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Develop Individualized Strategies to Manage Your College Career
AHEADD (Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities) is a
private, community organization that provides support for students in higher education with:
Originally developed in cooperation with Equal Opportunity Services of Carnegie Mellon
University. AHEADD is specifically designed to address students' inherent social,
communication, and organizational issues, and helps students develop individualized
strategies to manage their college careers independently.
Unlike many other programs for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in higher
education, the AHEADD Model can be applied within any campus environment and tailored
to meet the unique needs of each student.
The AHEADD Story
Carolyn Komich Hare founded AHEADD in 2002, when she piloted the program in response
to a parent's inquiry regarding the availability of specialized support for her daughter, Val, a
student with Asperger's Syndrome who would be returning to Carnegie Mellon University
following a year's leave.
Val's parents were looking for an environment in which she could live with supervision and
encouragement to attend her classes, go grocery shopping, do her laundry and attend to
other activities of daily living.
While supported living environments existed in the form of group homes, they were
considered an unsuitable option for an individual attending a highly-competitive university
and looking toward a life of independence.
As circumstances would have it, Carolyn and her husband, Jason, had an extra room on the
third floor of their house. The option for Val to rent a room in the Hare's home would provide
this student with the supervision and support that this family was seeking - and serve as an
opportunity for Carolyn to explore whether individualized support similar to resource
programs utilized in many public school systems could help a struggling student with
Asperger's Syndrome achieve success in college.
Carolyn and Val had daily discussions regarding:
Two years later, Val became a graduate of Carnegie Mellon with a self-defined major in
Electronic Media and Animation. These two years proved to be incredibly challenging, but
equally rewarding, as Val clomped her way to the third floor apartment (or parlor as she
liked to call it) at all hours of the day and night, ultimately achieving her degree and
contributing to the evolution of the core concepts of AHEADD into what we now know as the
AHEADD Model.
Develop Individualized Strategies to Manage Your College Career
AHEADD (Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities) is a
private, community organization that provides support for students in higher education with:
- Learning Disabilities
- High-Functioning Autism (HFA)
- Asperger's Syndrome (AS)
- Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD)
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Originally developed in cooperation with Equal Opportunity Services of Carnegie Mellon
University. AHEADD is specifically designed to address students' inherent social,
communication, and organizational issues, and helps students develop individualized
strategies to manage their college careers independently.
Unlike many other programs for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in higher
education, the AHEADD Model can be applied within any campus environment and tailored
to meet the unique needs of each student.
The AHEADD Story
Carolyn Komich Hare founded AHEADD in 2002, when she piloted the program in response
to a parent's inquiry regarding the availability of specialized support for her daughter, Val, a
student with Asperger's Syndrome who would be returning to Carnegie Mellon University
following a year's leave.
Val's parents were looking for an environment in which she could live with supervision and
encouragement to attend her classes, go grocery shopping, do her laundry and attend to
other activities of daily living.
While supported living environments existed in the form of group homes, they were
considered an unsuitable option for an individual attending a highly-competitive university
and looking toward a life of independence.
As circumstances would have it, Carolyn and her husband, Jason, had an extra room on the
third floor of their house. The option for Val to rent a room in the Hare's home would provide
this student with the supervision and support that this family was seeking - and serve as an
opportunity for Carolyn to explore whether individualized support similar to resource
programs utilized in many public school systems could help a struggling student with
Asperger's Syndrome achieve success in college.
Carolyn and Val had daily discussions regarding:
- classroom attendance
- homework assignments
- social skills
- keeping her living space tidy
- living activities such as healthy eating and hygiene
Two years later, Val became a graduate of Carnegie Mellon with a self-defined major in
Electronic Media and Animation. These two years proved to be incredibly challenging, but
equally rewarding, as Val clomped her way to the third floor apartment (or parlor as she
liked to call it) at all hours of the day and night, ultimately achieving her degree and
contributing to the evolution of the core concepts of AHEADD into what we now know as the
AHEADD Model.
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