<p>Scansmom, 2 other schools to look at are Mercyhurst in Eerie, Pa and Westminster college in Fulton, Mo. I visited Westminster with my son and it is a small college where they follow attendance and such in class. They also have a specific Asperger program for an additional fee. Unfortunately neither of these schools worked for us as they do not offer engineering.
We also looked at Missouri Science and Technology which DS really liked. They do not have a formal program, but claim to have at least 25 identified kids on the spectrum, whom the Disability counselor meets with 1-2 times weekly as a coach. Would love to know if anyone has any experience with this school.</p>
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<p>Isnât that crazy? The one Aspergerâs program at a Texas state school is at the only state LAC. It should be at one of the schools that attracts the most engineering/tech types.</p>
<p>6-7 yrs ago when we were looking, there were even fewer options than today. One of the (two) local schools S had applied to was Augsburg College, a very small LAC that nobody has heard of outside of Minn, but well known locally for its great (free) LD services. </p>
<p>It would have meant a 3-2 engineering program, attending the LAC for 3 yrs studying science or math (another possible option for some engineering students with Aspergers) and then transferring to our neighboring flagship, Univ of MN-TC where S had also been accepted (they are literally right across the street from each other and less than 15 miles from home); neither of us were too keen on the idea of transferring since it would mean âstarting overâ at a point in Sâs college career when he was finally comfortable with his school and procedures, knew his profs, other students, etc., and S has always been very slow to transition to new places. But still it was a backup planâŠand he had a few friends who would be there, as well as at U of MN and other area schools (although looking back at how poorly S did in his easy/intro courses during his first two yrs, he may not have had the gpa to transfer into U of Mâs engineering program by that point either)</p>
<p>I have heard good things about Missouri Sci/Tech as well, and would agree that it sounded like a good option for engineeringâŠ</p>
<p>I recently came across this list of programs for Aspergers students - most of which have already been mentioned:</p>
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<p>[10</a> Impressive Special College Programs for Students With Autism | Best Colleges Online](<a href=âhttp://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/05/25/10-impressive-special-college-programs-for-students-with-autism/]10â>http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/05/25/10-impressive-special-college-programs-for-students-with-autism/)</p>
<p>Missypie , the Westminster I was referring to is actually a private school in Fulton, Missouri. It is however a small LAC with about 1000 kids and so has a small math and science dept.</p>
<p>I think missypie was merely comparing Westminster to a similar situation in Texas where there is a program at a state university that does not have an engineering program (I assume that is Midwestern State Univ? Although they DO offer a 4-yr degree in mech eng and have a 2-yr pre-engineering program where students would then transfer to another school for their last 2 yrs (similar to a 3-2 but at least one less yr tuition and you do not end up with 2 degrees like you do at a 3-2)</p>
<p>These threads always fill me with such anxiety. How do you know what the right choice is?? My aspie son, hs class of 2013, has some EF issues but Iâm not sure how severe they are. I nag him about stuff but he doesnât listen. Itâs always âOK Momâ and it still never gets done. But he still manages a 3.0. So even if I keep him close to home, I wouldnât have much influence. Iâd just have a better idea of what he is and isnât doing. I think it would make MY piece of mind easier.
He has an IEP but itâs just on paper only. Heâs not really getting any accommodations in school because his IEP just addresses organizational things, he gets a study hall type class to catch up on his work but he spends that time writing screenplays. And he does not seek help when he needs it. That is less of a concern for me academically than it is when it comes to him navigating life. But, so far, heâs been managing ok with just a little direction from me when I see him floundering. He often just needs a different viewpoint.
