AHEADD.ORG | Adult Autism Support & Services

An article by Carla Abreu-Ellis, Jason Ellis, and Richard Hayes

The number of individuals enrolling in college these days is on the rise, and individuals with learning disabilities (LD) are no exception. This is a testament to our society’s growing understanding of the countless abilities of individuals who learn differently, but still have incredible capacities to learn. This increase in awareness is true even at the college level, and has contributed to the development of specialized learning programs like AHEADD ( www.aheadd.org ). That being said, many parents and individuals with LD may wonder “How do college students with learning disabilities fare in comparison to the rest of the college student population, and what skills should students with learning disabilities have prior to college?” This article and research study investigates these questions, focusing on the following six attributes of college students as measured by the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI):

1. Anxiety
2. Attitude
3. Concentration
4. Selecting Main Ideas
5. Study Aids
6. Test Strategies

The findings suggest that early identification of learning disabilities may result in a greater likelihood for success at the college level. The authors also note that, in comparison to their peers without learning disabilities, students with LD often enter with a disadvantage in each of the six LASSI scales compared in this study.

Please click here to find the full PDF version of this article.

Parents of students entering college are often on the lookout for the college that will best serve their students’ academic and social needs. For students and parents of students on the Autism spectrum, the process of finding the right college is frequently more challenging because they have to assess a multitude of factors in determining college readiness, as well as analyze the ability of each school to provide accommodations tailored to meet somewhat complex needs. This article, “Supporting More Able Students on the Autism Spectrum: College and Beyond” by VanBergeijk, Klin and Vilkmar discusses what parents and students should be looking for in a college/university, such as how well the school complies with ADA laws, how accommodating faculty and staff are, how well the school provides social support for all students and the variety of activities/clubs available to students.
Additionally, the authors provide students and their parents opportunity to assess their own college/university accommodations and encourage them to advocate for themselves if they see inconsistencies within their school.

Title: Supporting More Able Students on the Autism Spectrum: College and Beyond
Authors: Ernst VanBergeijk, Ami Klin and Fred Volkmar
Published: January 3, 2008
Retrieved: October 20, 2010 EBSCO Database

Link to the abstract

AHEADD = “Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities.” As this acronym suggests, many college students who seek AHEADD supports have been diagnosed with Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. AHEADD also serves college students with Attention Deficit Disorder, NVLD and Learning Disabilities. Often associated with these diagnoses is difficulty with executive functioning, i.e. motivating oneself to complete a task, using working memory, organizational skills, etc. Executive function is a key component of success at the college level.

The focus of this article is specifically on supporting college students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Individuals with ADHD are likely to experience difficulties in at least one area of executive function, which can affect one’s ability to succeed in school, work, and relationships. But how do we support students with ADHD at the college level? Many would answer that it depends upon the individual – and they would be absolutely correct. Issues of executive function can (and will) present differently from person to person.

While a universal remedy does not exist for addressing difficulties with executive function, this article in The Mentor (an academic advising journal at Penn State University) reviews the up-and-coming, student-focused, six-phase approach to doing just that. The Appreciative Advising approach is growing in popularity at many universities, including the University of South Carolina and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The six phases of Appreciative Advising:

1. Disarm
2. Discover
3. Dream
4. Design
5. Deliver
6. Don’t settle

Read more here.

Author: Michael Ormsby, University of South Carolina

The transition from high school to post-secondary education is a daunting one for many families, and the number of students attending college in the US continues to grow. Add a learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, or ADHD to this equation, and the search for appropriate colleges and supports can make the transition even more overwhelming.

Authors Julia Taymans and Lynda West have created a guide to make this task a bit easier. Their article discusses:

• the appropriate time to begin planning for college
• understanding what type of support is needed
• understanding legal rights
• choosing the right colleges

To read this article in its entirety, please click here