Dr. Rostain Power Point-Autism Goes to College: Identifying Issues and Sharing Ideas

Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Autism Goes To College: Identifying Issues and

Sharing Ideas

Anthony L. Rostain, M.D., M.A.

Social Learning Disorders ProgramDepartment of Psychiatry

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine


Objectives

• Review agenda for today’s meeting

• Review major issues facing– Students– Families– College personnel

• Share ideas and resources

• Pose questions for future discussions


Agenda

1:10-1:30pm "Major Issues Facing College Students on the Autism Spectrum"

1:30-3:00pm Roundtable Discussion • What are the major challenges and opportunities you've faced in your efforts to

facilitate successful adaptation to college for students on the spectrum? • How do you define and identify students on the autism spectrum and others with

social learning disorders? • What are some of the helpful interventions you've used? • What are your specific areas of interest related to this topic?

3:00-3:15pm Break

3:15-4:00pm Discuss Next Steps • Facilitating an ongoing network, etc.


“If our brains were simple, we would be too simple to understand them.”

Mario Puzo

“The brain is wider than the sky.”Emily Dickinson


Challenges facing students on the spectrum (Lars Perner, Ph.D.)

The HFIWA faces several potential areas of problems with higher education:

• Gaining admission to a desired college • Moving away from home, if needed• Handling emerging social situations• Handling pragmatics such as time management,

budgeting, and transportation • Completing the required course work• Securing needed services• Planning for and actually transitioning to life after

college.


Students’ concerns

• Leaving home• Living in a new place• Taking care of one’s daily

needs independently

• Getting along with roommates, classmates

• Finding friends• Forming a social network• Gaining social acceptance

• Learning to navigate a new physical terrain

• Sensory challenges• Managing time efficiently

• Keeping organized

• Handling multiple academic demands

• Coping with anxiety• Perfectionism


Parents’ concerns

• Adjusting to change • Safety

• Academic success• Social acceptance

– Roommate

– Friends

• Sexuality• Drinking, drug use

• Managing daily life– Sleep / wake cycle– Diet

– Hygiene– Laundry

• Managing emotions– Anxiety

– Depression– Anger


Helping students and parents to prepare for the transition

• Provide clear, written information before :– Schedule of orientation programs

– Maps of campus

– Directions for checking into dorms

– Procedures for registration

– Outlines of key personnel (e.g. advisor)

• Invite students and parents to meet disability services personnel – schedule a time during orientation

• Explain FERPA law and the waiver

• Provide contact information for parents


What are the concerns of college disability services personnel?

• Identifying students on the spectrum, specifying needs• Defining the scope and nature of “disability”• Providing individual students with appropriate

accommodations and services

• Monitoring the effectiveness of interventions

• Creating peer support structures for students• Creating a positive social environment / reducing stigma• Educating faculty, students, residential advisors, etc.

• Developing new resources


Assessment Issues

• Transitional issues• Readiness for college

• Fit between student’s expectations and college environment’s resources

• Developing a transition plan

• Coping skills• Personal organization• Academic preparation

• Social relationships


Academic Support

• Campus learning center– Organization, time management– Regular accountability– Discuss learning, writing strategies

• Use available resources– Professor office hours, special appointments– Review sessions– Study groups

• Ambivalence about time, effort, meaning


Academic Accommodations

• Formal appeal for special services

• Modified curriculum / requirements

• Note-taking services / audio recordings

• Organizational aids

• Standardized test accommodations

• Access to other support services


Study/Learning Habits

• Understand informational pace– Attention capacity– Reading speed– Chunking

• Use supportive technology (e.g., planner)• Prioritize and balance aspects of college life• Countering avoidance/procrastination

– Reading– Writing– Studying


Social Support Modalities

• Clubs, activity groups • Support groups

• Self-education and advocacy about Autism Spectrum Disorders

• AS resources (e.g., AS, GRASP) • Self-help strategies• Pro-active mental health services


Living Arrangements

• Roommate – Yes or No ?

• Physical space management

• Schedule / time management

• Dormitory life - predictable routines

• Rules and regulations


Autism and College Coping:Multisystem Intervention

• Education of patient / family (resources)

• Environmental restructuring

• Pharmacotherapy• Psychotherapy• Other support modes

• Academic support• Academic

accommodations• Study/learning

habits• Social coaching• Career counseling


Multisystem Problem Areas

• Academic bureaucracy– Availability of services– Tuition issues– Subject requirements

• Family expectations• Student’s beliefs

– Readiness for change– Personal expectations (“should”)– Identity

• Under-utilization of support services


Discussion Questions

• What are the major challenges and opportunities you've faced in your efforts to facilitate successful adaptation to college for students on the spectrum?

• How do you define and identify students on the autism spectrum and others with social learning disorders?

• What are some of the helpful interventions you've used?

• What are your specific areas of interest related to this topic?

Dr. Rostain Power Point-Autism Goes to College: Identifying Issues and Sharing Ideas

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