I have a friend who is Autistic. He is very high functioning, I honestly did not know until he told me after a few years. The only noticeable thing about it is his mood and temperament. He was one of those kids who clearly had a special agreement with the teachers so that they would understand and tolerate a wider range of behaviors.
He is BRILLIANT but doesn’t find value in doing very well in school, he just isn’t too into rule following and doing the work when he already understands the concepts. He is also very into videogames, dnd, etc.
I predicted that he would do astronomically well on his standardized tests, and I was right. He got a 34 on the ACT. However his GPA leaves much to be desired. I don’t know exactly how bad it is but it could be hovering around 3, he also hasn’t taken a huge bundle of AP classes.
I feel like a big part of his GPA is his emotional issues related to being Autistic. Although I am not sure that can be medically proven.
Anyway he originally had quite a passion and was going to go for a phycology degree, however now he is also toying with becoming an IT person.
Recently I have noticed him becoming progressively more stressed about it. He is starting to have more and more severe reactions to any talk by our advisory teacher about post-high school plans. I just want to be there to help him.
I am just wondering how well colleges will understand him with a high ACT but low/average GPA. Do colleges consider how he has overcome autism, does that help or hurt him admissions wise? Any other advice or thoughts?