Asperfemme

I shut down my facebook and instagram. I spend about 10 min per day on twitter. I'm one of the most asocial people you will ever know. My schedule is as follows: saturdays i shop for food until noon/1 pm followed by gym depending on workload/deadlines, then study, then sundays food prep all morning (plus go to the gym if i wake up early enough), then mondays i go to the gym and study all day, tuesdays gym and study, wednesdays commute to campus and then classes/study/do errands on campus all day (i bring my gym clothes and try to work out but sometimes there's too much other stuff to do), thursdays and fridays practicum 9-5 then study 5 h in the evenings, repeat. I take time off for chores at random times but everything else is non-stop focused studying or practicum related stuff. Gym doesn't happen as often as it sounds (above is the ideal schedule but it ends up being more like 12 hours study sat-tue). If i work out at home, it is the same time as going to the gym as I sweat & need a shower anyway, so might as well just go to the gym where I can do more of a variety of stuff. I feel exhausted/sleepy because of long days but also when I spend the entire day indoors passively sitting down without sunlight in the winter. I can't imagine actually studying outside in the winter and can't even access the internet from there if i need to do research. The sunlight does wonders to keep you awake. Also, exercise gives me plenty of energy and boosts my mood when I can do it so I really want to more. and i still manage to need extensions/get assignments in late/skimp on my thesis. if you look at my diet, it's all whole grains and vegetables anyway. If i overeat, thats the stuff i binge on, but, like, 1000 calories of quinoa or oats in one sitting. My body completely loses any sense of fullness when exhausted.

I applied to only two programs and I think it was $200-ish in total.

This. And... - Any popular clothing store that smells like sweatshop when you come in (e.g., Forever 21, H&M) and just fast fashion in general. - Tove Lo. She is everywhere. I don't know how she exploded but I find everything about her really repulsive.

@spectastic I think I am gaining weight because I cannot control my portion sizes (i.e., once I start eating, I cannot stop). I always gain at least 5 lb when in school. I literally cannot say no and just stop eating. I recently made a realization, though, that it is not stress eating so much as it is fatigue eatng. When I force myself to focus for hours and hours on end, I go for the carby, fatty foods (and begin to see my waistline expand). However, when I have plenty of time to rest throughout the day, somehow I find it really natural to recognize that I am full and to stop overeating. My struggle right now is, I also cannot do caffeine after noon because that always makes it harder for me to fall asleep and stay asleep. I need another source of energy that is not food OR coffee. Exercise tends to help but again, I've talked to people in my program and none of us have time to work out more than 2-3 times a week, and I find just going outside for a half-hour walk just doesn't do it. Any advice with this? @HiFiWiFi I agree about the dietitian part. I would definitely see someone if I had the time to figure this out at the moment. Right now, my days are wake up in the morning - work for 12 hours - crash in the evening non-stop pretty much every day (and counting chores).

Give students opportunities to provide you with anonymous feedback throughout the semester. I passed around small blank pieces of paper and had students write any questions or provide feedback at the end of each seminar session. This allows you to catch any concerns early on and modify how you run your seminars accordingly. On a general note, be flexible and always willing to adapt to your students' needs and preferences. Depending on your audience, simplify everything you know. I had to explain psychology concepts to a group of non-psychology students and it was quite difficult. If you are in this situation and know someone at the undergrad level who is not as familiar with the subject matter, ask for their advice on how understandable your lesson plan is (if you have that opportunity). I did not have this available to me, but I wish I did. With this, of course, I suggest planning your seminar in advance, not the night before. Within your own focus and tolerance parameters, be as available as you can be. I had my TA email address on my phone and responded almost right away. It can be difficult, but you are there in an assistant/helper role, and students love it when TAs are super responsive. Show up early for your seminars, not just on time. This gives you a chance to connect with the students more. I found it has helped "prime" me for running more engaging and successful seminars.

Okay, I was just trying to make sure I understood what you were trying to convey. I think when it comes to formal academic accommodations, it is definitely necessary to stick to what the disability office recommends. I find that, as a student who has been in the system and did not always need academic ones as much as informal social ones, it is much tricker to arrange the latter than the former, not because of legal limitations but because of structural/communicational ones between the disability and academic departments. Usually, it ended up being up to me to approach the TA/prof directly and ask for those, after discussion and approval as reasonable by my disability counselor. I often actually did not take the formal extended time/separate room accommodations (I did not need them unless it was a writing-heavy exam - I am a slow writer) and have always advocated against asking for accommodations unless absolutely necessary. However, having to do informal group work sometimes created so much distress that it made me avoid the course material by association as a result, rather than sparking my interest in learning. I usually had to advocate for myself to be able to do an assignment independently or to have the TA offer an option to the whole class to do some in-seminar activities rather than in group. The latter option was always offered to the entire class, but I had to advocate for it at the start behind the scenes. Perhaps it would help to look into strategies like this that might be helpful to implement into your general seminar structure when you have a student with autism? That is, there are many potential ways that a regular seminar could be structured, but you would pick a variation that is more "autism-friendly" - does that make sense? Just something to consider.

