From Confidently Conquering to Suddenly Lost

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ab65
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11 Oct 2011, 12:50 am

For some time into this semester I was successfully completing my assignments, both reading assignments and written assignments, thoughtfully and without issue. The situation has suddenly shifted, without me being able to account for reasons why that may have happened. It feels like I'm falling further and further behind in my courses on a daily basis. Somehow I seem to spend the bulk of my time considering the options for attacking various assignments, but nothing becomes adequately completed.
An assignment I have due for this Wednesday involves summarizing the main argument of a 200 page highly-detailed historical book within a span of approximately 1200 words. I am experiencing immense difficulty completing this assignment because my organizational skills are so incredibly poor that I'm unable to create an outline for the paper or make connections in a broad sense. The details presented by the book's author so fascinate me that I feel as though I'd be doing the assignment an injustice to not explain each portion in the detail I know it deserves, but I realize that this approach would result in a final product far longer than required.
Laboring over my approach to this paper, considering all possible ways with which to attack it, has resulted in me being so overwhelmed to the point of physical sickness (severe stomach cramps, painfully long-lasting headaches, unavoidable fatigue, and irritability). I'm curious to know what others here would do in times like these. Since the time I'm working with is now a bit limited (although I did begin this paper considerably earlier than the me of the past), I'm strongly considering just turning the thing in without it being fully complete, and without responding to the essay prompt to the best of my ability.
This post was difficult for me to write, and may not best explain my situation, so please ask if knowing any additional information about it could help you help me. Lately I have noticed that after seating myself in front of a computer screen the bulk of my vocabulary tends to vanish, and it's almost like I need to mine even the most basic words out of the depths of my mind.



ValentineWiggin
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11 Oct 2011, 1:23 am

I have due in a little over twelve hours a three page paper for my speech class, as well as an outline and works cited page for my next speech, none of which I've started. I think it quite common for people on the spectrum to have executive functioning disorders, as well. I wish I could give more helpful advice, but rest assured you're not alone.


_________________
"Such is the Frailty
of the human Heart, that very few Men, who have no Property, have any Judgment of their own.
They talk and vote as they are directed by Some Man of Property, who has attached their Minds
to his Interest."


ab65
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14 Oct 2011, 12:03 am

Thanks for your response. How did the paper for your speech class turn out do you think? My paper turned out average at best. The important thing though is that I showed up to my class with something ready to turn in, much of the time in the past I would've given up long before then. It is possible I failed to fully respond to the essay prompt we were given, but that might be difficult for the professor to recognize given how detail-oriented the paper is as a whole. That is my hope.