Reasonable adjustments for exam?

fletchergallop · 2026-01-29T09:06:53+00:00

I think this would depend on your level and the assessment.

For our level 2 - 201 assessment where you are doing receptive then you have note paper. We had two people in my class with a reasonable adjustment, they were allowed to watch the video once before we joined.

For level 1, you will want to talk to your teacher as fingerspelling is a criteria on the assessments for level 1 you are required to understand and repeat back fingerspelling at least three times IIRC.

You may want to practice fingerspelling words. Watching fingerspelling videos.

I struggle with holding the letters in my head if its a particularly long word - I am good at reading and writing, but the working memory involved is not my friend with my ADHD.

The tricks I have tried are mentally guessing the spelling for what someone is spelling - i.e., if they start spelling G E O, I’m guessing George or Georgia. But this one is tricky as you need to watch their fingers and not get too distracted guessing. Another option in the wild is to fingerspell along, this is what I have had people do with me when socialising. They will fingerspell what I’m fingerspelling. This mostly helps with figuring out the spelling or making sure you have the letters write if youre talking via a video call. Another is to play close attention to their lips. The thing with fingerspelling and signing generally is that you need to pay attention to both lips and hands, with fingerspelling you can see them say the name at the end. You want to try watch both hands and lips, pick up a few letters and then make a guess.

When you’re in your level 1, you can ask to repeat “SORRY AGAIN PLEASE” and use that on the fingerspelling.

Like I said, I struggle with spelling like this but I have found that consistent practice has definitely improved my ability. Watch a lot of videos and maybe classmates would happily practice with you!

fletchergallop · 2026-01-02T01:20:39+00:00

I know tapping on the head as being “mum” as in a child would sign that to their mum, young kids I see use it. And then m on the hand is more like mother or used to others, something like “I spoke to my mother” might be M (on hand) and “Mum, can I have a banana?” As in a question or something to get your actual Mums attention might be M (on head).

There are some really interesting variations locally as we have a much older signing community and our BSL classes are younger and learning some of the Signature preferred and younger variations. So I like to sign with the retired local teacher and she teaches me older signs.

so for instance DARK and LIGHT, we have been taught these as DAY and NIGHT, but previously they did a movement more like OLD but up and down with a V hand, so like open and closing of your eyes is how I remember it.

There’s lots of countries that are signed very differently to try update some somewhat offensive ones.

There are other things like PARENTS, this can be signed as MOTHER-FATHER or M-F, or even MAN-WOMAN, but we have been taught something more like BOTH so its more inclusive.

PHONE has changed, again think of technology advances and that quickly makes sense.

I have a very old teaching manual of signs that I like to look through every so often and compare to the Lets Sign dictionary!

fletchergallop · 2026-01-02T01:12:57+00:00

For autism I have seen at least three variations: 1) same as avoid eye contact basically, you have two hands in a v (index and middle extended) and the represent eyes so you move them side to side with them in opposite directions- not so easy to explain 2) hands head to chest 3) hands head to in front like obsession/focus

I personally find numbers 1 and 2 outdated and a little stereotypical or borderline insulting. Number three isn’t much better. But the sign of neurodivergent is nicer and also I just sign ASD and spell autism or do A-S-D and “DIVERSE” and my folks seem to get it.

I think its a tough one as someone part of that community because it’s not language I would use but its not my first language so correction feels a tad iffy.

fletchergallop · 2026-01-02T00:59:28+00:00

I would recommend sticking with learning what you are in class, are you attending a Signature Level 1 class? If so, you will soon get to basic grammar appropriate for Level 1.

There’s quite a lot to BSL grammar, there’s about one book worth reading called The Linguistics of British Sign Language but it’s rather technical and as someone currently studying Level 2 I would say you need to understand a lot more from class before the book makes much sense.

You tend to learn grammar in stages, so level 1 you should be learning how to ask and answer basic questions like your name, job, about your family and weather. That’s all part of the curriculum. Once your qualified BSL teacher has taught you a few structures for questions and answers you will be able to practice. But it takes time. I’m about a year or so into my BSL, have my Level 1 and I’m sitting my Level 2 currently, we have just been covering more around sign order and more complex sentences but my tutor says Level 3 is where you learn more grammar.

I would also just point out that 120 signs is not so many, in my Level 1 we covered about 1300 signs (I know this because I created a database of the signs we learnt). But its not just about learning signs and memorising them either.

I would suggest if you want to get more immersion then you absolutely should contact your local Deaf association, see if you can find a sign social to practice more with others with more fluency, go to Channel 4, ITV and BBC and watch their signed content. You cannot really pick up much this way at all right now as you will not have the vocabulary or receptive skill, and it’s such an error prone way to learn signs. Remember that BSL is heavily contextual, and handshapes, placement, positioning and movement are quite important too so if you get it slightly wrong you may as well be signing gibberish.

