Autistic in Education

A guide for students who don’t get 1-to-1 support at school and for teachers who want to help

I was diagnosed with autism when I started secondary school but there was no real help on what this really meant for me and how to deal with situations.

Throughout school, I had meltdowns; missed deadlines; misunderstood instructions; froze when picked to answer questions; struggled in group work; masked to fit in or not be a burden; had days when I was so burnt-out, I couldn’t take anything in; and destroyed my self-confidence due to perfectionism. My mum and I would ‘dissect’ each situation, research online and try and come up with sticking-plaster solutions to situations, and sometimes we would find reasons for my difficulties which we would find revelatory.

This guide has been created based on research of student experiences and evidence-based practices (see the useful section) and I hope it helps autistic students have a better experience.