I guess, living in Philly, he will have some nice options close to home but he wants to go away. Heâs looking at colleges in California because thatâs where the movies are made. I had my eyes on traditional colleges so heâd have options and exposure to things he wouldnât choose on his own. But Iâm starting to think that maybe a more focused college might be better where all/mostly all of the classes are in his area of interest.</p>
<p>The program at Midwestern State concentrates on social skills. Itâs really geared for kids who just couldnât live in a dorm. They admitted that they donât do very well on the academic coaching side.</p>
<p>They can accomodate 2 girls and 2 guys at any one time. Incredible, isnât it? A state as large as Texas and there are 4 dedicated spots for kids on the autism spectrum.</p>
<p>I hope Iâm not highjacking the thread with this question, but Iâm a prof (at a large public university) and find this thread very enlightening about what some of our students are facing.</p>
<p>Most of the courses I teach just donât lend themselves to this, but suppose that I did notice that a student, Aspie or not, had stopped attending class. What would be a useful thing to do? Send them an email and tell them I noticed they havenât been attending and hope they are OK and will return soon? Suggest they go to the counseling center? I wouldnât know who the studentâs advisor is, or if the advisor would be in a position to do anything useful in any case. (My school has instructed faculty on what to do if they suspect a student might be suicidal, but these actions would be inappropriate overkill for a student who just stopped attending class.)</p>
<p>Motherbear, my sonâs community college has an online system that would be so helpful if the profs could/would keep up with it. The teacher can record attendance, all grades, outlines, etc. My son hasnât had a teacher who kept up with all partsâŠsome keep attendance, some keep grades, many do nothing until the very end. Due to his history, I require my son to give me access to the online system. If absenses are recorded, I can follow up. I assume that in a structured college program, the student could give someone else access to the online attendance records.</p>
<p>Itâs a really good question but assuming these kids have identified themselves with the disabilities office, I would think the Professors would know who they are and could notify the disabilities office. I realize this could only occur in smaller classes as it would be very difficult in a large class unless attendance is taken.</p>
<p>I only know about studentâs disabilities if they are requesting a specific accomodation in the course. Then the student brings me a letter from the disabilities office saying something like Student X is entitled to have so much extra time for exams, or is entitled to take the exams in a quiet place, with instructions if I want the disabilities office to administer the exams. They donât tell me anything about the studentâs diagnosis. If the studentâs disability doesnât lead them to need accomodations in class, I wonât know they have the disability (or at least wonât get any official notification of it)</p>
<p>Because my autism tended to result specifically in an abundance of absences-- extreme stress and overwork lead to me being extremely ill with relative frequency-- a woman at my disabilities office contacted my professors personally to talk the issue out and try to negotiate some flexibility. If my professors had a problem they could talk to her about it. That womanâs intervention is probably the only reason I managed to get my bachelors degree. I wish all schools could have someone that does that kind of thing. I was required to approach professors myself about accommodations, but if things got complicated or the professor was reluctant, my advocate could step in and deal with it for me so I could focus on the other things I was supposed to be doing. She also served as a credible source for autism information, which was important because I got the impression from a lot of professors that they thought I was BSing symptoms to score more accommodations. Which is a stressor I simply do not need to deal with.</p>
<p>There is really only so much professors can do besides be compassionate and be informed about your schoolâs policy-- I honest to god had a professor one semester who asked ME to explain the universityâs policy on disability accommodations to her. That is too much to ask a student with a disability, especially autistics-- so many of us have such a hard time with self-advocacy. But other than that, I really think thereâs only so much you can do if the schools disability support system isnât built to allow you to do more like my schoolâs was. My professors were able to have a contact at the disabilities office that they could meet with at any time to discuss me (with my permission, of course, which I granted). Teachers almost NEVER took her up on the offer, but she was able to describe autism over email to them and tell them how they can help. Like I said, I think that support system is why I graduated.</p>
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<p>U Texas at Dallas comes to mind. My neighbors son with Aspergers just graduated from MI State in 4 years with a degree in geology. It was often difficult but he made it and grew tremendously from the experience.</p>
<p>Does anyone have experience with the service offered by AHEADD? They seem to offer, for a fee, coaching and advocacy on-site at a variety of colleges. Looks like they started in Pittsburgh and have the most extensive network there, but they seem to serve students at many locations.</p>
<p>I just wanted to say that Iâve been in touch with the coordinator for Drexelâs Austism Support program and sheâs been wonderful with regard to answering my questions and is amazing with following up. Right now, the program is free but funding was only guaranteed through the end of this school year. She will get in touch with me when she knows more about continued funding, but she stated that the peer mentoring portion will continue regardless.
