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For a child with HFA to the extent that most people wouldn't know he had an ASD, although people who know about ASD traits or have been around others with ASD tend to pick up on it easily, what kind of accommodations would a college even be able to provide? I would say he needs more help with people and general life skills than academics although there is struggle with insomnia and ADD if he isn't very careful with sleep patterns, etc.  I'm not sure if it is worth even mentioning to the college or pursuing anything. Will it affect the likelihood of acceptance?  He will not be able to attend college close to home which is a concern because it will lessen my ability to be an outside spectator. Any help or advice I will give him will be based on what he recognizes himself and talks to me about on the phone.  :eek:  He is a rising Junior and so we have time but it may affect where he even looks, etc. 

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I would not mention anything before acceptance; wait until he is accepted, has chosen his college, and then submit the documentation to the Disabilities Services office of the school he is going to attend.

Accommodations can include quiet rooms for testing, extra time for testing, special support through the counseling service, a student advocate. For some disabilities (probably not applicable for your DS), students receive note takes, readers, permission to make up missed assignments, eating breaks during class, handouts in large font, electronic handouts instead of paper, permission to type instead of hand write.

I would strongly recommend to go through the process to obtain accommodations; he does not have to use them, but it may be nice to have them. 

 

As a college professor, I find it helpful to know that a student has special circumstances, because it allows me to put his behavior and reactions into perspective. We are only informed about the required accommodations, but not about a diagnosis; if a student wishes to disclose anything to an instructor, that is his choice.

I personally found it helpful when students volunteered more information about their condition, because then we can talk about how to make the class a better experience for them. To illustrate, one example: a student, who had a letter specifying accommodations of quiet testing and extended test time, told me that he spends a lot of time drawing figures because he feels he must make them perfect - so instead of having him copy a figure on a quiz, I printed them out for him, which relieved the stress and the compulsion to draw and re-draw. So, sometimes, instructors may be able to do things that are not in the letter, that can help the student

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I'm assuming you meant mentioning it to the school *after* acceptance. What you do before is your business. If you're screening schools by services, you'll probably have to out and out ask. People go different ways on that. But afterwards, yeah, use IDEA (the law) and get those accommodations and services in place, definitely.

 

My dd, straight ADHD, is going to college this fall. I can tell you that we updated her evals and have gone back and forth working with the college to put accommodations in place. It's easy to *under-estimate* the amount of support he needs or would benefit from. My dd was at the university this semester, living with a friend of ours, so we all ready had a dry run. I can tell you we're doing a LOT with services before we put her into the dorms and have her go full-time. He may need an academic coach to help him problem solve if he's overwhelmed by things (how to drop, how to deal with this or that). He will probably benefit from accommodations in the dorms. We've been getting paperwork filled out to push HARD for a particular dorm set-up for her. It's not what they normally do for freshman, and we're having to push and use the law. It really, really matters! Can he handle a roommate? Would he be better off with a single room? After that much time with people all day, is he going to need a quiet place to go back to?

 

If he's living at home, maybe that doesn't matter. Oh, you said he's going to be in the dorms. Well there you go. Update his evals and have them write in the report all the accommodations he needs for academics, social, dorms, etc.

 

As I'm understanding my ds better (more like yours, ASD), I think it would be helpful to see if there's an autistic community to connect with at the university. I don't know, I think that social group, isolation, etc. could be huge. It might be worth taking a less preferred school if they have more support or a better community for him. 

 

I definitely wouldn't put him out there without supports in place. It's not your imagination thinking he's going to need some help to navigate problems. I've spent significant time on the phone and went in person to the university and talked with the support services to make sure things are lined up. My dd has very high ACT scores and is a very diligent student! It's not like it's saying oh they're dumb. It's just saying some kids need support and we're going to make sure that's IN PLACE so she gets it. And if the school hadn't had it to my satisfaction, they would have gotten axed of the list. If they don't come through on the dorm situation, same deal, we'll axe it. Sigh. This is way too expensive a proposition just to guess and hope.

 

But yeah, updating the evals will give you a better sense of what you're looking for. Even our ped was super helpful. Is your ds on meds for his ADHD? He'll need a doctor when he's there, unless your current doctor is willing to write a pile of scrips. 

