Autism Spectrum and College Admission?

scansmom
Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:53:35 +0000

Given the changes in diagnostic methods during the past decade, combined with unusually high rates of autism/autism spectrum disorders, this is a topic that has been getting and will continue to get a lot of attention and as we see more and more students with Asperger’s going to college.

The biggest problem of course is that there is a wide range in differences in abilities and issues among individuals on the spectrum even when limited only to Asperger’s Syndrome, and AS is often accompanied with other learning disorders. And with the huge amount of information that is currently “out there” that it can be quite overwhelming for parents and students beginning the college application process to locate information that will be specifically helpful to them.

This CC thread specifically addresses college issues relating to Aspergers:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=152928

One book I would highly recommend for students and parents is: “Realizing the College Dream with Autism or Asperger Syndrome: A Parent’s Guide to Student Success”, by Ann Palmer, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (November 15, 2005)

One site I like:

http://home.att.net/~coultervideo/index.htm This site is by parents of a student with Aspergers; their articles are first hand personal accounts which address many different issues relating Aspergers as well as the college experience for students with AS. See, eg, “First year at college, lessons learned”, “Who’s to know” on the issue of disclosure, “ASDs and Choosing College Courses” (I have not seen these, but the Coulters also offer a few videos geared for transitioning students to college and the workplace)

The following are some other favorites:

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/education.html This site for O.A.S.I.S. has links to many resources relating to autism including college issues

http://www.professorsadvice.com/ this is a site by a college professor on the spectrum which also includes some information about schools that might be good for students with AS from surveys he conducted; the number of schools is pretty limited but it points out some of the negatives as well as positive features about the schools that are frequently considerations for students with Aspergers.

http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~cns/ University Students With Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, this is a site from the UK which includes several links and lists of other resources

http://home.att.net/~coultervideo/FirstyrCollege.htm Several useful first hand accounts by parents of an Aspergers student (I have not seen these, but the Coulters also offer a few videos geared for transitioning students to college students and the workforce)

http://www.aspfi.org/college/ Asperger Foundation International. This site has a link to schools for students with AS

Another book for college students with AS is: “Succeeding in College With Asperger Syndrome”, by John Harpur, et al, Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Student edition (January 2004) This is written by a British author so it is not specifically tailored for American colleges but the general information is useful.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/ is another site for individuals with autism/aspergers and includes a chat board/forum where people can post on different issues including college/school.