I have an autistic hs senior D as well as a sixth-year college senior with nonverbal learning disorder. NVLD also has effects on EF. It often isn’t diagnosed until middle school because the kids have a very high verbal ability (“little professors”) and kids aren’t expected to be much good with EF until that age when suddenly school has seven periods and you’re supposed to keep to keep up with schedules and homework. My D was diagnosed sooner (first or second grade) because of other issues and actually the school psychologist initially thought she might have Aspergers.
HS senior D overcame much more severe challenges with communication and sensory issues and without going into detail was quite low functioning. Luckily she made progress with the help of an army of really great therapists of every kind. Maybe I’m fooling myself, but I think autistic D is better in EF than NVLD D. NVLD D went to college locally, which was the best for her. She’s decided she will never have a normal job, which is probably good since she switched her major to dance. She has already been hired by a circus and hopes to teach dance once she graduates. It’s unconventional, but I think it’s the right path for her. And yeah, she probably didn’t need to go college but it’s had many other benefits, so I don’t (usually) consider it a waste of money.
On to autistic D, yes some of this info is pretty depressing and I’ve known it for a while. She is very organized and says AP Physics 1 and AP Calc BC are “easy.” She has a harder time in advanced English and other high-verbal-content classes, but she plows through the work. We’re mostly only looking at colleges where she is at or around the 75th percentile in stats so that the classes should be taught at a level she can definitely “get.” Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but I’m confident she will graduate even if not from the same college she starts at (transferring to our local college as the most likely reason.)
I’m also pretty optimistic she’ll get a job. I think engineering is a good area for those on the spectrum and after much struggling through elementary and middle school, she is now pretty good at working in teams. If she doesn’t find employment I won’t consider her education a waste. She’s finishing a four year engineering curriculum at her hs and loves the field. My Dad is a “retired” engineer whose hobbies are programming and ham radio. I strongly suspect he has at least mild Aspergers.
My biggest worry for D is that she won’t be able to make friends. But I’m pushing myself to be optimistic on that too.
Even though the article is a downer, I’m glad to see this thread. There aren’t many where the parents of neurodiverse kids hang out together.