Reading week

Hi All

Last week was reading week. For most people, this is a chance to relax, go home, or go to Dundee or Edinburgh for a few days out. Unfortunately this was not the case for me. I spent my reading week in the union working on essays, rigging for ents, or preparing for lectures – so unlike most people I could not spend all day in bed working my way though a packet of chocolate digestives.

Don’t get me wrong though, I had a good time. The ents work is always a laugh. And I had two talks, one to Durham University, and one at a school in Dundee.

The one in Durham was a talk on Aspergers to a group of 60 or so students and lecturers at the university. While it was smaller than most, it was a great crowd. Although what I found particularly challenging was talking to two very different audiences – students and lecturers – for one, I needed to do advice for lectures/university structure, for the other, peer support.

Dundee was certainly the highlight of my week. The day before I had an interview with the local radio station about the talk, and in most local news bulletins there was a mention of the conference. The conference itself started with a 45 min presentation from two parents on their experience of Aspergers syndrome and autism. Then I had a half hour and a one and a half hour slot (with a tea break in between). It was really well attended – about 150 people, made up of parents, teachers, support workers, psychologists and other professionals working with children on the spectrum. Overall, with the talk in Durham and this talk in Dundee and all the other work I had during reading week, I ended reading week feeling more tired than when I started!

I have also had my philosophy essay plaguing me. I have realised that Philosophy is a subject that is impossible to understand. Writing an essay on a subject I do not really understand is tough. To remedy this, I spent about 7 hours in the union building glued to my usual sofa trying to write it, which I have done. I was quite happy with it, but then I got a mini-essay for philosophy back which was done on the same subject. It seems I had totally the wrong end of the stick – I was not amused. So, I have taken to distracting myself from essay failure, by writing this, buying a new CD for Friday (I am DJing for 2 hours again), and playing random online flash games. However, unfortunately, I have run out of things to write about this week, so I need to get back to the essay.

Joshua Muggleton (Not leaving the union building until the essay is done)

reflections

Hi All

As ever, you find me in a busy week. Recently, I have had a large influx of work, which while not unexpected, is none the less unwelcome. However, through a mixture of hard work, chocolate and watching /House/, I have survived. I have also been doing a lot with ents. Last week was our “Halloweek” – a week of Halloween themed events. It was a good week, we got loads of great UV reactive decorations in Venue 1, and the Friday bop sold out. I also got to DJ the First 2 and a half hours of that bop – believe me, there is nothing better than watching 1000 all dressed up in costumes dance and sing along to /Thriller/ from the stage.

We also had a big event the Tuesday after Halloweek. We had Calvin Harris DJ the Tuesday Bop (tickets sold out in 4 hours some weeks ago).. This was again good fun. I did the lighting design and operated lights for that event, and much to my relief – everything worked! On the downside the music was played so loud I had ringing in my hears for 24 hours afterwards.

Reading week is now coming up, and I will be spending most of that time either in the roof of venue 1 rigging lights, reading up for a philosophy essay (that I am dreading), or travelling around to give talks. The end result is I wont get to relax much over reading week. But I guess it isn’t all bad, I have some free time scheduled for February!

I have also found myself comparing where I am now, to where I was this time last year. I recall that at this time, I was trying desparately to understand biology and I was really struggling with it. This year, while I don’t like philosophy, and find it very hard, it am not dreading it in the same way I did biology. Hopefully this is a good sign! But most striking, is that last year, I spent all my time in my room. If I wasn’t in a lecture, or doing tech for an event, I was in my room watching tv or doing work. Now, I find myself in the union in my spare time, and to my horror, I am being “sociable”. I have been wondering why this is. Part of it may be that I am spending too much time doing ents, and so feel some need to be there. But I feel the main reason is somewhat simplier: I have friends.

Last year, I had friends, but I kept myself somewhat distant, I didn’t get too involved, and I felt I needed a lot of time alone. However, this year, when I am in the union, there is a good chance that I will bump into one or more of my friends. We have all got into the habit of doing work on the sofas in the bar. While they may not be as productive as working at home, it is certainly more enjoyable and less tiresome.

I suppose this goes back to the blog I wrote about freshers weeks. I think this goes to show that just because you don’t have many friends by the end of freshers week, or even by the end of the first year, in time, you start to become a lot more “neurotypical” about the whole thing.

Joshua Muggleton – looking forward to a few lie-ins over reading week

Rick Astley and the Autism Bill

It has, as ever, been an interesting week for me. First, I discovered death by philosophy – my brains are currently the consistency of wallpaper paste. Then, I did some work in the Computer Science (com-sci) lab, and started to worry for the com-sci’s sanity as they spent a full two hours remotely controlling computers to play “Never Gonna Give You Up” over and over. Between my philosophy work and hearing Rick Astley on 12 different computers, I think I may have lost most of my sanity! On the plus side, break open the bubbly, put the kids to bed and put on some Rick Astley (told you I had lost my sanity). Because The Autism Bill is through!