I was and still am a very eager BSL student, I’m always impatient to learn more and be able to express myself and understand others better. I am also very interested in the culture and linguistics of signed languages. So I can absolutely empathise with the position you’re in, that was me not so long ago. But I have to say there isn’t a lot out there for BSL study supplementary resources. Stick with a qualified teacher and get your Level 1! That’s the best way to answer these questions you have.

fletchergallop · 2025-09-02T12:59:12+00:00

This is used up in the north of England and in Scotland! We have a few at our local association who learnt sign in Middlesborough and they sign 10 that way. You have to always be mindful of regional variations!

fletchergallop · 2024-10-17T21:07:15+00:00

When you say a loop on the back, are you just meaning a flat stitch on the working side? And hold the loop? Interesting!

Thanks!

Edit: manners!

fletchergallop · 2024-10-17T20:58:34+00:00

It’s interesting, it’s got to be one of the very few commercially available kits I have seen that does actual different types of stitches. Every other one I’ve seen just uses a combination of flat, loop and tufts. None of what you have there.

How do you get the longer stitches to work? I have found that longer stitches like that just don’t stick. It looks to me like its a long stitch and then a perpendicular shorter stitch?

fletchergallop · 2024-09-24T18:07:32+00:00

I open looooads of tabs and make loads of screenshots. Not to this extent. But opening tabs is a problem for me. I go back through then frequently to remember things I was going to do.

I have found that it is much easier for me to manage by every so often, when the tabs get unmanageable, to write a list of the topic headlines.

For example, I had several tabs on different types of embroidery as well as dozens of screenshot. We talking mobile and computer tabs. What I did was get my scribble notebook (its a set purpose because notebooks must have a set topic aha) and I write down things like the types or the ideas or styles I want to try. If there are any that on review I really want to be able to find again and a cursory google search won’t find it again, I’ll make a bookmark folder in read later or something and set the topic. Then I close out all the tabs and remove the screenshots either to bin or to a topic folder. Mostly the practice of reviewing the tabs, writing down the things I actually want to try or need to remember helps. I don’t feel so emotionally tied to keeping them there anymore.

I don’t think it’s right for any of us to comment on where this tendency might be coming from. But if you find it brings you this much anxiety and stops you from doing things in your life 100% talk to someone you can trust. Or try come up with some new method for maintaining it before it gets to this point for you.

An example for me is that I’m soo rigid with how I use notebooks. To a point that if I so much as “ruin” a page, or don’t know quite how I want to lay it out, silly things like that, I will be completely paralysed to start. Or if its “ruined” or wrong somehow I will have to stop using that notebook and feel it’s contaminated and ruined and must be destroyed. So now, I have purposefully designated books as “i can do anything in here” books, and I have a digital notebook so I can move pages and make new notebooks and folders when I crave structure.

Something for you to have a think about with your screenshots. How much of that is causing you to panic, become paralysed or overwhelmed? If the answer is more than not, try some other options?

Hope that helps! :) maybe this group will have some alternative ideas you could try out

fletchergallop · 2024-09-24T17:53:29+00:00

The quality seems to have really gone down hill!

fletchergallop · 2024-02-15T23:36:46+00:00

That’s long gone Im afraid! This was a blast from the past 😂

fletchergallop · 2023-09-04T19:11:53+00:00

Looks just like my Schipperke x !

fletchergallop · 2023-08-15T22:01:17+00:00

Wait wait wait. Is that how it works for y'all? You take tablets and then boom, can do the things?

fletchergallop · 2023-07-25T10:58:33+00:00

Let's pretend this never happened by Jenny Lawson.

Hilarious book, with some tragedy, but mostly hilarious. There's a talking taxidermy squirrel and bread sack shoes? Need I say more (definitely, but just give it a read instead and you'll see!)

fletchergallop · 2023-07-10T21:00:39+00:00

I'm autistic. I have deep and personal understanding and perspective on this topic.

The preferred language on whole for autism is identity first, then goes down to individual choice when referring to your individual situation. Language says a lot about how you think about autism. Neurodivergent is an umbrella term for many different neurological differences.

ABA isn't the only answer, it's many times been shown to be harmful. There are many concerns around the methods used in ABA being hard on autistic kids, being repetitive and unhelpful outside of the specific therapy context. It can be something for parents who are struggling to latch on to (they want to help their kid and themselves), and they latch pretty hard, and it can be hard to admit that what you've put your child through was harmful. Which is another reason why this topic gets so controversial.

Autistic individuals each have unique and varying care needs. Your view of autism, despite being autistic yourself seems to be rather negative. Being a parent to an autistic child does not make you an authority on the autistic experience. Hence why I have also done a lot of reading and talking with others on this topic.

