There is definitely something to do with writing that wasn't addressed with the ADD meds, but I am at a loss for how to address it - she thinks now that it may be just psychological?
She said all of her early attempts at writing were judged harshly due to her awful penmanship so she just stopped trying and never really learned how to develop an essay. By the time she had keyboarding available, her anxiety over not really knowing how to produce what was expected had her making excuses rather than trying and by then she had figured out she could pass classes without writing the longer papers anyway. Sounds sort of plausible to me.
Nik, lots of people on the autism spectrum have multiple strikes against them where writing is concerned; usually these are not "just" psychological blocks. Often there is co-occurring dysgraphia (disorder of written expression). Even when that's not the case, there is often a motor deficit that makes writing a challenge. Then there are the executive function (organizational) difficulties-- getting one's thoughts in order and getting them onto paper is a sophisticated activity with lots of steps. Then there is the not caring much what people think, and anxiety about grades, which makes a student who does the work sometimes fail to turn it in at all.
Does any of that sound familiar?
The motor stuff can be addressed through hand strengthening and occupational therapy-type exercises. The organizational stuff could be improved with a writing tutor, if the tutor understands the deficits. (But warning: you don't want someone to fix all her papers, you want someone to teach her to write. There's a big difference.)
Now that she's an adult, she gets to say what would be useful; but to me it sounds as though she has developed certain habits of thinking such that she will excuse her problems rather than choosing to work on them. A sensible coping mechanism for a teen, but perhaps not that good for her education. The more you can get her to actually work on these things and improve, the better.
Best,
DeeDee