In short, the Autism Bill (soon to be known as the Autism Act) will impose on local authorities and the NHS legal duties to ensure improvement of services for adults on the autistic spectrum. It will also hold these authorities to account if they fail to provide the provision. I get e-mails from parents concerned with these very issues, and the fact that this bill will become law is a huge step in the right direction. It is particularly surprising as this started of as a private members bill, which meant it was unlikely to every get anywhere.

The NAS has also just launched its “Don’t Write Me Off” campaign, designed to focus on adult provision, particularly in work. Amazingly only 15% of adults with autism have a job, a full third cannot find a job or get benefits, and yet almost 80% say they want to work. Personally, I find this shocking (and very worrying not only for myself, but for my 2 brothers with autism). Therefore I ask you lend your full support to this campaign. For more info, see www.dontwritemeoff.org.uk .

Finally, I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported the Autism bill, it is an amazing achievement. I would particularly like to thank the NAS Policy and Campaigns team, their Press Office, and the thousands of volunteers who gave up time and energy to make this happen. Thank you!

Josh – Wondering how much more Rick Astley he can take…

2 faces of me

Hello all

Right, well, as I write this, it is a Wednesday, and to be honest, it kind of feels like have a lot of stuff pushing down on me right now, which is odd because there really isnt much. Let me explain.

Because of the modules I am taking, I have a lot of continuing assessment – stuff like essays and lab reports. I know, that I am going to have to do 9 tutorial essays, 2 lab reports 3 big essays and a few other bits and bobs, and that feels like a lot for me. However, that work is spread out over 12 weeks, and so in fact, it is quite manageable. Unfortunately, it turns out my mind does not work like this. I think when people have work, they have a little alarm bell in their head to remind them, they have work to do – like, when you are having a good night off, and you suddenly remember how much work you have to do tomorrow. For most people, that alarm turns off when there is no work to do, for me, it is still sounding even though I have no work to do as I have not had the lectures/notes/etc that enable me to start it.

This all means that right now, I am sitting in bed watching series 5 of /House/, which for me is a great night in, and I have no work to do, and yet I have an alarm bell in my head telling me “why are you relaxing – you have so much work to do!”.

People often say they are jealous of me, because I can sit in a lecture and remember most things, because I seem to be always on top of my work, because I get good grades. This I think is in no small part due to my Aspergers. What people don’t see is that the good grades, the good memory, always being ahead on the work comes at a price, and for me – it is one of the biggest prices to pay. The inability to watch House while eating a bar of Dairy Milk!

Don’t get me wrong, I love my Aspergers, I wouldn’t be me without it. It is like a good friend. But like all good friends, sometimes you wish they would stop talking.

Joshua Muggleton (and Joshua Muggletons Aspergers)

Accademic Parents

When St Andrews was formed, it (like all old universities) was taking very young students – some as young as 14. They would be sent away from home to study, and because they were so young, they needed a mother/father figure to look out for them for a while. And so the Academic parenting system was born. Today, third and fourth year students “adopt” freshers each year. This is not something organised by the university or students union – it is something that just happens. There is also the Raisin weekend tradition, where parents were given raisins by their children as a thank you (although nowadays it tends to be alcohol!).

I was very lucky. My parents had a friend who’s daughter was at St Andrews. What’s more, the daughter (Hatty) had experience of Aspergers syndrome. And so, before I even arrived, it was arranged that she would adopt me. On my arrival last year, she was waiting to help me move in, sort out which fresher’s week activities I would and would not like, and also to show me around the town. She also got me involved with Ents, and it was though ents that I was also adopted by Phil. Since then, they have both helped me settle into St Andrews and become part of the community. The support I get isnt expensive, but for me, it was extremely effective. Last year, I would usually talk to them a couple of times a week (usually though simply bumping into each other though ents/at the students union), there would be occasional (and very tasty!) family meals. I have several academic siblings (all 3rd years now), and now know one of them quite well too (infact I am now an Academic Uncle).

I think it works so well because it is voluntary, unstructured and social. Now I am sure there are aspies reading this who see the words “unstructured” and “social” and think that it is not for them, and I will admit, if I hadn’t had Hatty to start with, I would have found it difficult to find parents to adopt me. But not impossible! One big leap of faith, and the rewards are great. Because it is voluntary, people feel no pressure to do it, they do it because they enjoyed being kids and now they want to be parents, it is unstructured so it can suit lots of people. For example, at St Andrews, there is a tradition of parents getting their kids drunk on raisin weekend, and then dressing them up for a big shaving foam fight. This obviously wasn’t for me, so instead, we had a very enjoyable family meal. It also works because it is social – it is something which can happen naturally. I do not for one minute want to belittle the work of people who are paid to work with people on the spectrum, or those who volunteer to things like 1 hour help sessions. Both do really great work, but at the same time, they are both very …. unnatural. In time they can become more natural, but academic parenting is natural from the start – it is casual, and that, I think, really helps it.

