Occasional extensions for standard assignment deadlines where the student will be unable to meet a deadline due to their disability. The request must include the reason and, where appropriate, the duration to date of the period of particular difficulty. There is no requirement for the student to submit additional evidence.

Students are advised that this is not a recommendation for a blanket extension to deadlines. Should the department become concerned about the use, frequency or effectiveness of extensions, they should call a review meeting with the student and Disability Adviser.

We advise the use of lecture capture and to allow the student to record lectures, particularly where no lecture capture facility is available. If a student records a session, they must do so in accordance with University guidelines regarding the recording of lectures, seminars and other teaching sessions by students.

Where lecture notes and lecture materials are not available elsewhere (for example, on the VLE) these should be sent to the student 24 hours in advance. This enables the student to familiarise themselves with material, negotiate any difficult/abstract language and clarify with support workers. Having materials in advance also lessens anxiety in the session itself. Read our guidance on producing accessible documents and presentations.

Any reading material that is to be used in teaching sessions should be made available at least 24hrs in advance (if not available on the VLE). Please do not ask students to read aloud without prior warning. Provide copies of the reading list at the earliest opportunity.

Ensure instructions are clear and leave any written instructions on the board to give the student sufficient time to copy them down or photograph them. The student may need to seek clarity.

If requested, staff should endeavour to check essay plans, or explain what they require for a given coursework assignment. This will help manage the student’s anxiety as they often will worry whether they have misinterpreted what is being asked.

The student’s level of participation in discussions is likely to fluctuate at times. Avoid asking multiple questions at once or rephrasing if the student doesn’t respond immediately. There is often a compulsion to fill the silence, but this is only likely to confuse a student with ASC and overload them with information. Ask one question at a time and give time for the student to respond. It may take the student some time to formulate a response to a question or formulate their own question. Give them time to do so and only repeat/rephrase questions when you are certain it has not been properly understood.

Be concise and avoid abstract language. This includes emails where pleasantries may distract from necessary content. Inability to filter non-essential content is a common reason students with ASC cease to respond to, or even read their emails.

The student may find aspects of group work difficult, including communicating and negotiating effectively with peers. The student may therefore need some assistance from tutors to help organise the forming of a group and assignment of the roles within that group.

Students may appear very nervous when delivering presentations and they shouldn't be penalised for this. Students may use flashcards as an aid to memorisation.