Edited by OhElizabeth
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 He will probably benefit from accommodations in the dorms. We've been getting paperwork filled out to push HARD for a particular dorm set-up for her. It's not what they normally do for freshman, and we're having to push and use the law. It really, really matters! Can he handle a roommate? Would he be better off with a single room? After that much time with people all day, is he going to need a quiet place to go back to?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, this alone might be worth seeking accommodations. I was willing to try to help him pay extra for a single room but I didn't think about the whole Freshman don't get priority on rooms or anything like that. 

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But yeah, updating the evals will give you a better sense of what you're looking for. 

 

 

This is why I'm asking so early. Time to get things lined out.  Of course, he has a lot figured out here but then I remember we have routines here. We solve issues together and I had a major hand in that and we have a lot figured out but needing new living circumstances, a different lifestyle, and navigating all on his own while succeeding in school sounds somewhat like a recipe for disaster.  Well, I'll help him when I can but being in a different state makes some of that difficult. 

 

It would be a horribly costly mistake to fail the first time around both in years, money, energy, and ambition. 

Edited by frogger
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FWIW, even I had some trouble navigating through and setting myself up with a good schedule for getting things done and navigating the very strange waters of college roommates/deadlines, etc. when I went off to college.  I was used to having the structure of ps High School and support from my parents and suddenly I had none of that.  It wasn't that I wasn't capable.  I just didn't yet have the skills or experience in place to create the supports I needed on my own.  For instance, I didn't realize that college professor hours could be used to discuss up and coming concerns or desire for feedback on additional areas to pursue on my own or to discuss better ways to handle understanding the material for subjects that were presented very differently from what I had been accustomed to.  I honestly thought that first year at school that college professor hours were just for addressing where I had already had struggles.  I wish I had worked at better communication with my professors my Freshman year.  I also wish I had had better organizational systems in place and had been for familiar with all the resources and supports in place on campus even for regular students.

 

For a student that will almost certainly find aspects of college even more inherently challenging, having accommodations already in place and knowing what is available and how to use those accommodations can be huge.  A lot of kids are embarrassed, though, or feel the extra effort right up front to get things in place is annoying/waste of time.  If you could possibly present various supports as a more efficient way of dealing with college that many people use, maybe that would help?

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I would not mention anything before acceptance; wait until he is accepted, has chosen his college, and then submit the documentation to the Disabilities Services office of the school he is going to attend.

Accommodations can include quiet rooms for testing, extra time for testing, special support through the counseling service, a student advocate. For some disabilities (probably not applicable for your DS), students receive note takes, readers, permission to make up missed assignments, eating breaks during class, handouts in large font, electronic handouts instead of paper, permission to type instead of hand write.

I would strongly recommend to go through the process to obtain accommodations; he does not have to use them, but it may be nice to have them.

 

As a college professor, I find it helpful to know that a student has special circumstances, because it allows me to put his behavior and reactions into perspective. We are only informed about the required accommodations, but not about a diagnosis; if a student wishes to disclose anything to an instructor, that is his choice.

I personally found it helpful when students volunteered more information about their condition, because then we can talk about how to make the class a better experience for them. To illustrate, one example: a student, who had a letter specifying accommodations of quiet testing and extended test time, told me that he spends a lot of time drawing figures because he feels he must make them perfect - so instead of having him copy a figure on a quiz, I printed them out for him, which relieved the stress and the compulsion to draw and re-draw. So, sometimes, instructors may be able to do things that are not in the letter, that can help the student

This kind of understanding is greatly appreciated. I do have a little apprehension that he will run into not so understanding professors at times but I suppose that is life.

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This kind of understanding is greatly appreciated. I do have a little apprehension that he will run into not so understanding professors at times but I suppose that is life.

 

It is important that he uses the support the college has in place. The student advocates can communicate with professors, and also can assist the student in communicating.

