Can My Child Receive Government Support AND Attend College?

Yes

Cross-posted at The Autism College Connection

My favorite path to college for young autistics adults — though certainly not the only one — is to attend an 18-21 transition program after high school, and then go to college. I like transition programs because they are a free way for your student to retain the benefits of IEPs, polish social skills, and get job training. Students can take classes at their community college at the same time, where they can wade into the college experience. At age 21, the student will be much more ready for the challenges of college. 

While the student is gaining practical skills in their transition program, parents can use that time to get onboard the system for disability benefits, which don’t fully kick in until age 21. Your student with autism may qualify for disability services, if their disabilities are severe enough to impede significant gainful employment. Can you imagine your child working in McDonald’s? Plenty of autistic people are smart enough to go to college, but their disabilities make it difficult to manage a basic minimum wage jobs. If you can’t envision your child working in McDonald’s, then you should apply for help. 

Parents can get onboard the system by first applying for SSI at age 18. Here in New Jersey, The Department for Developmental Disabilities (DDD) distributes federal medicaid money at age 21. I’ll provide more details about the government support process another month. Today, I just want you to know that students, who receive SSI and DDD funding, can attend college. In fact, those funds can supplement college expenses.