The latter means you are frequently relegated to a place of disability pension and welfare assistance, no academic record, in spite of savantism or brilliance in a given area and even in spite of short term successes in some areas (which has been achieved WAY outside the perameters of the normal career path and trajectory.)

ANd in saying all of this, I want to see ASD people achieve and reach their goals and dreams however they choose, whether it be in accord with prevailing paradigms...or not.

If circumstances had been different, I would have gone very far in school and likely by now have a PhD. Learning is what I'm good at. If I had had even the smallest amount of help or support this could have been achieved, despite all the social challenges. It's never too late, however. I will never give up on my education.

I will get my BSc degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 3 years.

I had a succesful high school life with many awards on various things.

So, Asperger's prevents my education only a bit.

The important thing is focusing to education, and seeing it as the only way to survive in future life!

The rest comes after realizing the situation, and trying to the THE BEST! (not YOUR best)

Yes,

I wasn't aware that those with AS who have a University degree ARE in the minority.

I have a Bachelors in Chemistry. I actually struggled badly for two reasons:

1. Lectures were the most ineffective form of communication I could have imagined.

2. Afternoons were taken up entirely with lab-work, which I just couldn't manage to get organised enough to do properly and which just seemed like cooking classes, which I don't excel at either.

I went on to complete my CPA studies with independent/home study (without lectures and without the cooking) which I organised very wel



That said, I don't think a Bachelors (with a CPA) qualifies as highly educated.

Haha. Indeed. It reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDaM9AHAqkY&feature=related

I am almost done with a Bachelor's degree right now. I started in economics, and am unsure what I want to do next. Nevertheless, I WILL go on to the master's level.

I dropped out of college due not only to financial issues but failing grades. The only subjects I did well in were music and graphic art. But even that was a struggle and I had no confidence to go back.

Went through a lot of depression and my community worker advised me that it might not be such a good idea to go back.

Normally I wouldn't bring this up on a public form due to embarassment but I think it's important for some of us who don't fit the "intellegent" level to come out of the wood works. Now I just take a couple of classes I can afford and have left the prospect of wanting to be this or that out of my life. It was just too much pressure for me but I still love to learn so I'm not going to give that up.

I love John Lennon. Thanks Outlier - it was so good to listen to.

I just got back from my walk with my dog, put a few flowers on the grave of William the cat who I am still grieving, listened to John Lennon and I shall go and do the morning swim. Then some new special interest consideration, and whoopie doo, i may have another good day.

watching the wheels go by..........

How wonderful to see all of the successes here in this community. I think academia can be a great place for many aspies.

Also, so many teachers! I'm teaching nursing fundamentals at a community college, which is the best job I've ever had (although that's not saying much).

I have a BS in Nursing and a Master's in Public Health Nursing, and am an advanced practice RN.
My experience with school was that the "higher" the education, the easier it was. High school was miserable, undergrad a huge challenge, and then the Master's was just my speed.

Although there was one problem at the end, when I had to work on a research project for my thesis with a professor that I had a very hard time understanding. I just didn't get her style of communicating and somehow my advisor picked up on the social awkwardness (for lack of a better term) and kind of blackballed me. It was frustrating to finish with a GPA of 3.95 and an original, publishable thesis, and have the two people I worked with ignore me at the end.

I'd like to get a PhD in Public Health, but I have to increase my math score on the GRE, and I just don't have the drive right now to study math. I was lucky - I didn't have to take the GRE to get into the nursing Master's program.

I think on average aspies are better educated than NTs. Pretty much all notable scientists, especially in fields like maths, CS, physics etc, have some traits of HFA.