Here is the link [The</a> Drexel Autism Support program](<a href=âhttp://www.pages.drexel.edu/~fdh23/index.html]Theâ>http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~fdh23/index.html)</p>
<p>Emaheevul07, itâs encouraging to read that your schoolâs support system made it possible for you to graduate!</p>
<p>motherbear, I agree that thereâs not too much you can do. My son was diagnosed with a mental illness this past year. He got a letter of accommodations and gave it to a couple of profs, but not all of them (ack). His medication made him VERY sleepy, so that he missed quite a few classes. We didnât know about the situation for a couple of weeks. Everything worked out OK, but it was nerve-wracking. He had done well enough the rest of the semester that he still got 3 B+s and an A! None of us can figure out how that happened, especially since heâs in a challenging major.</p>
<p>I did take it upon myself to call his advisor, something I said I would NEVER do for a college-aged child, but Iâve had to change my expectations. Iâm so glad I talked to her. Even though my son goes to a huge school, this woman knew him well and was so helpful. She said she had no idea what he was going through, and that she will talk to any prof whose class heâs struggling in. Now she will know not to have him sign up for more than 12 hours at a time, also.</p>
<p>We also called the Disabilities Office and talked to the staff member whose âlistâ our son is on. He said we can also talk to him any time we have issues.</p>
<p>Iâm very pleased at the response of this large university. I think things have changed in the last few years, in a positive way.</p>
<p>My ds, an inattentive ADHD, is coming off an unsuccessful freshman year 5-6 hours from home. Started year off full of hope, made travel squad for D2 club team, turned in new evaluation for disability servicesâŠmany reservations but felt my 3.0 rigorous private school with 30 ACT student ready. He declined disability services, preferring to try on his own, told us what we wanted to hearâŠfinished first semester with 1.18âŠ2 C, 2D, 1F, 1 Attendance failure for U101. Forced contact with disability services, who gladly assumed exec function job. On probation, 12 hours, hockey not as much playing time, girlfriend lovingly broke up with him week before finalsâŠfirst grade posted is a D. Taking classes at local univ for summer and thinking he should stay home next year, part time student and work. He so desperately wants to prove he can do it away from home. Heart is breaking.</p>
<p>I seem to remember that Carnegie Mellon had a freshman diversity program where they taught the kids how to plan their time and basically they had followup to help them master using their planning sheets. They also had some kind of office they could pop into for support and guidance with any concerns or just to check in and catch up. This wasnât meant to address disabilities, but for athe student who simply struggled that way and for whom that would make a difference, it could be enough. My son said he really thought that was a great idea. He doesnât have any kind of diagnosis but was never eager to use those expensive planners I bought him to keep track of things. I noticed in high school his backpack was a mess and the calculus teacher was kind enough to teach him how to keep it organized. He seems to get thongs done mainly by using that system and going through each class in his mind to remember what has to be done. The busier he is, the better organized he stays because he doesnât take a break. For him, an uber-challenging school has been perfect. He might miss deadlines for optional things, but he is learning how to plan ahead on those when they are important to him.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest the book Realizing the College Dream With Autism or Asperger Syndrome by Ann Palmer, who is the mother of a college graduate son with autism. The book is full of useful information for parents of college students on the spectrum. </p>
<p>[Ann</a> Palmer](<a href=âhttp://www.annpalmerautism.com/index.html]Annâ>http://www.annpalmerautism.com/index.html)</p>
<p>Ah, ddd, many many hugs to you. I donât know if you read any of my posts, but we brought myAspie/ADD/Executive Function Disordered son home from his LAC after freshman year. Is at cc and working. Toyed with Psych, English and Library Science majors, so has a few hours in lots of areas. At one point my crazy bright child managed to be on academic probation at community college. </p>
<p>He took a film class for fun and they liked him in the department - yes, the first tiny bit of personal attention. He has now completed 16 hours in the Radio, TV & Film major - 16 hours of A. He has managed to get his cc GPA up to a 3.2. He is nowhere near graduatingâŠprobably at least 3 years away from a BA (if he can find some way to fullfill the foreign language requirements).</p>
<p>There is a mom - she probably posted on this thread earlier - whose kid was still in HS, who always said that the key was letting them take classes in their area of interest. Of course, but there are those pesky gen ed requirements. Our plan A at cc was to have him finish the gen ed requirements at cc. But yes, we ran into the issue of his not showing up for the classes he disliked.</p>
<p>Now weâre on Plan Z or whatever, but decided this past semester to let him take all classes in his area of interest, to get his self esteem and GPA up. So you may want to consider that for your sonâŠa semester or two of a few classes he will love.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
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