<p>missy-I took the UA transfer requirements to mean that the overall gpa, including all college classes attempted, must be a 2.0/4.0.</p>
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including all college classes attempted, must be a 2.0/4.0. [/qupte]</p>
<p>But doesnât that mean that a student must have a 2.0 on each class attempted? You can probably tell Iâm a lawyerâŠI pick language apart all day.</p>
<p>Job hazard!
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<p>I donât think so. I think the overall gpa, including all classes, must be 2.0.</p>
<p>I also read âoverallâ to mean average - and thought the rest just meant you could not pick and choose what prior courses to include in your gpa calculation but instead had to include them all (even the Fâs)</p>
<p>Overall means the average of all classes attempted.</p>
<p>Sudsie says:</p>
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<p>MIT, RPI and RIT are great schools, and they are undoubtedly full of people with Aspergers. But I donât think that a student with executive function problems serious enough so that they need significant support (reminders, scheduling, planning, checking up) from their mother in high school would be able to succeed at one of those schools, because those colleges do not offer such support.</p>
<p>I know people will say that students, when faced with challenges, step up to meet them. People constantly said that to me when I was thinking about schools for my son. Constantly, both here at CC and in the real world. I was a fool to believe them. If you know, in your gut, that your child has not stepped up in the past and wonât step up next year either-- trust your gut, and ignore the people who donât know your child or donât understand his/her deficits.</p>
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<p>You said it, CF!</p>
<p>I may have mentioned this before, but try to focus on whether your Aspieâs challenges are primarily social, executive function, or both. Some âautismâ or âaspergerâsâ programs offer mostly social supportâŠgroup counseling, alternative living arrangements, etc. Those programs may not address executive funtion issues at all. </p>
<p>In my sonâs case, he did just fine socially. He didnât have what most of us would consider a full college social life, but he made friends and enjoyed his year away from home. The exective function issues were his downfall. If we can ever get him educated or trained to do anything marketable, I think he would be able to get and retain employment.</p>
<p>He has a friend who is the opposite. Heâs âout there.â Classic Aspie conversation: *only *about video games. In class, he asks endless questions, at inappropriate times. He displays vivid and noticably negative reactions when things donât go well in class. BUT, no real EF problems. After two years, he has his Associates degree and is going to transfer to a local 4 year commuter college. I think he is the type who will have a degree after four years, but will have a very hard time getting and staying employed in his chosen field.</p>
<p>I read this thread with great interest. My DHâs cousins are on the spectrum. They are verging on middle age adults now, and had these issues at time when the term âAspergersâ was not in use or even ADD, though hyperactivity and LD issues were discussed. The one cousin fits Missypieâs son to the T. High SATs and APs in high school. Very bright young man, but definitely on the spectrum and definitely needed a lot of help. </p>
<p>He went to communty college for a year and did fine with parents hovering over him, patterning him and it was really a 13th grade for him. So he then went to Penn State Behrend Campus, and did extremely well there for two years and should have stayed there. But due to his interest in a program that was not offered there and because his grades were good enough, he was encouraged to transfer to the main campus, and that was when everything unraveled for him. </p>
<p>He flunked out because he could not deal with all the stimuli there. Just too much for him. He ended up back home and worked menial jobs for a couple of years taking rec center and communty college freebie non cred courses on things that just helped widen his interests and strengthen some skill sets. He ended up getting his degree from a small private college to which he could commute. He was over 30 when achieved this, but achieve it he did. Could not find any work other than unskilled type labor for which he was a prized employee for a number of years despite his degree.</p>
<p>He moved in with us when my middle child was dxed with cancer and needed intensive treatment. He was an âau paarâ of sorts and we encouraged him to go to the local cc and take business courses for a business certificate, something I had done after college. He excelled in all courses there and did get the certificate for business and computer sciences. He now works for a major bank in the computer department,makes a living wage and is doing well. But when he moved out of our house and into a an apartment, he nearly fell apart. Could not live by himself. We were moving at that time and his family was frantic as this was truly a gem of a job, could not find anything like it near where they lived. </p>
<p>The solution for him was to put him into student digs in a student ghetto near a major university. He took a room in a boarding house sort of arrangement with mostly international students and did very well making friends with them. He, to this day, cannot function well socially with anyone other than family and international student, who really like him. </p>
<p>Heâs a dear, sweet soul, a very good person, and now his mother,âŠand I would love for him to meet someone who can see him for all of these great characteristics and take him into there lives. Dating is just a no go for him though he wants a girl friend, wife, family. </p>
<p>His brother is not as handicapped as he is socially, and has done better, though for him, a vocational school (Devry?) was what he completed as he truly was not wired for academics at all, and was, in fact, in special ed during much of his k-12 years. He had a rough time in high school and ended up in a juvenile center for drugs, drinking and vandalism, thrown to the wolves by his savvier friends. He is an avid AA member who makes that his main social life, and folks have truly embraced him there. Yes, it bothers certain family members, but, hey it works for him and he finally has a circle of true friends. He, too, has found a good job that pays a living wage and has even bought himself a condo. But, alas, no luck in close personal relationships though he too wants them. </p>
