Autism & Academia: Strategies for College Success
Guidance for Students with ASD
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Ah, college — the magical place where high school graduates are transformed into nocturnal creatures, fueled by caffeine and cold pizza. College life can be both intimidating and exciting, especially for students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
According to recent data, about 36% of young adults with ASD are college students. Although this percentage does reflect progress, it also sheds light on the unique journey that students with autism face in pursuing higher education.
As a former college disability services specialist, I’ve witnessed the positive impacts of supportive services on students with intellectual disabilities in higher education. That role, along with experiencing the benefits of accommodations throughout my own academic journey, has further strengthened my commitment to advocating for equality on campuses.
Every student’s experience is unique. With the right support, they can overcome obstacles & achieve their goals.
Understanding Autism
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by a wide range of sensory sensitivity, communication, and behavioral differences. Autistic individuals perceive and socialize with others differently, which often means uniquely navigating social interaction and communication with others.
Let’s explore practical strategies for college students with ASD to achieve academic, social, and emotional success.
College Preparation
Proactively preparing for the transition into college life can make a substantial difference in a student’s anxiety and stress levels. High school years can be pivotal to college preparation. Students should connect with educators, counselors, and parents to create a personalized transition plan.
If students already have a 504 or IEP plan in place, this information can be applied towards the development of a thorough college transition plan. To achieve success in higher education ventures, neurodiverse students should understand their strengths, challenges, and areas of opportunity for growth.
Researching Colleges
When making the big decisions on majors, minors, and degree programs, it’s important to consider factors that will impact the overall college experience. Campus size can be a strong indicator of socialization opportunities and expectations. Some students best thrive in close-knit smaller communities, while others may better acclimate to a large university campus.
Disability Support Services
The resources and support provided by a campus disability services office often prove essential to students with ASD achieving academic success. Course accommodations, academic advising, and mental health counseling are common offerings of these departments.
Accommodations at the higher education level typically include options for the following:
- Adaptive equipment
- Extended exam time
- Extended due dates
- Frequent breaks
- Isolated testing rooms
Keep in mind, the specific accommodations allowed are often dependent upon the individual requirements of each course, professor, and/or assignment.
Developing a level of comfort with advocating for yourself & discussing support needs with professors may be necessary.
Navigating Campus Life
New students are typically welcomed into the ranks of higher education through attending orientation. Attendance at such events provides students the opportunity to connect with one another, inquire, and learn about the campus.
Most importantly, orientation serves as the chance to finally test the waters and start acclimating to life on campus grounds. Learning about the various organizations and clubs available to join can lead to finding like-minded peers who share in your interests.
Sensory Considerations
Students with ASD planning to attend a densely populated campus, such as a university, should be mindful of sensory considerations. Locate the quiet areas of campus where it will be helpful to recharge if sensory overload occurs. Some campuses have rooms and “quiet zones” specifically for this purpose.
Items such as noise-canceling headphones can come in handy during crowded events, just as fidgets can serve as support through lectures. Understanding individual needs and preferences for support is essential to navigating these scenarios typical of the college experience.
Time Management
If you are a student who struggles with deadlines and procrastination, you are far from alone. In fact, most students do, but many organizational changes can be made to address this concern.
Visual schedules in the form of digital calendars or planners can benefit those who are struggling to manage their courses, assignments, and extracurriculars. Breaking academic assignments down into manageable smaller tasks or steps can also help students to avoid feelings of overwhelm.
Procrastination haunts every poor overloaded student soul at some point in their academic career. The key to breaking this habit is to implore self-management strategies and set personal deadlines.
Doing so entails focusing on important and urgent tasks first, and setting personal due dates scheduled before the final due dates set by instructors. While such a shift in timeliness habits may happen more gradually, over time procrastination can dissipate.
Accessing Support
Early access to supportive services can have a profound impact on the academic performance of students with ASD. From note-taking assistance to test-taking support, meeting with your campus disability services office staff to discuss accommodation needs can produce solutions for many barriers. It’s important to be proactive in requesting the support needed.
It goes without saying that attending college can be stressful. Normalize taking advantage of the on-campus counseling services to address heightened and/or prolonged feelings of anxiety and distress.
These resources exist because trying moments are basically synonymous to the collegiate experience.
Connecting with peers will also inevitably highlight such adversity. Some campuses facilitate support groups and/or clubs specifically to foster connections between autistic scholars. Reach out to your student or disability services office to inquire on the availability of these resources.
Building Social Connections
Joining campus organizations and clubs is a great way to begin building connections. Students can select and immerse themselves in groups that align with their interests, such as art, gaming, science, etc. Regularly practicing social skills through attending events and engaging with peers can make valuable differences in the social lives of learners with ASD.
Roommate Dynamics
If student housing arrangements require that you have a roommate, there may be additional factors worth considering. For instance, the ability to clearly and openly communicate preferences, boundaries, and routines will be crucial.
When doing so, it’s important to remember these expressions of personal expectations need to be heard from both sides.
Be mindful & understanding of the fact that everyone has their own distinctive communication style & set of habits.
Academic Success
Autistic students may require additional support when it comes to developing efficient study strategies. However, the need to acknowledge learning style differences goes far beyond neurodiverse students.
These helpful strategies are aligned to different learner types:
- Visual learners often find color-coded notes and tabs, charts, and diagrams to be useful for organization and comprehension.
- Auditory learners benefit from developing a routine of recording live lectures for listening at a later time.
- Kinesthetic learners tend to best absorb knowledge by participating in role-play or engaging in hands-on activities.
Students may also have a combination of learning styles that can be supported by adopting an array of strategies.
Coping with Stress & Anxiety
The college experience is full of opportunities for growth, socialization, and self-exploration. Nonetheless, techniques for coping with stress and anxiety should be a principal component of every college student’s survival kit.
Here are a few techniques to support the collegiate journey for learners with ASD:
- Breathing exercises and grounding techniques are valuable mindfulness interventions for anxiety reduction.
- Taking breaks sounds simple enough, but understanding how and when to allow yourself a brain break is vital. When sensory overload happens, being able to step outside and reset with a short break can be just the destress needed.
- Fidget tools can become helpful towards regulating sensory input when struggles with focus arise during class or while completing coursework.
These techniques are often adopted by students with and without ASD, but pose more widespread benefits for neurodivergent students.
Conclusion
College life can feel like a whirlwind, and autistic students navigate a special path — one filled with personal growth, challenges, and victories. When the moment to cross the graduation stage comes, students will reflect on the resilience, talents, and friendships forged along their path to success.
After all, college isn’t just about textbooks and deadlines. It’s about self-discovery, one cold pizza slice and late-night cram session at a time.
Keep embracing those wonderfully unique traits & perspectives that will make you our future innovators.
Resources:
https://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Benchmarks-paper-draft.pdf
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