<p>Don’t be afraid to look for programs that are not specifically tailored for AS students, that your student might find helpful with minimal modification. Generally, these are found at larger research oriented schools. Some of these schools even have medical schools in which professors are researching programs to help AS students - here in PA, UPenn and UPitt come to mind.</p>
<p>It should also be possible to research approaches taken at other schools that you think would be helpful, and to summarize these for your son’s school. Most schools would be grateful for proactive planning, I should think.</p>
<p>If your son is doing something like accounting, it might be a good idea to check into programs that have good internship or co-op opportunities. Do not be afraid to ask about their placement rates, and programs that help all students refine resume and interviewing skills. A Placement Office that will work closely with your son from freshman year onwards can be very important in seeing that he graduates with either a job offer in hand or a viable network.</p>
<p>Science and engineering schools often offer students opportunities to work in labs in an apprenticeship -type situation, without having to go to another campus for the summer. If the school is large, chances seem to be better for finding a lab.</p>
<p>I would keep an eye out if possible for conferences and speakers in your general area that address college for AS students without hawking a particular program. The annual Penn State Autism Conference usually has some presentations on college issues and attendees that include current college students and recent grads, not all from Penn State.</p>
<p>Another new book:
Solutions for adults with AS, J Lovett, PhD, 205</p>
<p>Atwood, Howlin, Lawson–all “experts” with multiple books, but often focusses on child.</p>
<p>Yale has a lab devoted to AS. I suspect with more public awareness, colleges will include mental health counselors and coaches with training in this area.</p>
<p>Please don’t be biased against small schools (or large schools, for that matter). </p>
<p>I called all the small colleges that I applied to to ask about my own Asperger’s and how they would accommodate it. I got great responses and terrible responses. </p>
<p>Amazing response:
Agnes Scott
Beloit
Maryville (TN not MO)
Grinnell
Guilford
Kalamazoo
Lawrence U
Wooster</p>
<p>Okay response:
Earlham (very friendly, but didn’t have as many services)</p>
<p>Terrible response:
Clark U
Smith </p>
<p>Some big universities have great special programs for those with ASD. Some small colleges provide tender loving care. It depends on the school, not the size.</p>
<p>Thank you again for everyone’s helpful feedback. My biggest concern is housing. I think my son would need a single room in a very quiet, studious dorm. I spoke to representatives in disability support at some colleges and was generally not happy with the response. For example, single rooms are for kids with disabilities (meaning a wheelchair, not Aspergers).
You have to fill out an application and explain WHY you need a single room. If a kid needs a single room, shouldn’t the choice be available without documentation?</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that many private universities do give out very generous aid. With merit-based aid alone, my children found some privates roughly equivalent to Penn State for instate.</p>
<p>“I spoke to representatives in disability support at some colleges and was generally not happy with the response. For example, single rooms are for kids with disabilities (meaning a wheelchair, not Aspergers).
You have to fill out an application and explain WHY you need a single room. If a kid needs a single room, shouldn’t the choice be available without documentation?”</p>
<p>I would expect an “application” of sorts to be the standard, or else everyone would be popping up saying they need a single room and there would be none left for the students that actually need them. I had to fill out an “application” but there are enough rooms set aside that nobody is actually denied, they just want an explanation and documentation for why I need the room at my school. I managed to swing a 10x12 single with a private bath. :D</p>
<p>In our college search for our DS who has Asperger’s, we went off thinking great things and focused on my son’s strengths: academics. We sought colleges that are a bit quirky and a midsize about 5-7M, thinking it was big enough where he’d find his niche but not too big. We ended up choosing a top school in upstate NY. </p>
<p>Big mistake! The school had absolutely NO services specific to his needs (even though they led us believe they did) and it was simply too far away from home. That year was a complete disaster. Then he went off to a state school, but their services were completely hindered by paperwork and sadly minimal. FINALLY, he went off to a small liberal arts school (<2000 kids) that’s 20 minutes from home.</p>
<p>For him, the size and location made all the difference. After that, he could focus on his degree.</p>
<p>BTW, sports or the greek scene would never suit our son at school, while being an entrepreneur/business owner b/c it requires a salesmanship personality would never fit as a career. His strength is Math and computers.</p>