<p>U of Alabama doesnât feel right as the type of place either of this men would been able to adopt as home. Too much like the Penn State atmosphere with typical college types. Both needed kids that were more on the fringes in terms of the social scene without all the rah rah, fun, pranks and being cool. Behrend was perfect for one, and the technical school for the other. For them the social scene was the toughest, and sadly both were fun targets by many typical college students, because they were clearly quirky, but eager to have friends with no idea how to act socially. It is too easy to bully them and people do this. If M were not under our protection when he lived with us, he would have had some issues as there are mean people out there. We had some problems that we met head on and took care of for him. But he has been living 7 years on his own now hours away from us and from his family and is thriving. </p>
<p>So I wish all of you with kids that have to deal with these issues luck. My boys, as many of the males in DHâs family, seem to have a wide streak of this issue, but not anywhere near to the extent where it is on the spectrum. (All but one , maybe two of mine) It makes it very difficult for them in social settings. DH is still not great that way, but his saving grace is that he is very quiet and a great listener. Teaching these kids that skill is very helpful, by the way, because itâs when they pipe up and talk too much that they often get into trouble. DH also keeps most of his conversation as encouragement for others to talk, and most of his socialization is work related where he is a true expert is his field and his knowledge is sought. </p>
<p>I have one who just about broke my heart with the meanness he had to endure. He is getting better in social graces, but it has taken 20 years of patterning his behaviorâyes, it was apparent before he could talk that he had some issues. By sticking to a lot of pre set rules, he does pretty well. He is NOT on the spectrum but is grossly disorganized and shares a lot of the problems Aspies have and we use the guidelines for those on the spectrum to deal with his issues, and it does work. </p>
<p>For our family, the socialization and interaction with others has been the big stumbling block.</p>
<p>Oh, and I do not think CMU is a good place for anyone with executive function problems for the same reasons that Cardinal Fang brings up. Even those with high academic ability have problems with academics without someone right on them for the skills necessary to juggle such course loads. Also a bunch of very smart kids are often very cruel to someone who is less social than they are. They can get eaten alive. </p>
<p>An Aspie I know has done well at Cornell College with the block plan. By being able to focus on one course at a time, it was very doable for him. This young man does have high academic skills, poor focus, and a gross lack of executive functions.</p>
<p>Some of you might try getting in touch with Scott Robertson, a young man on the spectrum who has earned degrees from RPI and CMU, currently a PhD candidate at Penn State researching college adjustment issues. I met him a few years ago at a conference, and found him easy to talk with and full of insights into both EF issues and social disability issues. He has obviously navigated all three of these campuses.</p>
<p>Sudsie- our son is not on the spectrum so I donât know what support might be available at MIT, but compared to the other colleges our other kids attended, it is remarkably low in the hand-holding department. Virtually everything is there- free tutoring, generous office hours by faculty, TAâs who will review course material, assist with research, provide guidance on labs etc⊠but nobody will notice if a kid stops going to class. A kid who can assertively ask for help will do just fine- a kid who will wait for someone to seek him out is a kid who wonât be there for too long.</p>
<p>Our son was in huge lectures and tiny seminars. Every professor was approachable- but itâs just not the kind of place where a faculty member will seek out a kid who stops attending lecture. The pace is sort of brutal in both the humanities and science/math classes, so I would encourage you to seek out what kind of support exists for a kid with organizational/exec functioning deficits. Even missing a week of classes due to flu was tough.</p>
<p>My son had some Dâs but his overall avg was 2.9 and he had no problem getting into UA as a transfer student. I belive you have to have a over all 2.5. Also he will be taking computer classes instead of a FL.He is 3 credits from being a JR.</p>
<p>Missypie,
You are right they need a blanket of support.The first college that my son went to was downtown they had a disability office but offered no other support but a notetaker and extra time on test. No social support what so ever. His grades were good but he was not getting anything elseâŠthe social supports he recieved at Andrew made all the difference. I did not know about UA or Marshall until my son was in his 2 semester at Andrew. Because he was doing good at Andrew we waited until he earned his AA in History to move him to UA.I am glad we did!! I think he is ready for a big school now. The director of the UA program was very helpful to us and is easy to talk to.I am looking forward to taking him next week to BAMA bound so that we can meet his Mentor for the year. The Mentor is a grad student that will help him work thru college life.</p>
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<p>Of these, RIT might be a good match for more techie Aspergers students needing support services. RIT is listed in some of the LD college guides as having very structured LD services; they have a fee-based program for students needing help with time management, organizational skills, etc (âStructured Monitoringâ); the students can meet with learning specialists once a week, twice a week, or even daily if needed. And they also have a peer mentoring program for students with AspergerÂs:</p>
<p>[Academic</a> Support Center](<a href=âhttp://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/asc/lss_overview.php]Academicâ>http://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/asc/lss_overview.php)</p>
