When high school students on the autism spectrum are considering transitioning to a college setting after completing high school, there are many variables to evaluate when choosing a college. There are the obvious considerations such as grades, SAT/ACT scores, interested areas of study, etc. to take into account when choosing the schools to potentially attend if accepted. But achieving an acceptance letter from a desired school may not be enough to ensure a good fit between the student on the autism spectrum and the school. There are many examples of very bright and capable students being accepted to and attending colleges that might appear to be a good fit based on the students intellectual capacities and areas of academic interest, but in actuality are poor fits when other aspects of the student are considered such as social challenges and executive functioning challenges to name a few.
When students on the autism spectrum attend college away from home, they are no longer living with supportive parents who provide important structure and consistency. They are also no longer entitled to the same services and supports from the college that they might have enjoyed in high school. It is therefore important for students and their families to have an excellent understanding of the students area of need in order to ensure a school will be able to support those needs. Here is a link to an excellent podcast from February, 2015 where a student and her mother were interviewed about the student's college experience and what she and her mother learned about what the student needed from her college in order to be successful. http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/finding-services-adults-autism/
When students on the autism spectrum attend college away from home, they are no longer living with supportive parents who provide important structure and consistency. They are also no longer entitled to the same services and supports from the college that they might have enjoyed in high school. It is therefore important for students and their families to have an excellent understanding of the students area of need in order to ensure a school will be able to support those needs. Here is a link to an excellent podcast from February, 2015 where a student and her mother were interviewed about the student's college experience and what she and her mother learned about what the student needed from her college in order to be successful. http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/finding-services-adults-autism/
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