The Parent's Guide to College for Students with Autism

by Jane Thierfeld Brown, Lorraine E. Wolf, Lisa King, G. Ruth Kukiela Bork

Overview

Sending a son or daughter off to college is daunting and fear-provoking experience for most parents, but if your child has an autism spectrum disorder, the challenge is magnified many times over. Even high-functioning students with excellent academic preparation face difficulties in higher education, primarily related to communication, social skills, and sensory-based issues.

For many, the accommodations and special interventions that supported them in high school will no longer be available on a college campus. This parent-friendly book, made especially so because it is written by parents, who also are autism professionals, takes the fear and mystery out of the college experience. Learn how to select the right campus, how to work with Disability Services staff, what legal protections apply, how to prepare your son or daughter to be an effective self-advocate on campus, what assistance can be reasonably be expected from residence hall managers, faculty, and much, much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934575895
Publisher:	Future Horizons, Inc.
Publication date:	01/10/2012
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jane Thierfeld Brown, EdD, is director of student services at the University of Connecticut School of Law and co-director of College Autism Spectrum. She has worked in disability services for 33 years. Dr. Brown’s main research interests are students with Asperger Syndrome in higher education and students with disabilities in high-stakes graduate programs. She consults with many institutions of higher education, as well as with parents and students on issues of students with autism spectrum disorders, and is a frequent speaker at conferences. She co-authored Students With Autism: A Guide for College Personnel. Dr. Brown has three children, the youngest of whom is a 20-year-old son on the spectrum.

Lorraine Wolf, EdD, is the director of disability services at Boston Universitywhere she holds faculty appointments as an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine and an adjunct associate professor of rehabilitation sciences at the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She has over 30 years’ experience working with individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Wolf consults internationally on university accommodations for students with disabilities and has published and presented extensively on clinical as well as legal issues for students with attention and learning disorders, psychiatric disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. She is co-author of Students With Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for College Personnel. She is the parent of twin boys, one of whom is on the autism spectrum.

Lisa King, MEd, is a co-director of College Autism Spectrum, an educational consulting company that provides training and guidance to colleges regarding best practices for working with students on the autism spectrum, in addition to working directly with students on the spectrum and their families as they transition to, through, and beyond college. Additionally, she serves as an access consultant for St. Catherine University. Under the guidance of colleagues and co-authors, Jane Thierfeld Brown and Lorraine Wolf, Ms. King led a two-year pilot program at the University of Minnesota implementing a new model of service: Strategic Education for Asperger Students. She is a wife to Chris and mother of Ian and Bryn.

G. Ruth Kukiela Bork, MEd, is past founder, dean, and director of the Disability Resource Center, Northeastern Universityin Boston. She serves as an adjunct lecturer on disability for the Physician Assistantship, the Counseling Psychology, the Rehabilitation and Special Education, and the Psychology Programs at Northeastern University. In addition, she has served as director of student services at a private high school where she implemented changes to prepare families and students for transition from high school to college. Ms. Bork’s professional involvement in disability affairs and advocacy spans 38 years. She has written and spoken on a variety of disability-related topics ranging from employment of students with disabilities, supporting international students with disabilities, coordinating and providing support services in higher education, and high-school-to-college transition of students with disabilities.

Read an Excerpt

This volume concentrates on providing families, clinicians, teachers, and high school specialists information about the transition to college. We are aware that higher education is not appropriate for all students on the autism spectrum and that job training is an equal or better postsecondary option for some families (including one of the authors’ children). However, many students with AS benefit greatly from college, and we believe that students who can benefit from higher education should have that opportunity.

As parents, teachers, and clinicians, our commitment is to help ensure that students with AS become successful. As with more typical students, we hope they earn good grades, are comfortable in the classroom, and enjoy extracurricular activities, clubs, sports – all that college life entails. As we write this book, we realize that good intentions do not always lead to independence and success in adulthood. The success many students experience in high school is, in part, due to a carefully planned curriculum, complete with a team of supports – not the least of which is the parent. However, this level of support is rarely available on most college campuses. In order to succeed in college, students must be able to navigate a complex social world and academic rigor simultaneously. For some students on the spectrum this is attainable; others require assistance.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Where Have You Been and Where Are You Going? 7
Chapter 2 Finding The Right College 27
Chapter 3 Applying for Admission 51
Chapter 4 Getting Your Student to Campus 63
Chapter 5 Laws Families Need to Know 79
Chapter 6 Who’s Who on Campus 99
Chapter 7 The Incoming Freshman 109
Chapter 8 Working With Disability Services 121
Chapter 9 Academic Issues Your Student May Encounter 129
Chapter 10 Housing and Residential Life 141
Chapter 11 Student Health – Physical and Mental 163
Chapter 12 Social and Extracurricular Life 179
Chapter 13 Life after College 187
Conclusion 199
References 203
Recommended Readings 205

Editorial Reviews

Parents need to teach their kids basic skills like shopping, ordering food in restaurants, doing laundry, being on time, personal hygiene, and waking themselves up. These skills should be taught long before the child goes to college. They are part of growing up and necessary for succeeding in college. Still, the biggest obstacle for most autistic students is learning to do well in social situations. For example, I had to learn that it was O.K. to cry if I was frustrated on the job rather than lashing out physically. A high-tech company will not fire you for crying, but they will if you throw things or hit others. The authors of this book present clear strategies for families and students with autism to use starting as early as in middle school and going up to college graduation and on to employment. Hard work, the ability to work with others, and clear expectations will get young people where they want to be —Temple Grandin, PhD, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Way I See It

For parents whose adolescent with autism spectrum disorders is considering college, this practical book is an invaluable guide to evaluating college readiness, strengthening key skills, identifying the right match, ensuring the smoothest possible transition, and creating a safety net to maximize the chances of a successful college experience. The authors sage advice and strategies come from years of personal and professional experience. This is THE book our staff recommend to families and educators! —Dania Jekel, MSW, executive director, Asperger s Association of New England

This book is a true gift to the ASD community. The authors have combined their extensive knowledge and personal experiences to offer a road map to anyone supporting a college-bound student with ASD. The information is clear, ordered, and honest. Charts, tables, and scenarios illustrate possible challenges a student might encounter on campus and serve as checklists along the way. I recommend this book to parents, special education teachers, high school guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers, and the students themselves. --Kari Dunn Buron, MS, autism education specialist, educator and author of The Incredible 5-Point Scale (co-author), A 5 Is Against the Law, and Learners on the Autism Spectrum: Preparing Highly Qualified Educators (co-editor)

From the Publisher