1. Supporting College Success for Students with Autism
Dr. Grace Francis and Dr. Jodi Duke
George Mason University

2. Hello!
Background Information
The College Road Trip
JMD agenda

3. Background…The Good News!
Approximately 44% of students with autism enroll in postsecondary school (e.g., two-year college, four-year college) after graduation from high school (Newman et al., 2011).
Gaining a college education increases positive outcomes for students with ASD (e.g., employment, independent living, economic self-sufficiency) (AIR, 2013)
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4. Background…The Bad News!
Students face unique challenges as they enter higher education, including social (Orsmund, Krauss, & Seltzer, 2004), communication (Alpern & Zager, 2007), and executive functioning needs (Shmulsky & Gobbo, 2013)
Many institutions lack the information and/or funding needed to support their students with ASD (Autism Higher Education Foundation,2016; VanBergeijk, 2010 )
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5. JMD

6. Student Road Bumps Heightened academic demands
Increased social demands
Communication
Increased need for self-management and executive functioning
Students must advocate for accommodations
Lack of structure and decreased family support
Adapting to change and experiencing failure
Requesting accommodations/support
Self-care
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7. Additional Challenges
Many colleges provide only generic accommodations that they use for all students with disabilities, leaving students with autism without adequate resources.
Only a few colleges and universities have specialized programs in place to support students with autism, and in many cases, these programs have high costs to families, adding to the financial strain of sending a child to college (VanBergeijk, 2010).
Many institutions lack the funding needed to support their students with autism (Dillon, 2007).
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8. Family Road Bumps Underinvolvement in transition planning
A lack of information, misinformation
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Fear and anxiety
Limited social networks
Lack of coping skills GF
trip in which they transition from a caregiver who makes decisions for young adults to an advisor who makes decisions with young adults 

9. High School Transition Planning: The Map
Student-focused planning (e.g., IEP leadership, self-advocacy, assessments)
Student development (i.e., self-care, independent living, social skills, self-determination, problem-solving)
Family involvement (i.e., shared responsibility, shared decision-making)
Transition program structure (i.e., community-based instruction, work experiences, inclusion)
Interagency collaboration (i.e., community agencies, shared information, community mapping, university staff)
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10. Transition Planning Resources
GF 

11. Higher Education Supports: Rest Stops
Academic
Office of Disability Services
Accommodations (e.g., extended time, lecture notes, separate testing location, support with group work)
Non-Academic
Peer mentorship, assigned counselors/aides, social stories, social support groups, self-assessment and reflection activities, individualized planning, campus “rest zones”
Requisite Skills
Self-awareness, decision making, goal setting, planning, self-advocacy, communication, problem-solving, self-management, leadership, ability to seek and use assistance, ability to develop supportive relationships, confidence, perseverance. GF

12. Higher Education Strategies
Direct instruction (Taylor & Colvin, 2013)
Student-centered transition planning (Uphold & Hudson, 2012)
Simulated instruction (Richter, Mustian, & Test, 2012)
Task analysis (Richter, Mustian, & Test, 2012)
Audio prompting (Richter, Mustian, & Test, 2012) GF

13. Higher Education Resources GF

14. Family Support: A Trip Than Cannot Be Ignored!GF

15. Family Supports: Rest Stops
Review FERPA prior to enrollment
Orientation strands specifically for families of students with autism
Peer-to-peer support
Connect with community resources GF

16. Scenario: Laura is furious with her roommate who constantly has on the television or music playing and is extremely messy. Her roommate’s partner also spends the night at least twice a week and they always eat Laura’s food.
- Caretaker Response: Doing For -
+ Advisor Response: Doing With +
“This has gone on long enough. I’m going to the residential hall director. I’m not paying for your roommate to eat all of your organic food- that stuff is expensive!”
“Give me her . I’m going to ask that we all meet to talk about this together. I’ll ask your roommate to invite her parents, too.”
“I’ll just pick you up and you can spend weekends at home so you don’t have to be around her.”
“Living with roommates is tough. Let’s take a second and write down everything that you don’t like about living with your roommate. Then we can brainstorm solutions.”
“I once had a roommate who moved in his girlfriend without even asking me first. Here’s what I did about it…”
“I suggest making a list of everything you’ve done to get your roommate to follow the roommate contract. After that you could schedule a meeting with your hall advisor to brainstorm what you should do next. Do you want to make the list together?” GF

17. Family Support Resources GF

18. Future Directions
Perceptions of the most effective services provide by universities and areas of need/growth
Family partnership strategies to ensure wraparound support
Strategies to develop safe and inclusive university environments
Professional development for high school teachers, students, and family members
EBP for interagency collaboration GF

19. Thank you! Jodi M. Duke Grace L. Franics jduke4@gmu.edu GF