Twenty Truths About Autism on The College Campus
Also true for any disability
Most parents have no idea what college is really like for disabled people. College, after all, was a long way back, and they experienced college as an able person. Parents assume that colleges will support their autistic children, as public schools have done since Kindergarten. They might believe that As in special education classes are sufficient to succeed at the local community college. They assume that their kid will go to college because everyone else in the neighborhood is sending their children to college.
I am constantly correcting misconceptions about college with parents, and even with high school teachers and staff, who are responsible for supporting these students with their transition plans.
I’m going to be really, really blunt here, because I need to be. Too many special education college students don’t make it past the first week, and their parents don’t have a realistic Plan B. Rather than completely rule out college as an option, parents should have a complete understanding of the situation.
Twenty Truths About Autism on The College Campus:
There are no IEPs in colleges.
Your student has no right to a college education.
There are no goals and objectives.
No lesson plan will ever be altered for your student.
No professor will change their teaching style for your student.
Most professors have never taken a single education class and have no knowledge about dyslexia, autism, or whatever.
Few colleges allow aides in a classroom and have no tolerance for even the mildest of autism behaviors.
Parents should never talk to a college professor or enter the classroom with the student. The accessibility office should be the only people who contact the professor about a disabled student.
The college accessibility office will provide the professor with a list of accommodations for your student, but won’t disclose the name of the disability. In higher education, autism is still considered a disability that should be hidden, not a super power that should be appreciated.
Community colleges are not open admission. To become a full time student, students need to pass an entrance exam or have a decent SAT score. They don’t just “take everyone.”
If your student was in special education classes for math and English, they probably can’t pass that test.
To pass that entrance exam, they must be able to write a five paragraph essay. If they can’t, then they’ll spend a year in a remedial English class, which will be very boring and won’t count towards their degree.
Before students walk onto campus, they should know about syllabi, independent learning, the correct way to address a college professor. They should know what the admissions department and the bursars office does. They should know where the tutoring center is and how to get help. They should know how to organize a study schedule for the week. They must know how to participate appropriately in class. No one at the college will provide your student with that education.
That first month, students will need a lot of support learning how to use the online platforms, like Moodle or Blackboard. They will need help learning how to order books from the bookstore, where they’ll be given a code for an online book and then they’ll have to learn twelve difference ways to get access to the book, because every publisher does it differently. Nobody at the school will provide any of that help. A parent will need to figure it out and provide all that support.
If your student has a medical issue, like epilepsy, the professor doesn’t want to know about it and won’t be able to follow any medical procedures. Fingers crossed and hope for the best.
College accommodations are VERY limited in scope. Students can get extra time on tests and a regular appointment at the tutoring center — all of which can be helpful, so it’s worth going through weeks of bureaucratic hurdles to get those accommodations. But that’s about it. Some accommodations, like note taking, never really happen, so don’t bother.
If your goal for your student is to attend college, then you need to start putting pressure on the high school to prepare him for that reality. Unless a student is in a regular education class, the public school assumes that they are preparing your child to work in McDonald’s. Either you need to change your goal for your child or the school does, because right now, you’re not on the same page.
There are some private programs that will work with the community college to provide extra help for autistic students. There are a handful of colleges that have specialized approaches for the autistic student. More are opening up all the time, and that’s awesome. But the student must still be able to handle the academic work.
Colleges don’t accommodate everyone. Inclusivity is a slogan, not a law, because the professor’s unions protect them from having to make any real changes or even attend inclusivity programs. There will be cases where egregious discrimination happens. In those situations, parents should start yelling. Start at the accommodations department and work your way up. Threaten to call lawyers.
College is a great way, sometimes the only way, for young people with autism to develop their professional goals and have social opportunities. Surviving that first year is a fight, but it’s worth the fight. Just have a realistic understanding for what lies ahead.
As I said in the beginning, college is doable for students with autism and other disabilities, if planned correctly. I wrote a bit about our efforts here. Our son is currently taking two computer science classes at a community college and is very happy. There are also more programs than ever for students with IDD, who simply want to live on a college campus and get a flavor of college. But it’s best to know the score long before high school graduation and to prepare your child (and yourself) for the challenges ahead.
LINKS
Do you subscribe to disability newsletters in your state? You should. In my mailbox today: the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network newsletter had an article with tons of useful information about higher education in our state.
What students need to succeed in college. From the 2023 EP Guide.
From my last Apt. 11D newsletter:
Keep fighting the good fight for your children! They are worth it!
Gosh this is very eye opening! Thanks for sharing all your research and experience in this area, I imagine many parents would be shocked and stressed out about this situation. We are still a long way til this point and in a different country and who knows the hurdles here, but I’m glad to now have this in the back of mind as something that needs a lot of thought and attention!
This was very interesting to read, thank you!
A family friend of ours has special needs/severe learning disabilities. He’s not autistic but needed a great deal of support to get through k-12 and then college. He attended New England College. From what I knew at the time (2004-5ish) NEC did a good job & had lots of supports for special needs kids.
Have you looked at NEC?