Академический Документы
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Культура Документы
Meredith Oakley
INTRODUCTION
The number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that attend our
universities has continued to increase over the past several years (Christensen et al., 2016).
34.7% of students with ASD in 2012 attended a college or university post high school graduation
(Matthews, Ly, & Goldberg, 2014; Shattuck et al., 2012). There is an abundant amount of
research on how to assist these students with their academic careers and explaining the struggles
they face in social settings. There is a lack of research on how to assist them while they live in a
residence hall on a college campus and how to assist them complete daily life tasks. There is
also a deficit of information on how student affairs professionals and administrators can assist
students with ASD while they live on campus. This paper is going to share common struggles
students with ASD encounter and make a call to action for more research to be conducted and
more actions to be taken to help students with ASD live on campus in residence halls and
LITERATURE REVIEW
As students with ASD begin to transition to college, they are generally told to anticipate
changes in their lifestyle. They are expected to not only perform in the academic sector, but also
learn to navigate the social culture of college. Things that come naturally to a neurotypical
student, like social cues and making friends, may be the hardest part of transitioning to college
for a student with ASD (Ringler, Rutherford, & Quinn, 2015). Students in a higher education
setting must have the ability to self-advocate, adapt to environments they are not familiar with,
take care of themselves physically each day, take on more responsibility for their actions, and
GET TO KNOW ASD 3
know how to initiate social interactions. Students switch from a structured environment at home
and in high school to no structure in college except during their class times. They have most
likely had Individualized Education Plans in their elementary, middle, and high school career,
but now must learn to self-advocate in order to gain assistance and be granted their
accommodations. In addition to all the changes listed above, there are no parental support
systems physically present assisting them with day-to-day tasks (Dente & Coles, 2012).
Learning to manage time and the workload of schoolwork, using a syllabus, navigating
roommate encounters, and responding to stress are all areas students with ASD may not have
student with ASD. It is common for them not to understand social cues, facial expressions, body
language, and the basics of how to have a conversation (Cullen, 2015). This deficit can lead to
problems in the classroom, communication during group projects, or cause barriers to asking and
answering questions during class (Dente & Coles, 2012). Due to the communication barriers,
students may not feel comfortable asking questions to an instructor, even in private. A student
may also talk too much if they are very competent in the area the class or group is discussing.
Unfortunately, support for social needs are generally not included as part of their
needed to provide essential accommodations that can include extra time on tests, note-takers,
and tutors (Hurewitz & Berger, 2008, p. 113). Some universities have introduced a new type of
support program for students with ASD such as those at Marshall University or Saint Joseph
University. These programs are available at an additional cost to tuition (Cullen, 2015).
GET TO KNOW ASD 4
Colleges have traditionally provided for physical handicaps and sensory disabilities
(Hurewitz & Berger, 2008) and now also provide for students with intellectual and learning
disabilities. The available options of programs specifically for students with ASD are becoming
more popular, but still limited and the demand for them is still growing. Brad McGarry, the
turns down twice as many students as they can accept each year (OMurchu, 2015). Their
university has been working with other institutions in hopes to grow similar programs. Several
other universities with this type of program are The Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers
Kentucky, Eastern University, UCLA, the University of Connecticut and Marshall University in
These programs generally double the price of tuition, but include additional services to
assist students in one-on-one settings or with specialized coaching to support them in growing
into an independent adult. These programs have curriculum designed specifically to assist
students with ASD navigate adulthood, live on their own, be independent, accomplish basic life
skills, and handle social interactions (Ringler et al., 2015). These programs offer different
curriculum each year in order to build on the skills the students are learning. For example,
during one academic year, The University of Tennessee at Chattanoogas MOSAIC program
curriculum includes nine chapters teaching on transitioning to college, academic life, social life,
campus life, responsibilities, stress management, and relationships (Rigler et al., 2015).
These programs guide students when living in a residence hall on campus, but do not
solely focus on that. In addition to programs for students, there are limited guides for student
affairs professionals on how to assist students with ASD live on campus and adapt to campus
GET TO KNOW ASD 5
life. The rising number of students with ASD attending college (Shattuck et al., 2012) presents
the idea that student affairs professionals around the United States need to be conscious of
programming, assisting, and creating healthy environments for students with ASD.
campuses with special accommodations and needs. North Carolinas TEACCH program
director, Dr. Laura Klinger, explains how the increase in students with ASD will parallel with the
growing demand for these types of services for adults (Center for Disease Control, 2016).
There is an identifiable gap between what we know about the characteristics of ASD, and
how to best serve a student struggling with ASD while on campus. However, one book produced
by the Autism Asperger Publishing Company called Students with Asperger Syndrome: A Guide
for College Personnel is a helpful piece of material, produced specifically to assist student affairs
professionals support students with ASD to their best ability. Specifically for professionals in
housing, it covers topics of residence hall issues like fire drills, conflict resolution, laundry, and
bathing. It also covers other major tasks including selecting and requesting a room, how to live
with roommates, how to share their space and belongings, and bullying in the halls (Wolf,
Brown, & Bork, 2009). Student affairs professionals need more material like this text. They
also need more training opportunities on how to handle difficult situations with the ASD
population. More workshops and writings could be produced about successful partnerships
between departments of residential living and disability services. Higher Education and Student
Affairs programs should also be diving more deeply into this topic in our diversity discussions
and classes.
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As awareness is increased, the interest of this topic will most likely continue to grow.
More schools should take the time to train their staff and faculty on best practices for working
with these students and in what environments these students thrive in or flee from. The
population of ASD students could also be served better if there were more programs to meet their
needs around the country. A challenge with the ASD population is that no two students with
ASD are alike. To know one student with Aspergers syndrome is not to know all students with
Aspergers syndrome (Dente & Coles, 2012, p. 29). Just because a student functions differently
and needs accommodations, does not change the fact they are a student who needs our support as
they become adults. We should challenge them and support them but in ways specific to their
needs.
GET TO KNOW ASD 7
References
Center for Disease Control. (2016). 2016 Community Report from the Autism and Developmental
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/documents/community_report_autism.pdf.
Christensen, D. L., Baio, J., Braun, K. V., Bilder, D., Charles, J., Constantino, J. N., . . . Yeargin-
Cullen, J. A. (2015). The needs of college students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and
Dente, C. L., & Coles, K. P. (2012, January). Ecological approaches to transition planning for
students with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Children and Schools, 34(1), 27-36.
doi:10.1093/cs/cdr002
Hurewitz, F., & Berger, P. E. (2008). Preparing students with Autism for college, and preparing
colleges for students with Autism. Speaker's Journal, 8(11), 109-117. Retrieved
November 6, 2016.
Matthews, N. L., Ly, A. R., & Goldberg, W. A. (2014). College students perceptions of peers
with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1),
90-99. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2195-6
O'Murchu, I. F. (2015, March 12). From 'lost' to possibilities: Colleges helping students with
http://www.today.com/health/more-colleges-helping-students-autism-t20661
GET TO KNOW ASD 8
Ringler, M., Rutherford, A., & Quinn, E. (2015). Independence, social, and study strategies for
young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley.
Shattuck, P. T., Narendorf, S. C., Cooper, B., Sterzing, P. R., Wagner, M., & Taylor, J. L. (2012,
May 14). Postsecondary education and employment among youth with an Autism
doi:10.1542/peds.2011-2864
Wolf, L. E., Brown, J. T., Bork, G. R., Volkmar, F. R., & Klin, A. (2009). Students with
Asperger syndrome: A guide for college personnel. Shawnee Mission, Kan., KS: Autism
Asperger Pub.