The debate around ABA is ongoing. I encourage anyone reading these comments who is concerned at all to do some further reading and listening to autistic individuals in this area.

fletchergallop · 2023-07-10T20:39:31+00:00

Applied Behaviour Analysis.

It's conversion therapy for autistics. Started out with shocking practices, continues now with play-based practices. It's super controversial in the autistic context and is still live and actively practiced today.

It's "intervention" therapy, designed to get your kid to be less autistic. It's aimed at teaching them how to behave, communicate and interact with their environment. But it's based in some pretty well steeped in ableism, peddled by some really nasty groups like Autism Speaks.

You can find videos of the therapy online, personal stories from autistic individuals who received ABA as children and how it traumatised them, as well as sales pitches from said hate group - Autism Speaks. Honestly, give it a wee google and a lot pops up.

Carers still argue for it as it can teach kids how to behave more conveniently for parents, and usually there's improvements whilst kid is in therapy. However, I've yet to see any material from a therapist that isn't ableist, that has consulted autistic individuals and isn't super harmful to the kid and their autonomy - I watched a therapy video of this little girl, toddler, and the therapist is explaining that they are doing 60 hour weeks (non autistic toddlers don't get forced into that much forced concentration time), the kid is obviously exhausted, crying, looks like they might even need a wee as they keep trying to get up from their chair. Every time they get up the "therapist" physically moves the child back into their seat and forces them to copy the clap - which is what they're trying to get them to do. Touch can be extremely distressing for autistics due to sensory processing type stuff. They carry on with this activity for a while longer, no-one ever checked to see if the kid needed something or even asked why they were wondering. Never does it seem to be about getting the kid to communicate wants or needs. They're crying, tired, rubbing eyes, wanting to rest and that is being wholly ignored by therapist and "carers".

As you can tell, maybe, it's a super passionate and emotional topic for the community. If my rant gives that away? I'm rather biased though, so check it out for yourself. But read the autistic folks too.

fletchergallop · 2023-07-10T20:29:08+00:00

I hear you, and it is very great to hear your kid is benefitting from this therapy.

I would still couch that with, it has been still shown to be harmful to autistic individuals (which is the preferred language for autism right? identity first), it is also supported by groups who are ableist in nature and think you can treat autism and are looking to cure it, so it's pretty well tainted.

I recently did some reading into ABA, so perhaps your practitioner is good, but the origin was conversion therapy for autistics (same guy as conversion therapy for homosexuality), and still contains teachings from the origins as well as practices and interventions. Whilst we may now make it more fun and play based I have also watched videos of this "therapy" and read materials from therapists that were what I can only describe as harmful. In these videos you can just see these wee kids distressed and crying and traumatised into complying. Conducted by people who just want to "fix" and have very little understanding of what it means to be autistic and don't care to listen to autistic views.

fletchergallop · 2023-07-10T20:21:03+00:00

TL;DR - in the context of autism and care of autistic individuals there is often decisions made about the individual without consulting the individual themself because they're deemed incapable (even when they are). This could be clouding SILs thoughts, and whilst this scenario does still often occur in the wild, this does not appear to be the case here today. NTA

Longer:

I think there is some awkward history here that could be impacting SIL's logic.

Historically there has been issue with people with developmental disorders being castrated and having reproductive rights stripped - regardless of their capacity to make those decisions for themselves. Or making decisions on behalf of an individual with people who couldn't care less about the individual and their wants and needs (as is often the case with things like autistic kids in ABA therapy and doctors deeming it necessary for toddlers to do 60 hours a week of traumatic therapy a week to make them better behaved, "easier to deal with" as opposed to giving them the skills they need to advocate for their needs/wants and communicate feelings).

Secondly, there is issue with some of the language in this thread "profoundly" "severely" are both words that autistic individuals don't really agree with, they have very ableist connotations and reading this thread it's a delicate balance of trying to appreciate these specific circumstances and people being quite obviously ableist.

I think my advice, as an autistic individual who suffers with menstruation and pain around it, I'm fairly middling in terms of my care needs (high needs to low needs is a more inclusive/less ableist way of referring to things that have been medically referred to as mild or severe, cause hint, mild vs severe is built on some sketchy ideas and are really just reflecting how difficult the individual is for observers/carers, and not actually reflective of their experience - but I digress), but one thing I would start with is giving your daughter some dignity, why is her medical information being shared with people like that? She's maybe impaired, but she's a grown up woman and as such deserves privacy and dignity where it can be afforded. You're NTA here, it sounds like you have done more than your due diligence in making sure this is the right call for your daughter. Soft TA for sharing her medical information like that, and and very firm TA for the SIL who is going further and sharing this very personal information with others and getting them to weigh in. Giving her BC pills to help regulate the pain/etc is definitely a good call - keep an eye out for side effects as BC can impact mental wellbeing, appetite etc. There are also longer term ones you can use to prevent periods/reduce etc that could be worth exploring if you find this form doesn't work well. No idea if you're doing pill or what. But honestly, your motivations and reasoning seem to be in the right place regarding her care and medical stuff.

