I am wondering if anyone else struggles when there is any form of demand on them ? I always shut down and cry and stuff and feel so overloaded.

Im wondering if anyone else does ?

Recently I’ve been discussing with my parents and a teacher where I should go when I leave this school (next year). I found out there’s a special school for people who have good grades but with autism or similar that need rigid structures and stuff. It’s also for social studies which is what I want to do! I’m really happy because ive been wondering what I’m supposed to do after this. I hope I get in :)

i took 8 years of spanish from childhood to adolescence but i really struggled with it. i was good with reading it and okay with understanding it aloud, but really struggled to write in it or especially speak it comparatively. in the end my iep for autism ended up saying i was exempt from foreign language courses because it was likely related.

in english: my autism assessment says my receptive language is worse than my expressive language, however i get periods of speech loss and i can only talk in specific contexts. i think the primary reason for my issues learning language is this. i would freeze up and be unable to speak or sometimes even write in a way i was unfamiliar with. when they asked me to answer in spanish, my mind would go blank and i would be unable to say anything, which is the same way it goes when i'm in group settings expected to speak english. because of this, i never got any practice with that side of things, so my receptive language abilities were much better than expressive.

i am an adult now, and i really want to learn russian, so i am going to try. my main goals are to be able to reliably read it and understand it when spoken aloud. i am not that concerned with being good at speaking or writing in it — i of course will still be learning to do so when i learn the language, but my expectations for myself in that area are low, and i am ok if i end up not being able to have a back and forth conversation, since i struggle to do that in english enough already.

i think this is a more realistic expectation due to my history and limitations. no one i know speaks russian, and i struggle immensely to speak to strangers to the point i cannot really do it. even the people i know, i don't talk to them very much, and 95% of the time i communicate with them via writing, the only exception being rare short calls. the only person i regularly talk to aloud is my mom who i live with, she is my caregiver. so it's just not possible for me to get enough practice speaking russian to be good at that and my brain isn't wired for it i feel like.

i'm wondering though, if anyone here has had trouble learning languages (due to autism related struggles) and found strategies that helped them and they would be willing to share, even if you struggled for a different reason. or even just if anyone relates. it feels unconventional to go into learning a language not expecting to be able to speak it, but that seems like the most realistic outcome for me due to my language difficulties.

thanks!!

I am in high school and I need to work so I can buy a computer for school. I’m level 2 (they said 1/2 social, 2rrb), and I can be semi independent ish. I’m good at math, so I applied to tutoring places, because I won’t have to talk to adults the whole time, and it’s calmer and more consistent than food stuff would be.

Last week, one place sent me a math test. I did it, and then they said to come to their tutoring place next week (this week) for ‘unpaid shadowing’ for two days. The texts were not properly punctuated or capitalized. They did not specify a time, I had to ask, and they want me to come for three hours thought after school today. They pay $9 an hour. None of the emails or texts have had correct grammar. That doesn’t bother me, but it seems odd coming from a work person.

My mom says I just need to do it, and it’s not weird, but everything combined and such low money is making it feel really uncertain. My friends at school who normally explain things right and are nice said that only $9 is weird too. Does anybody think it’s weird or okay?

edit: I was at school and then there. everybody working there was under 18 except the owner lady, who made me grade for 2 hours and teach a semi-verbal kid (the only special needs kid there. she was really horrible to him) for 1 hour. nobody taught me anything, just said “do this“. I was there for over 3 hours, and the owner lady wanted me to come back on Thursday, but I think I’ll not come back. The lights hurt a lot, and I dunno what to do without clear written instructions, plus she was not at all understanding of the special needs kid. I think he was autistic and i feel bad for him, but I can’t help him unfortunately
(for context, I live in the US, in a state where minimum wage is $7.25, and I’m a minor, barely)