Is your child with AUTISM ASPERGER S starting COLLEGE We can HE

Is your child with AUTISM ASPERGER S starting COLLEGE We can HE

1. Challenges and pressures of college life As children with autism and Asperger s transition to college new challenges await. The college experience will be fraught with changes new experiences and challenges. These represent yet another layer of stress for our children. 2. Importance of support services types of support It is important to anticipate these issues and to have additional support services in place to help them in their new role as college students. It is best to do this prior to the child actually starting his first quarter or semester in college so that he has familiarity with what to expect and has become acclimated to it. This will help to reduce the stress of embarking on the college adventure. Our support services include but are not limited to going to the college with your child to familiarize him with the campus location of buildings and departments accompanying him to register for courses speaking with college staff such as counselors disabled student office and instructors coaching your child on self-advocacy pre-teaching concepts so that he is familiar with them prior to the teacher presenting those concepts in class coaching him in the area of social skills role playing situations to teach him appropriate responses tutoring etc. Our approach is to be a support not a crutch. Thus since one of our goals is to teach appropriate independence and self-reliance we allow your child to handle as much of the situation as he is able to and we will step in as needed. 3. What is expected of our students required skills The difficulties that your children experience in the areas of communication social relationships executive functioning organization and flexible and imaginative thinking will further exacerbate the challenges of college life. These skills are crucial in a college setting. Professors often require group projects. The students need to be able to quickly fit into the various groups and adapt themselves to those groups. They will have to organize their thoughts materials study and research sources in order to write term papers and complete projects. They must keep up with the teacher as he is lecturing all while trying to take notes. They have to maintain an organized and legible study exam calendar so that they don t miss important deadlines etc. 4. Need for support services Without additional support to navigate through all of this our students often become overwhelmed. For some students the result can be self-isolation withdrawal increased anxiety or depression. By this point many give up on college. Our children with autism and Asperger s will have a much easier time and succeed in college if they have appropriate support services. As the parent you know your child best. If you feel that he can benefit from additional support tailored to his college experience please contact us. We will be happy to speak with you and your child regarding his specific needs and to work with both of you to create a support program designed to meet those needs. We understand that this can be a difficult transition time in your lives -- but you don t need to walk that path alone we can help.