<p>As a Clark alum with my own D being accepted this year ED for the class of 2014, I am very interested to learn more about Clark’s response to your inquiry about the school’s ability to accomodate your Asperger’s. Please share in more detail if you feel able to do so.</p>
<p>If a university has a housing rule that single rooms are by application reserved strictly for students with disabilities, I fear that having a single room will stigmatize a child as being disabled rather than typical. I think single rooms should be an option to any student who wants it and should not have to provide proof that they need a single room. Of course, universities have to provide larger rooms for a child with a wheel chair. Even a social child in a wheel chair may like having a suite with other students and not just a single room.</p>
<p>There are schools that have lots of singles available to freshmen. University of Pittsburgh comes to mind immediately. Nonetheless, demand is often greater than supply, and a student with medical needs will get priority.</p>
<p>I do not think the danger is so much that the child will be stigmatized, but that it might become very difficult to socialize. Many freshmen begin by going places with their roommate, for instance. Sometimes it is possible to get a single in a suite.</p>
<p>I would suggest giving the RA a heads up, at the least. Even with a single, a student can end up being shunned by other students if they are seen as “strange.” (There is a reason why schools with honors colleges often also have honors housing…) It can be very depressing to be on a floor where everyone else is socializing loudly, if you are being left out or do not know how to join in.</p>
<p>Some schools do a better job of seeing that students are happy in their dorms and making friends than others. Often, state schools do the minimum unless there is a medical reason to do more. Sometimes students are even assigned roommates alphabetically.</p>
<p>Dorm living can be very difficult for an AS student - sometimes even a student who does not need help with classes or even excels academically with no assistance can end up having difficulty in the dorm.</p>
<p>The issue of disclosure is another one entirely. One transition goal might be to discuss disclosure with the student - who on campus will need to know if the student has AS, and how to tell them. It might be a good idea to familiarize your child with other aspects of self-advocacy as well. There is no “one size fits all” answer to this question, but be aware that a student over 18 will have to give written permission for communication between the school and a parent.</p>
<p>Thank you for your excellent, intelligent response. I think my son is more likely to find his friends at special interest clubs rather than through the dorm. He absolutely needs a quiet, studious environment and is more likely to be comfortable with his own room. You are 100% correct about “dorm living can be very difficult for an AS student” which is why we are looking closely at the dorms before appllication time.</p>
<p>Another consideration is that quiet dorms often have greater numbers of international students, a self selecting environment of serious students not interested in wild parties. A single in such a dorm can be a special experience for an Aspie, broadening his friendships well beyond North America.</p>
<p>“Regarding Carnegie Mellon for Aspergers’ support: We went to tour the school and my younger son did not like Pittsburgh.”</p>
<p>He would probably only go more than a few blocks off campus to do the occasional waterpark, movie, mall or museum. Particularly as an Aspie, chances are that he will spend all of his time on or near the campus, so not liking the town is pretty much irrelevant. He’ll never see it.</p>
<p>Though if he didn’t like the campus, didn’t feel like it was the right place for him would be very relevant. And the cost (unless you qualify for aid) is immense.
But worth it.</p>
<p>Many thanks to all who kindly responded to my post. I appreciate everyone’s advice. The cost of Carnegie Mellon is just beyond us and I don’t want my son taking any student loans.
We plan to visit U. of Texas at Dallas because it has a program to become an actuary. Although it is out of state, the cost is lower than $50,000 a year. My son is interested in finance, economics, and business. Actuary might be a very good field for him – he likes to acquire an encyclopedia knowledge of facts and apply facts to real life. Sounds like a solitary type of job done in a quiet environment leading to independence.</p>
<p>My son with Asperger’s has been accepted to College of NJ, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY nEW pALTZ
sUNY BUFFALO -hONORS. WE ARE WAITING FOR bINGHAMTON. I’ve spoken to the Disabilities offices, and though we like the fit of College of NJ (size, distance to home, academics) their office is not that informative as the other schools mentioned. What should be the most important thing in picking a college for a child with Aspergers???</p>
<p>I’ve posted this before, but my Son decided against a great school that gave terrific merit aid because the only bathroom options available for freshmen were community(e.g. one for the whole floor.)</p>