My DD is applying to several SLACs snd is very High functioning Aspergers… does anyone know if there are colleges that might have affinity groups for this? She’s motivated socially but awkward and i imagine the college social scene will be difficult but she wants to go and is prepared academically. Any insights would be welcome!
I don’t know if the publications by Dr. Brown might be of value:
https://studentlife.mit.edu/jane-thierfeld-brown
or whether there is a way to seek her input.
There are colleges that have support for those types of students. Uncertain if your child applied to any of them however. You would have to research each school of interest.
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Not a SLAC, but look at William & Mary. It has a neurodiversity student club. The school is also very supportive of its neurodiverse population.
Here is a good list of colleges of all types and sizes that have ASD support programs (academic, social, or both) that might serve as a good starting point for your affinity group search:
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Good friends of ours have an ASD kid who attends Denison and has been very happy there.
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Most ASD programs add an additional $5-6k/year in fees. @coffee2022 posted the link for the updated list. There may be other things like therapy services and EF coaching available outside of an ASD program as well. She may find “easier” social situations through clubs related for her hyper-focused interests to help with the social transition. Look for a good ADA office that is cooperative with accommodations; does she have a current 504 and testing within the last 3 years? Some colleges or ASD programs require updated testing; others accept the original diagnoses with continued care diagnosis of ASD from the primary care physician. Does she prefer a single room? A big question, how are her self-advocacy skills?
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Self advocacy skills are good. It’s really friendships that are tough… she’s an athlete and has lots of interests. Not hyper focused on any one thing. Very outgoing but struggles to develop deep/maintain relationships for a variety of reasons… slow processing speed and difficulty reading social cues sometimes and self consciousness.
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Steve Jobs attended Reed. If I am not mistaken he was high function Aspergers.
Random thoughts… may not matter much.
Oh my friend’s son attends Reed as well. I think one time he mentioned that his son had Asperger’s as well. His son has IQ180.
Yes, she’s not one of those prodigy kids with Aspergers.
We are in the same boat. the list above is great. I would say from our experience going to campuses…the folks at UT chatanooga are great too
Demanda22/ Your daughter and my daughter sound like soul sisters! My DD applied to:
William & Mary (very good neurodiversity program), Smith, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Vassar, Macalester (accepted), UVA (rejected), Bryn Mawr, UConn and UMass Amherst and Brown.
I worry about her social integration not because she’s shy, quite the opposite. She’s very outgoing but doesn’t understand cues, or how to read people She can come on strong and doesn’t get the nuances of human interaction.
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Willamette has a program specifically for neurodiverse college students:
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What part of the country are you in? Wish our kids could meet!
We live in Maine!
I was just about to ask where you live. I would hesitate to send your kid too far away. Obviously I don’t know your kid, and maybe you are totally comfortable with that and correct to be, but college transitions can be tough and as a parent I would want to be within driving distance if (when?) issues arise.
That said, Muhlenberg in PA I think has some accommodations. My niece has Aspergers, and that’s where she started out for college.
Hi Mainer… is your dd looking at Connecticut college at all? They have wonderful support. In addition to an academic advisor you can a career advisor, a staff mentor and two sophomores as mentors.
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Where did your muhlenberg niece end up after that?
I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that. It didn’t work out that well but I don’t think this was Muhlenberg’s fault at all. Emotional issues got the best of her and she had to move back home, where she took community college classes. That’s probably where she should have started.
I mentioned Muhlenberg because I know they would not have made the attempt if it didn’t seem like it could possibly work out, so although I don’t have personal experience it seemed worth investigating.