In my experience, instructors tend to be understanding when they find the student with challenges wants to work with them. I can tell you that a pet peeve are students who demand exceptions from, or refuse to adhere to, the course rules that apply to all students; this often happens with students on the spectrum and is extremely irritating. The counselors/advocates can help the student understand the expectations for communication and behavior (of course I have no idea whether this applies to your DS). Teaching him the "rules of engagement" for composing an email to a professor, for example, will go a long way towards making instrcutors receptive to his questions. (Again, I am just throwing this out; I have no idea whether your DS needs any help in this)

 

ETA: Since a pp addressed office hours: if you want to set your DS up for success, I cannot stress enough how important it is for students to understand that using help sessions, tutoring, and office hours  is NOT a sign of weakness, but actually of being smart and proactive. I find that students on the spectrum often balk at accepting help; if you can get across that using academic assistance is what the strong students do and what one is supposed to do, that will go a long way towards making his college career successful.

Edited by regentrude
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DS didn't try to hide has ASD diagnosis on his college applications. In fact he wrote some of his essays about it. I know that's not always advised both because it alerts to an issue and because it's been done to death, but he received his diagnosis later than most and it really did make for (IMO) a good essay.

 

So far all he's asked and been approved for are two things --

 

A private dorm room, which was quickly approved after we submitted a very brief letter from his psychiatrist (as is common with ASD kiddos he has a dual diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder that he sees her for).

 

To use a smart pen in all of his classes. Motor/visual deficits make it challenging for him to have to look back and forth from a board and take notes. The need for that was documented in psycho-educational testing done last year.

 

The Office of Disability Services at his university encourages kids to attend at least a week of classes and then set up an appointment with them to discuss needs. That seems like a good idea to me. And they have a program where students with all sorts of special needs are matched up with student volunteers to help/mentor them. I think they also organize study groups and social activities. I've encouraged DS to consider joining that group but he's resistant. And in truth he probably doesn't need it. He's already completed an early college high school program and earned his AS and is used to advocating for himself and navigating CC campus life. But I think it would be a good way to meet a few kids and get started socially. Not surprisingly, that aspect isn't really resonating with him.

Edited by Pawz4me
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It is important that he uses the support the college has in place. The student advocates can communicate with professors, and also can assist the student in communicating.

In my experience, instructors tend to be understanding when they find the student with challenges wants to work with them. I can tell you that a pet peeve are students who demand exceptions from, or refuse to adhere to, the course rules that apply to all students; this often happens with students on the spectrum and is extremely irritating. The counselors/advocates can help the student understand the expectations for communication and behavior (of course I have no idea whether this applies to your DS). Teaching him the "rules of engagement" for composing an email to a professor, for example, will go a long way towards making instrcutors receptive to his questions. (Again, I am just throwing this out; I have no idea whether your DS needs any help in this)

 

ETA: Since a pp addressed office hours: if you want to set your DS up for success, I cannot stress enough how important it is for students to understand that using help sessions, tutoring, and office hours  is NOT a sign of weakness, but actually of being smart and proactive. I find that students on the spectrum often balk at accepting help; if you can get across that using academic assistance is what the strong students do and what one is supposed to do, that will go a long way towards making his college career successful.

 

 

I can see this. My son won't be the one demanding he will rather not advocate for himself at all. For example, he attached the wrong file for a chemistry test for an online class. He completed a test on the periodic table of elements.  When submitting it, he accidentally submitted a file by a very similar name (a periodic table that he had started in elementary school just because, but got sidetracked and didn't finish) and got a 4% because it wasn't finished. If it had been finished he would have accidentally cheated. I told him he needed to explain to the teacher what happened. I wonder what she thought of the completely different format.  Even without changing his grade, at least she would know he wasn't blowing it off. He never did. She may have even been willing to accept the new file or at least give him a new grade with points off for being late. 

 

When I told him to check with his teacher about a lab he was doing, he said he couldn't until he could figure out what exactly to ask her.  In this case he actually did manage to go to office hours and ask but it took prep for him.  I'm not sure it is because they see it as a sign of weakness that  keep many from asking for help  but rather it is difficult to talk to someone and communicate needs. It is the easy way out to work at something for hours rather than go ask for help, (at least for my son) but we continue to stress it as a must. Just like another kid must learn his math facts even if it is harder for him than everyone else. So yes, he does need it and we are working on it. Of course, learning to do it and actually practicing it in real life without mom around are two different things. 

