<p>My son is currently attending Andrew College in Cuthbert Ga. Andrew is a very small private 2 year college in South Ga. He will be starting his 2nd year in the fall. Andrew has been the best fit for him.He is in a program called Focus. The program is for students with ADHD which he has also but they meets his needs as far as his AS to.We have started to look for a college for his next step any ideas on where to look?</p>
<p>This is a useful guideline. It really describes my son’s school, which is working out very well.
<a href=“http://www.dixonlifecoaching.com/docs/IECA-Aspergers-chart.pdf[/url]”>http://www.dixonlifecoaching.com/docs/IECA-Aspergers-chart.pdf</a></p>
<p>Western Kentucky University and Marshall University both have specific autism/asperger’s programs.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.college-/learning_disabilities.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.college-/learning_disabilities.htm</a></p>
<p>How far away/what area are you looking? What size school? What is your S planning to study? Are you interested in support services for both ADHD and Asperger’s? </p>
<p>Here is a list of schools that were identified by an education consultant as being good choices for students with Asperger’s:</p>
<p>[Colleges</a> for Students with Asperger’s: The Friendly Ones | InsideCollege.com](<a href=“http://www.insidecollege.com/reno/Colleges-for-Students-with-Aspergers-The-Friendly-Ones/422/list.do]Colleges”>http://www.insidecollege.com/reno/Colleges-for-Students-with-Aspergers-The-Friendly-Ones/422/list.do)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Don’t limit your search to small schools. My son was at a “Colleges That Change Lives” LAC. We thought he would get more individualized attention and support at a small school. Wrong. And more importantly, many small, relatively selective schools do not have large tutoring and support centers. It may be better to have a student at a school where there is a decent sized at-risk population, so the academic support is there if he needs it.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply. We are taking him to Marshall in two weeks for a visit. Marshall looks like it would be a good match. It is 10 hours from our home. We may also look at a program at the U of Alabama. Marshall has alot of applications for the program and can be hard to get into. My son will have his AS degree in History {hopefully} by next spring from Andrew College.</p>
<p>My S with AS just started college this fall. We found that choosing a college for him was not that different than choosing for our other S. We did a lot of research up front, mostly to find colleges that would meet his academic INTEREST best. We looked to be certain that they had depth in course offerings in his area. We limited to small LAC because we felt they would be less overwhelming and more supportive. We visited several schools before applying and limited the list to 10. He was accepted at all ten, and we ended up visiting 7 of those. Having a program specifically for AS (Mercyhurst) didn’t end up being a good fit - the population they served seemed lower functioning than my son, and the college was not academic enough. We met with Disability Services folks at almost all the colleges until my son tired of having to do that and refused. Interestingly, the college he chose was one that we did not meet with Disability Services. He chose it because it felt right. He felt like he fit in, in fact he felt , in his words, he was “one of the more normal ones.” His college is small, a magnet for quirky bright kids from all over the world, has a first-name basis reputation between students and profs, and turns out a staggering number of future PhDs.<br>
He did submit the required documentation (AS, ADD-inattentive, cognitive processing delays) and made an appointment with the Director of DS. He met with her and she provided him with letters to give to his professors IF he wanted to request accommodations. He did meet with each professor the first semester and received permission to use his smart pen and time accommodations. He made the Dean’s List. He is in his second semester and has chosen not to disclose his disability to his professors, but does continue to use the smart pen. This college has 50% single rooms, and he was placed in one. I would say having a single room is probably the single most important factor in his success. Though he tends to be a hermit, he at least has a reliable place to de-stress. This semester he is getting out a little more and even asked another student to study hieroglyphs with him.<br>
I would never have guessed this would go so smoothly. Like most colleges, students need to ASK for help. Self-advocacy is the most important part of college preparation for kids with AS. My S was home schooled, so his preparation may have been better tailored to college success than a kid might get in a school with IDEA accommodations. We had him learn to drive, get a job (courtesy clerk), and volunteer at the science museum (gallery interpreter) to work on his communication and social goals. Every kid with AS is different, but if you are feeling that your kid will need LOTS of support, he or she may not be ready yet. Do know that colleges and universities are full of profs with AS (known to them or not), and finding a place where your kid with AS will be able to find an academic mentor in their field might be way more important than a place with a gazillion “support services.”