I do agree; ideally, the student would be registered with the disability office. I have a student I am taking a class with, though, who cannot organize herself properly to get set up with disability services. There have been some other students in the past who simply did not take the initiative to set themselves up with the services. I guess there is only so much you can do about this as a TA. I don't see why any TA would not offer assistance at the beginning of the semester to begin with. It might generally be a good idea to say at the beginning of the semester, "if anyone needs any additional support from me in order to succeed in this class, please email me at ...". I've also encountered a lot of peers on the spectrum who would also be offended by the suggestion of getting assistance. It's an individualized thing. Perhaps the best thing a TA could do is to make sure that the student is set up with disability services to begin with (via talking to the professor first)? In this case, though, I suspect that someone would approach the OP if any accommodations are called for, given that this student already has someone helping her out. If I were a TA, I would also likely ask the professor first as to whether anything needs to be done on my part and take it from there. It is tricky because usually disability services are in touch with the instructor and not the TA. However, if the student reaches out to me, I would have the accommodations conversation with the student directly. Also... If a student DOES say he/she would like specific assistance that others do not need, would you say it is not ok for the instructor to provide that assistance even if it has been requested?

@rising_star I was thinking accommodations could be made, if needed, after first having a private discussion with the student. However, taking the initiative to offer such a meeting might be crucial, because some people on the spectrum might be okay with something that would potentially be beneficial for them but would not ever consider it (let alone ask about it). From my experience, some people on the autism spectrum are super open about it and do not mind outing themselves if that means they would more respect and support in the classroom, while others prefer to stay secret about it at all costs. I have met 100s of people on the autism spectrum so I am speaking from direct experience. I also have been diagnosed with Asperger's and have always spoken very openly about it in my classes, because it is the only way I ever have been able to get people to accept and collaborate with me. Without this visibility, I would get overtly shunned from any groups. I never wanted to socialize but I did want to be academically successful, so I would do whatever it took to get to that point. If you have any other questions about this, please don't hesitate to ask me!

I second this. I also suggest making some accommodations as you go along. For instance, if you have any group activities in your seminar, perhaps arrange a 1:1 conversation with her (potentially in the presence of her assistant) and ask her what arrangement she would be most comfortable with. She might need some help with group facilitation, although if she has an assistant who is with her in class, that is potentially already taken care of.

@GreenEyedTrombonist Thanks! Not sure how much I can do this given how long it already takes me to plan meals for the week and to buy the ingredients, but I will try!

How do you know what is possible to substitute and what needs to be followed? Being a very by-the-book person and not having had a chance to experiment much with food out of time constraints/fear of wasting something that doesn't work, I find this quite tricky to figure out.

Hi! I definitely try to buy as much in-season as possible. I have always wondered, though, how to find completely in-season recipes. Even the ones that have in-season veggies as main ingredients tend to have not in-season stuff included, too. A decent portion of the stuff in the picture is from the local farmer's market, but I inevitably end up needing to get some other stuff from the grocery store, particularly the greens, which can only be locally grown in a greenhouse. There's only one vendor selling greenhouse greens at this farmer's market now, and only the kale.

Re: the discussion that happened here - I am not offended, I think everyone's bodies are different and there does not seem to be any definitive research on what an ideal diet should look like. I personally find that the more carbs I eat, the more fat I gain and it tends to make me hungrier, so I try to only reserve complex carb meals for post-workout. I find I am less likely to overeat if I eat high fat, high protein and low carb. I am attaching a picture of what I will be eating this week. This is at least $140 worth of food. I eat minimal carbs (some crackers, cooked lentils, chickpeas, popcorn, very high quality bread which you can notice in the picture). I would have the carbs in addition to all this and vary my diet; for instance, last week, I had quinoa and black bean recipes. This week, I will have hummus, the bread, and fruits (e.g., banana, not in picture but I do have some). There should be two avocados in there, too (might not be visible). I don't crave carbs when I don't eat them, but I do crave protein and fat a lot, hence also why I do my diet this way. I crave greens, too, and eat a lot of them, but am not sure how to cut down on the spendings or the eating time. I literally eat all this during the week, with an empty fridge at the end. Any advice on making this more student-friendly would be helpful, as I used to be able to afford this lifestyle but it's getting trickier now that I am not working and focusing more on school this semester. Yes, I am vegan and also gluten-free. I do not eat anything refined, not even oils. I know when I am stress eating when I go for the crunchy stuff, whether it be nuts, quinoa chips, or crackers.

That's a great idea! Will definitely try. Thank you!

Yeah, it's tricky. I have zero problems motivating myself to exercise, usually, but it can really get in the way of my currently huge grad workload. I also get in a hyper-focused "funk" sometimes because of my studies, where it becomes difficult to even think of exercises and get my body to move properly - mostly when I try to work out in the evening after 12 hours of sitting down and skipping out the morning. I asked my classmates and they are in the same situation... even those who used to be athletic are no longer working out even as much as I do (which is 3 times/week at best). I also see people snack constantly and drink sugary drinks in class. I do feel a lot of people start stress eating when they need to sit and pay attention for so long at a time! I doubt I can motivate anyone, though, because I'm one of those super nerdy people who doesn't make/keep friends and socially bond with people easily, if at all I really cannot imagine studying on a treadmill at the gym and don't even have a desk at home. It would be nice to have a standing desk or sit on a fitness ball! Unfortunately, my cats broke the one I had before. I go to the library sometimes but the thought "I will be without food for hours" kicks in and then I procrastinate on going out until I eat quite a bit. It's also not that easy to motivate yourself to leave the apartment when it's cold outside. I can try eating celery straight and see how long that keeps me full! I've eaten huge bunches of lettuce in one sitting. It's really expensive to do, though... which is another concern I have regarding my food addiction.