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This kind of understanding is greatly appreciated. I do have a little apprehension that he will run into not so understanding professors at times but I suppose that is life.

 

Regentrude is saying this, but I'll say it also. The school can have all the services in the world, but if your dc will not USE them, they'll do him no good. And there can be really wide variation in services with schools. It's really valuable to visit the schools, go to their student services office, SEE for yourself how much they're investing in it. Some schools have a culture of support and some are going to be less so. If a school doesn't take federal money, they have even less impetus to follow basic reasonable standards or have services you expect. So schools could really vary.

 

I made a lot of hay the last few years about using accommodations, using services. Even so, my dd got there and was like ho, me, why?? So if it's on paper but the kid over 18 won't DO it, it won't benefit him one bit. And that's in his HEAD. It's all in his head how he's willing to put himself out there. No one will give him the accommodations unless he asks. He has to be willing to walk into each class with his paperwork and tell them what he needs and use it. Kids don't want to stand out as different, etc., so they try to see if they can get by without. :(

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Frogger, some schools are better known for how they handle autism than others. It sounds like he's going to need significant support. You might want to look for a school that has a program specifically for autism. 

 

When you update your evals, you can ask the psych to do career testing and career counseling as well. The last social thinking workshop I went to made a big brouhaha over people working so hard to get kids through college and then realizing the deficits that made them struggle in college made them unemployable in the field of their degree. :(  Not that it's any of my business, just saying they were really, really big on being very, very realistic about where this is going.

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 He has to be willing to walk into each class with his paperwork and tell them what he needs and use it. Kids don't want to stand out as different, etc., so they try to see if they can get by without. :(

 

Just to add for the OP:

accommodations are confidential. The class mates do NOT know whether a student receives accommodations, unless it is something that is obvious in class (like a paralyzed student having a note taking aide, or a hearing impaired student having a ASL translator). At our school, extended test time and quiet testing are handled through the university's testing center, and the student simply is not present for the in class test. 

 

Also, there are a LOT of students with accommodations of some kind. Over the past few years, I have had consistently around 5% of my students receive testing accommodations. That's 20-25 students in my class of 500. 

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I get what you are saying Elizabeth. College is just one more step towards and actual career for him so yes, we are looking at long term.. He does have direction and knows what he is good at and I believe he can overcome his communication struggles but it will continue to take work. He may never be a chatterbox but if he can get his point across and be willing to initiate conversation and at least to attempt making people comfortable it's a start. Honestly, this is just finished his first online class so he was also tackling something new in many ways. Luckily, he is very rational in understanding why he needs to do things and will make himself do it or try. Not that he won't take the easy way out at times like everyone else.

 

It will be hard for us to visit more than one time, heck, it will be hard to visit schools at all since we live in Alaska.

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I had undiagnosed autism in college. If I was sending an ASD kid to college today: 1) A single room, as close to campus as possible. I need a place to retreat where all my books and materials are available. I was never good at studying on campus, and it was very hard to me to plan ahead about which books I would need to bring with me. I lived across the street from my law school and it made a huge difference. I didn't have to plan ahead, if I had time between classes, I just went home. 2) Introduce your kid to the tutoring center. March them down and make them shake hands with the director. I was too afraid to go to the tutoring center when I was struggling with first semester calculus. Yes. Too afraid to even walk in the door. In retrospect this is so frustrating! 3) Help your kid plan a college life. Like help them pick a sport or a club or some kind of fellowship. It's totally okay if they decide to pick something else later, but they need to get into the routine of having activities. 4) Be involved. I know helicopter parents are supposed to let go at some point. With an ASD kid that point is probably closer to grad school than freshman year! Seriously, I should have had weekly calls with my mom just to discuss how things were going in each class, what my plans were for studying etc. From the beginning of the semester, not when things started to implode! 5) Expect a big transition. I was a star high school student. I had no idea college would be so difficult for me. I wish I had known that executive function, not academics would be the biggest challenge!

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Frogger, there are colleges/ universities in Canada and the US that offer what is called peer mentoring. What is offered varies from school to school but it can be very helpful while going through this transition. Here's a write-up to give you an idea on what it is about even though it reflects how it is being approached here in Canada.

http://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/rise-of-peer-support-for-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorder/

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