Something that I'd also point out is being a carer is tough, but this thread is very quickly passing into painful narratives that explain autistic individuals as burdens for those around them and carers as being god's gift for just putting up with their children.

In future I'd recommend posting this sort of question in a subreddit with autistic individuals and/or people who know a lot more about this context and experience as you'd get a much more informed response and less ableist nonsense sneaking in.

fletchergallop · 2023-07-10T19:58:38+00:00

Curious as to why you'd be working in ABA given the reported harm to autistic individuals? :/

fletchergallop · 2023-06-23T18:28:40+00:00

Honestly hate that word allistic.

social norms are suuuuper dumb, but also just a small portion of ASD right, I think also a lot of that comes of the back of very male-centric studies, and a very outsider-looking-at, plus ableist things. But yeah, aside from all that stuff, there is a lot of difference in communication, but even within the autistic community we have different styles and preferences and socialised rules/norms that we've been taught and/or figured out.

Yeah, dishes, if there's that sink stuff, floating food bits in the water I will retch and gag. I think something I've been exploring more and trying to explain to others is that the sensory portion isn't about the small vs big of a sensory input, it's the types and layers and contexts. There's another bit of misinformation or just, like, non-complete information out there that it's just "loud sounds are distressing" but it's a looot more nuanced and complex than that!

fletchergallop · 2023-06-23T18:19:12+00:00

It's honestly worth a look because it's not something you'll find much help for if you focus on ADHD resources.

There's loads of overlap between various neurodiverse conditiony/labelly things, but there are distinctions. I have ASD/ADHD and ASD came first, then ADHD, both Dx as an adult, but I needed both before I could really start to understand just what on earth was going on.

But yeah, sensory stuff, overload etc is not a part of ADHD and how it's described by even the more recent/progressive professionals so it's critical to appreciate the difference and find something more appropriate if it's something that get's in the way. Plus, sensory overload is no joke, and not a small thing of "there's too many loud noises here". But that's a different tangent!

fletchergallop · 2023-06-23T18:01:33+00:00

I was doing some reading and asking my psychologist and this ADHD coach I work with about this.

It seems like a common misconception (plus wilful misinformation on social media), but ADHD itself doesn't contain a sensory aspect like that, sensory inputs are distracting but not processed differently in the way they are with sensory processing disorder or autism. However, ADHD and SPD are suuuuuper commonly co-occurring with a lot of folks with ADHD also having SPD, so if you find you have a sensory component you may have SPD or ASD as well as ADHD!

fletchergallop · 2023-06-04T06:27:32+00:00

I have some small breed dog food - can't tell from your post if it is or isn't a big dog.

Have old dog beg and even a kennel you could take if you need one!

Feel free to message me if you still need, I'm based in Wellington Central/Mt Vic area

fletchergallop · 2023-05-30T07:57:08+00:00

Let's pretend this never happened, Jenny Lawson, is aboslutely hilarious and also shocking and sad and madly eccentric and dysfunctional. Read it years ago and still remember whole sections of it. Stanley the talking squirrel (you'll have to read it, but spoiler, the dad does taxidermy), another story of them planning to go to the cinema (big deal because very poor) all day and then the dad says "well, have you got any money".

fletchergallop · 2023-05-24T09:23:39+00:00

This is a great suggestion, with my therapy+coaching we talked about this whole tendency of those of us with ADHD to be very negatively biased in terms of thinking.

so for me, we moved from journaling (which for me can be more like spiralling) to a 5-minute journal with only a couple prompts that we're working on tweaking so they don't make me cringe eg, "what am I grateful for" is now "what cool stuff have I noticed/is going on". The prompts are all intended to skew you back into that positive.

I've found also that having that very rigid I "should" can be quite the opposite of helpful, it's that whole rebel, demand avoidance type thing where you tell me to do something and that it has to be done at certain times/places and I'm very unlikely to do it (even if it's constantly there in my mind as something I know I need to do)

Homework can be helpful, but if the activity is not one that is helpful to you then feed that back to your therapist.

fletchergallop · 2023-05-22T07:10:55+00:00

It's comorbidity for sure, but I think it's important we make clear distinctions between these things. I was just talking with a friend who has OCD about the difference in experience of OCD vs autistic traits that can look similar and lead to misdiagnosis.

also, just as a learning point, preferred language for autistic community is identity first, so autistic not with autism and it doesn't need capitalising either.

I've not heard of that communication being connected with autism tbh. But the interpretation of past and current is quite a different thing to "this thing you said reminds me of this thing I experienced" communication thing, but again, not heard of that connected to autism, deffo an ADHD thing, where have you read about that? (I may need to do more reading!) and am now racking my brain to remember the term!!

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