<p>[RIT</a> - Spectrum Support Program | First Year Students & Families](<a href=âhttp://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/disabilityservices/spectrum/firstyearstudents]RITâ>http://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/disabilityservices/spectrum/firstyearstudents)</p>
<p>Their co-op program and other experiential learning opportunities might also be a great option for many AspergerÂs students, who are often hands-on learners; co-ops and internships can provide students with opportunities to acquire both work experience and practical skills that they will need when they enter the workplace once they graduate. And these work opportunities could potentially lead to jobs upon graduation since the employer has already had an opportunity to get to know the student and will not be relying solely on first impressions from interviews  an area where Aspies do not always shine.</p>
<p>(of course, as the parent of an Aspie son who just graduated from Northeastern I am a strong proponent of the co-op model. And fwiw, although Northeastern does not have any programs specifically for students with Aspergerâs, Drexel, another big co-op school, does have an Aspergerâs support programâŠ)</p>
<p>Ooh, great infoâthanks. We are also looking at Northeastern and Drexel.</p>
<p>âBut many of these kids need very frequent EFD coaching, counseling, psychological services, help with getting prescriptions filled, etc etc etc. If a parent has been the coach/executive function throughout HS, the student will very likely need at least that level of SUPPORT at least initially in college.â</p>
<p>sorry if I missed this, but are there actually schools that DO that?</p>
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<p>My son attended a small CTCL LAC. I actually believed their marketing about individual attention, the profs asking students to dinner at their homes, etc. Even if that happens, face it, the kid on the autism spectrum is about the last kid a prof would seek out for social interaction (maybe unless the prof himself is on the spectrum.) I couldnât even persuade my son to see a prof during his office hours when he desperately needed help, much less stay after class to shoot the breeze. I realized that a student can be ignored in a class of 12 just as easily as he can be ignored in a class of 200.</p>
<p>As for not seeking out a kid who stops attending a lecture - here is the ultimate example. Last summer my son was in a community college summer school class. After a few kids dropped there were 8 students in the class. In addition, the teacher was someone that we had paid in the past to come to our home for personal tutoring. Son stopped going to class about halfway thu and the teacher made no attempt whatsoever to seek him out. Again, Iâm not saying it was her job - Iâm just saying that youâd think that a teacher might wonder.</p>
<p>scansmom, look at what the Alabama program offers:</p>
<p>[UA-ACTS</a> Program - The University of Alabama](<a href=âhttp://autism-clinic.ua.edu/uaacts/services.html]UA-ACTSâ>http://autism-clinic.ua.edu/uaacts/services.html)</p>
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<p>I have. Many times. And it is on the top of my list for students who require this degree of services and supports. Not all do, and there are many paths they can take. :)</p>
<p>Just for the record, my S did not receive any supports or services in college but his executive function abilities, as well as social abilities, have improved markedly since he was little; it is hard to recognize him as the same child that could not complete or process more than 3 instructions at a time. Or had temper tantrums that lasted for hours, and sometimes resulted in harm to himself or others (like the time he smashed his hand through the kitchen window trying to get my attention). He is not diagnosed with ADHD but had attention deficits resulting primarily from sensory integration issues and he began receiving treatment for this, along with social skills, at age 4. Had he not received early treatment he would probably look a lot worse today.</p>
<p>On my part, I have always let him set his own pace but then gently nudged him out of comfort zone. During his first few yrs in college I continued doing this and served as his long-distance âcoachâ (in fact, graduation was the first time Iâve been back to his school since move-in). College has not been easy for him, he is not âintoâ academics and only applies himself in areas he is passionate about (straight Aâs for the first time last semester - 4 engineering classes including 2 grad level) and lost his merit aid after the first yr but somehow managed not to actually fail any courses (although there were a few he should have either withdrawn from or never taken to begin with). He had many bumps along the way, and in hindsight, he could have benefited from services addressing executive function issues (but then, so would half of the kids in college today); but he also would have been one of the kids that didnât bother to take advantage of services even though he may have qualified for them. UA-ACTS would have been completely wasted on him (along with their fees which are I believe, $3000/semester?). Not that he would have ever considered going to Alabama (he loves to ski and has been spending weekends in the winter skiing as much as possible). In fact, because of his Aspergers, we were not even looking at out of state schools (we live in MN) and Northeastern was the only OOS he applied toâŠI knew it was a huge risk, going in, and I was the one that suggested it - after hours and hours of research; S was not even all that interested in going out of state or Northeastern, until we visited. Although he was just as sold on the co-op program as I was - and applied solely for that reason. And when he visited Boston for their student acceptance day (his first time out east other than a school trip to NYC); he fell in love with both the city and the school, and said it felt like âcoming home.â</p>
<p>So somehow he muddled through it all and has grown SO much over the past 5 yrs, as well as developing some good friendships with students who have accepted him and served as his peer mentors⊠and I think he takes pride in having done this âon his ownâ; in fact he even made the comment to me when we were having dinner after his graduation ceremony that he thought I had âprotectedâ him too much when he was younger, and prevented him from becoming more independent sooner⊠I kept quiet, although it did give me food for thought ;)</p>
<p>Great to hear a success story!</p>