My question is this: Why isnt this done at every university? It is a great system! Not only for people on the spectrum, but for ordinary freshers. I have a lot of friends who say they would not have settled in as well if it was not for the academic parenting scheme. For me, I think this is one of the best examples of “best practice” because it works not just for people with autism/Aspergers, but for everyone – it is something everyone benefits from, and that everyone enjoys.

Dedicated to Hatty and Phil
Joshua Muggleton – Currently rather ill :(

Week 1 troubles

Well it has been a rather eventful week. The start of lectures, The Surrey Branch Conference, and the first Entertainments crew meeting of the year! However things didn’t all go to plan.

As you may know, St Andrews, like all ancient Scottish universities, operates on a modular system. In your first year, you take 6 20 credit modules, in your second, 4 30 credit modules, and in your third and fourth (your honours years) you take lots of modules which sum up to 120 credits. Anyway, this year, I decided to do 2nd year psychology 1 and 2 (one per semester), along with “Algebra and Analysis” in my first semester and Descrete mathematics in my second semester. Unfortunately, 4 days into my Algebra and analysis course I realised something: Only people who are insanely good at maths can do this course. Now I am many things, but insanely good at maths is not one of them – it was taking me hours to do one question, and it was clear I was not going to do well. So, I decided to drop it. Unfortunately, this means I have to find 30 credits somewhere, so, I have decided to take a module in the computer science department (which is about how technology effects our lives/how it works etc), and one module in the philosophy department (which is about formal logic). As it stands, I am waiting for these choices to be confirmed. Annoyingly, because of this change of modules, I now have to catch up on a weeks worth of lectures.

On the brighter side, I spoke at the NAS Surrey Branch Conference at the university of Surrey (a nice little jaunt back home for the weekend!). In the morning, there were talks by Prof Digby Tantum and Roz Blackburn – both excelent speakers. Then in the afternoon there were specialised workshops on different age groups, followed by Me speaking about growing up with Aspergers Syndrome. It was a great crowd and I had a really enjoyable time – so thanks to Sara Truman and everyone who helped set up the event!

Oddly, i will be back in london again this comming weekend for the NAS Council meeting... maybe i should start collecting airmiles if i keep flying home every weekend!

Joshua Muggleton - at 35,000 ft over Manchester

Fresher’s week

Hello All!

Well, this week has been an exceptionally busy one for me. I have moved back to St Andrews, and spent all of my fresher’s week in Venue 1 (the main students union venue). Working with the entertainments crew to put on a long string of events. Comedy, Hypnosis, two Bops, 2 Celebrity DJ sets and more besides. This resulted in me spending about 120 hours in the Students union last week. Today however, I am taking the day off to sleep.

Anyway, with fresher’s just gone, I thought I should perhaps blog about surviving fresher’s with Aspergers syndrome.

Ok, well the stereotypical fresher’s week involves a lot of drinking, loud music, socialising and… well, you get the idea. That however isn’t for everyone, especially aspies. However, this creates a dilemma – fresher’s week is when everyone gets to know everyone, it is when friendships are made, but if we find that hard, how are we going to make friends?

For me, it comes down to the type of socialisation – primary and secondary. Primary socialisation is socialisation for the sake of socialisation – things like parties where people go simply to get to know others. Secondary socialisation is when we socialise as a by-product of something else. For example, ents: the primary reason for it is to put on events, but by doing that, you meet others, and start socialising – this, I have found to be a lot easier.

So, in theory, you want to try and pick activities which are not all about socialisation. Unfortunately, during fresher’s week, most activities are primary socialisation activities. So while it may be worth going to one or two events, I think that for many people, the time may be better spent settling in, getting to know the town, and preparing for lectures.

One event that you have to go to is the fresher’s fayre – it goes by several names, but it is when all the clubs and societies turn out to recruit new members. The trouble is everyone wants to go to this – and so it is advisable to go really early to beat the squeeze. Go in with a map (if they have one) and plan a route, and which societies you are interested in. The chances are that at the stalls, you will be given a leaflet, some info about the society and maybe they'll ask you for your e-mail address.

One of the few fresher’s weeks events that are not primary socialisation are sports events. These can be a good way of meeting people in a relaxed environment. However, aspies who are very competitive may want to really think about whether this is right for them. Many aspies hate to loose, and taking up a new sport will mean you will loose a lot, and not be as good as everyone else to start with.

In my experience, friends for aspies are not made in fresher’s week, but after. Things like lab classes, lectures, tutorials, or in society or club meetings – here there is less pressure than fresher’s week (and less alcohol!). At these times, contact is usually short and frequent – so you can have a short conversation, think about it for a few days, and then continue. It breaks things up, rather than having one long soclisation spree in fresher’s week.

Anyway, that is my advice, I would love to hear what advice you would give – so leave a comment (and leave a comment if you have any ideas for other blogs you would like to see!)

All the best

Josh – all entsed out