“Support systems lag: The study found that 43 to 47 percent of high school students with autism go on to college, a significant shift from past decades, when postsecondary education was often viewed as an unlikely path for these graduates.”
While I’m glad more families are realizing that an autism diagnosis does not mean that college is out of reach, and more universities are supporting neurodiverse students, I have to wonder if part of this “shift” is because more students are getting the diagnosis of autism that perhaps would have had a different diagnosis, or no diagnosis at all, in those previous decades. My sister has run the MIT health clinic since the early 2000s, and at that time, they had the most alumni with children diagnosed with autism. I was working with autistic kids and their families in the Boston suburbs, and the apples weren’t falling far from the (undiagnosed, or not yet diagnosed) trees. While that was the early 2000s, this area has been light-years ahead with diagnosing and servicing children on the spectrum.
”Under federal special education law, K–12 schools are responsible for identifying and supporting students with disabilities. In college, however, support shifts to a self-advocacy model under the Americans With Disabilities Act, meaning students must disclose their disability and request accommodations.
That transition can create barriers for students who are unfamiliar with the process or uncomfortable seeking help, making it more difficult to access the services they need, Cox said.”
Working with ( what was previously labeled) “high functioning” high school students, I can tell you that many of the students that have the skills to go to college, not only do not want to disclose, they might also not believe that they need accommodations.
“He said effective strategies include working with on-campus housing offices to help accommodate autistic students who may be uncomfortable in a traditional double-occupancy residence hall room”.
When we were moving Lizardkid into his dorm the first year, before I even had my whole body in the door, I could tell his roommate was on the spectrum (35 years of experience in the field). I told my husband, and he laughed at me as we were not even there 10 minutes when I said something to him. I was torn between saying something to my son (so he could understand the kid better) or not. I didn’t say anything that day. A few days later, I got a call about some of the things the roommate was doing that was driving S23 insane. I told him what I observed, and he changed how he communicated with his roommate (I think kids today know enough about neurodiversity to figure out how to make accommodations), which helped somewhat. By the end of the week, S23 assured me that my autism detector was sport on. I have no idea if the kid disclosed to the school or not, but S23 was upset that he didn’t disclose to him during the roommate finding process. Not because he would have chosen not to room with someone with autism, but because some of the “behavioral quirks” of this kid would have been a red flag for my son (lights off and silence at 9:00, noises he needed to have while studying, messy, and a big gamer, who avoided physical activity). Due to his own ADHD, Lizardkid clearly communicated in his housing preference, that he preferred a more sparse/less distractions environment, that he was a serious student who spent zero time gaming, that he was a night owl, and that he was very physically active and spent weekends exploring outdoors: biking, hiking, and camping. He felt as if the mom filled out the housing form and found the roommate she wanted her son to have, rather than being honest and finding a roommate that would have meshed better. He actually felt bad for the kid, as at the end of the year, the other 3 suitemates moved into an apartment together and had to tell him he didn’t have a spot in their 3 bedroom.
I’ve seen this scenario played out in reverse with my own friends with kids on the spectrum. Rather than rooming with a kid who has similar interests and lifestyles, they really want their kid to room with the kid who’s going to be socially involved so that it’s a good model for their kid, or they think they will make friends through proximity. I always counsel them against it. It’s not what either of the kids wants, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen it result in anything but a cordial relationship at best.