April marks autism awareness month, a time to recognise the unique experiences autistic people have.

Autism has many misconceptions and when people hear the word, “autism”, certain images spring to mind. As an autistic person myself, I find that when I disclose my neurodiversity to people, they often assume I have no interest in having friends and prefer to isolate myself. While I do value my alone time, it is quite the opposite for me and having social connections is important to me.

In light of this, I thought I would ask some fellow autistic students about their experiences because there are no better people to hear it from than autistic people themselves.

So, what is it like being autistic at university?

A key feature of autism is struggling with change; it can be extremely scary to move to a completely different place where you know nobody. Things can change rapidly at university, there is not always a clear schedule and each day can look  different from the day before. You also encounter different people in each class, and it can be quite overwhelming.

Jorgie, a foundation year Psychology student, spoke about how the timetable changes each term can be  unsettling: “I just got used to where I was and the uni campus and suddenly I’m in all new places with new people.”  Sam, a Neuroscience PhD student, spoke about how the “trickiest challenge is the lack of structure- I’m having to build my own timetable and that’s never easy.”

There are things you can do to help with this. It is important to establish your own routine, or at least try to, working out when you study best like morning or evening. Finding somewhere that is you like to study can also help, whether that’s the library or student centre, or a designated space at home. It’s also important to designate down time and time for hobbies. 

Sensory difficulties

Sensory difficulties involve being overreactive or underreactive to senses including sight, sounds, touch, smell and taste. A common theme amongst autistic students is struggling with the noise at university. Amy, a first-year Biochemistry student, expressed that “there are many people at university and it’s a very big and loud place, which can make me uncomfortable at times”. Another student I spoke to voiced how difficult it can be when there are fire alarms, especially as often, fire alarms are unpredictable.

It can be hard to get around this but useful strategies that students have found include using earplugs, using fidget toys, being aware of when the noisier times are such as between lectures, having a friend with them and watching lectures online instead of attending in person when it feels too difficult to attend. Moreover, located on the second floor of Falmer House, there is the Disabled Students Room, a quiet room with low lighting, where disabled students can go to and relax; it can be particularly useful when feeling overwhelmed.

Burnout

Burnout is characterised by emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion from chronic stress, usually rendering one unable to meet the demands of their daily life. The combination of sensory overwhelm and the demands of university can lead to burnout. But, thankfully there is support available. As well as the wellbeing support available to all students, the Disabled Students Allowance, funded by the government, enables disabled students to access support for their studies; this could involve software but also a mentor.

Kezia, a third year Psychology student, told me that “having a mentor has been the greatest support and has given me consistency with someone to work with for the past four years”. Another student explained to me that having a mentor has helped with devising routines and life management in general, allowing them to have structure in their life. This can help reduce anxiety and prevent burnout.

What we wish that you understood about autism

Autism does not look a certain way; there are so many different presentations of the condition, varying from person to person. Moreover, it can change from day-to-day, Sam told me “I wish people would understand that my needs can fluctuate- there are days where I can come across as a social butterfly and others where I literally cannot speak”.

There is a very typical portrayal of an autistic person which a lot of people do not fit in to and this is why so many people, in particular females, have gone undiagnosed for a long time, myself included. In addition, autistic people are not rude or disrespectful and certainly do not mean to be; Jorgie describes eye contact as feeling “overly intimate”; not making eye contact does not mean that someone is not listening. Being autistic means thinking differently and sometimes behaving differently to what society deems appropriate but we are just people like everyone else. Amy told me “I wish [people] would understand that we are not a threat. We are all just human beings, after all.”

The strengths of autistic people

Being autistic does not just include challenges and it is important to recognise this. I asked some students about strengths they have from being autistic and here are some:

• Recognising patterns
• Honesty
• Creativity
• Seeing things in a different perspective and thinking outside the box
• Caring and empathetic
• Determination and resilience
• Detail-focused
• Problem-solving
• Passionate and increased focus on topics of interest.

A community at Sussex

Moving away from home to university is a time to find out more about yourself and for some people, that can include receiving their autism diagnosis and meeting others who also share the same diagnosis. This can be important for those who have not really come across others like them or feel like they are different to others.

At Sussex, there is a disabled students group, which has members who also are autistic. They have a group chat both on discord and on WhatsApp and sometimes arrange events; everyone is very supportive of each other. Amy told me “being surrounded by a group of people like me who I can speak to at any point makes me feel a lot less alone.”

Moreover, while autism can pose challenges for your daily life, you can receive support from the University from the disability team (this includes reasonable adjustments such as extensions for assignments) and the wellbeing team (this includes receiving counselling from the University). You can also register for disability support online.

Autism Awareness Month serves as an important reminder to recognise and understand the unique experiences of autistic individuals, particularly within the university environment. Being autistic comes with both strengths and challenges; it is important to acknowledge both as well dispel common misconceptions and promote understanding and acceptance.

Tugce studies Psychology with Neuroscience. She enjoys going for walks in nature and attending dog-walking society at uni.