Whilst I was prepared for a lot of unpredictability, it was often the small changes that were the least expected and the most unsettling.
| Area of Asperger’s Syndrome | Example | Issues I have experienced in Higher Education | Solutions that would have helped me |
| Routine and ritual | Disruption to routine | Seminar is moved to a different time slot or room. | Try to avoid unnecessary changes. |
| Mixing it up | I want to sit in the same place in each session, and would prefer it if everybody else did too. I do not want to move around, particularly after I have ‘set up’ at my desk. I don’t want to swap partners, or talk to someone I’m not currently sitting next to. I don’t want to improvise, ad lib, talk off the top of my head. | If this is an essential part of your session, give prior warning. | |
| Resistance to change | Surprises, unexpected events, changes or requests can make me freeze and become more rigid, even seemingly minor things can feel like a nasty shock. My first reaction might not reflect how I feel about the thing in question, just the shock, and I might end up saying no to something that I would otherwise have said yes to. | Give as much warning as possible, even if it is just to say “this might change” or “I might need to cancel nearer the time”. Don’t ask for immediate answers or decisions, give time to think and get back to you. |
© Catastraspie, 2012.
catastraspie 
I just tried to explain this to my philosophy teacher a few days ago. How having random days of group work is not ok. I get rigid when class is going normally and all of a sudden we have to break out into groups and do something. I suggested designating days for group work and then he suggested giving us partners which would be ok as well and then I would only have to deal with 1 person instead of 4.
Glad to hear that your philosophy teacher listened to your request, even if he didn’t go for your exact suggestion. I hope that the partner work is going well for you.