My S’s areas of interest are Biological Anthropology/Osteology/Zoology/Egyptology. He attends Beloit College 300 miles from home. Beloit allows students to jump right in to study what they are passionate about - no messing around with “gen eds.” SO, think outside the box. Think right match.</p>
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<p>I think that is key - avoid gen ed requirements. But the merit aid ship has sailed for us, and we can’t afford any of the very few schools with no gen ed requirements.</p>
<p>Thank you MDJDMom for your posting! Very helpful for us, and so appreciate shared information. Did you also check into Ripon and/or Lawrence? Our son is also an academically bright AS student receiving only “preferred seating” and “extended time for tests” as accommodations at his private college prep HS; we’ve put Beloit, Ripon (TRIO program), and Lawrence on our list, and want him to attend college within a driveable distance from Chicago. School thinks these are doable choices.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, MDJDMom, for posting! My DD does not have AS(although she was tested for NVLD and shows some signs of being on the spectrum somewhere), but has ADD inattentive type. I know someone whose son has ADD inattentive type, and he was very successful at Beloit. It has been on my radar, but it really sounds like a place that she would fit in. Thank you so much for sharing your son’s experience, you have given me alot to think about.</p>
<p>It has been a year now and my son has Graduated from Andrew college and will be going to the U of Alabama in the fall. They have a great support program called UA-ACTS.We looked at Marshall too and really like it. We decided on UA because it is closer and they really work on depression and anxiety issues.My son is now ready to take on a big school.He is spending his time this summer working on getting in shape mind and body.He states that he wants to “fit” in which is a first for him :+}. I am hoping that he will be able to move to the next level at UA. He has a aways to go… but he has come this far!!</p>
<p>He should do fine. He won’t be a party animal but he should make a couple friends as I go to RIT that has a Deaf college NTID; and I have many issues plus ADHD and I am 43. I had no problems making friends with the students both hearing and Deaf and have a friend with Aspy and though I had to tear her out of her room sometimes we usually had a good time. I should tell you she didn’t like group settings so I kept it under 4 usually.</p>
<p>How’s your son doing now? We are looking at Beloit for my HS senior son too, visited last year and it seemed great except my son is worried about it being so small that if he doesn’t fit in, not enough population to draw from. Any thoughts? Thx.</p>
<p>Hi there!
I know you said Beloit was on the radar, but I strongly encourage a good look at WKU! I am a recently diagnosed nineteen year old gal with ASD, and I recently enrolled at WKU…the entire staff I have come in to contact with is phenomenal! I have had so many question about their program, KAP (Kelly Autism Program)…and I have gotten many useful answers. I don’t even leave for Bowling Green for another month and I already feel at home! And this is coming from a true California kid nonetheless! Good luck on the college search!</p>
<p>Bumping this as there are a number of folks discussing the autism spectrum and Aspergers/BiPolar/ADHD actively and would benefit from coming across this thread.</p>
<p>Update on my DS… he is now in his Senior year at the University of Alabama. The UA-ACTS program has been a great fit for him!! I have seen so much growth…his mentor’s have really helped him learn to deal with anxiety and depression.He has had some social struggles but he is better. He will graduate in the summer!! Now he is starting to look for a job or intership with the National Park service or a State Park. The goverment has a program called the WRP…they help students with disabilities find work in Federal goverment or in the priviate secter.</p>
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<p>Thank you for the bump, dowzer! This thread is exactly what I was looking for.</p>
<p>CBS News has a good article by Lynn O’Shaughnessy on how to judge college learning disability programs. I would post the link but I am pretty sure CC doesn’t allow links so just Google that.</p>
<p>The article is from August 2012.</p>