Autism Goes To College

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Meet Dr. Naz Zerka. He's a therapist who meets with students on campus at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana - a college well known for its prestigious engineering school and other STEM programs, which means there's a steady flow of students on the spectrum who wind up seeking guidance. Naz says some of the students who find their way to his office are aware they have autism, or may, others come looking for help because of other challenges and, after using some screening tools, begin to understand that their struggles may be linked by the single diagnosis of autism. Naz knows this path because he was on it. He was undiagnosed and put into special ed programs as a child. He made it to college because he was great at math and science and got a football scholarship. But he had a hard time as an undergrad and was still struggling with reading comprehension, writing and time management in grad school. Mentors helped him find the right supports to keep him on a path to success. Today Naz has a doctorate in social work, but says his best credential is his lived experience as a kid on the spectrum growing up in communities of color in Flint and Saginaw, Michigan. Real talk from a counselor who's been there. 

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Sam is a grad student at Adams State University in Colorado where he's working towards a Master's in Psychology. It's a program that's mostly online and meets in person one week a month. That hybrid situation is a good fit for Sam, who had mixed experiences as an undergrad. He felt overwhelmed at times, didn't always love dorm living, and took a medical leave for part of one semester. But he got back on track with online classes, building his own schedule around school, and living in an apartment. He never had accommodations, but as a psychology student, he gained some insights into his own learning style and challenges, and in this episode, he shares his path to a late diagnosis and his academic successes. 

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Lindsey loved her freshman year. She's majoring in communication sciences and disorders, and made the dean's list both semesters. She accessed the accommodations she needed and says she benefitted from getting to know her professors during office hours. Dorm life was more challenging, and this year her accommodations include a single room. She tried out some clubs, and found the Neurodivergent Students and Allies club actually wasn't a great fit, and she explains why. Plus, more insights and strategies on how to navigate the ups and downs of freshman year and what Lindsey loves about sharing her college experiences as a student on the spectrum with her TikTok and YouTube followers.

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You’ll need to eat at college and that can get complicated, especially if you’re looking for safe foods and quiet spaces. Quincy Hansen will graduate from Colorado State University this year, and he’s a great guide to navigating the dining hall scene. One pro tip: you might want to invest in earplugs or headphones.  Plus strategies for when to eat and where to eat and how to plan meals and stock your dorm room or apartment if you’re not eating in the dining halls. Sensory eaters, this one is definitely for you.

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Ryan says he wanted to start college with "a blank slate and kind of do it on my own." In his college search, he didn't look at schools through the lens of what kind of supports would be available for him as a neurodivergent student.  He didn't disclose to any professors in his first quarter. He shares how he arrived at UCLA and dove in headfirst, took a full load of classes, got his first taste of dorm life, loved meeting new people, going to tons of events around campus. But keeping up the momentum proved impossible; Ryan needed more downtime, more space to unmask and relax and be himself. He took a break from school during freshman year and came back with the sense that his success in college would hinge on being true to his identity as an autistic - even, embracing it. Soon he was creating the space he was looking for by launching the Bruin Neurodiversity Collective- a student-run social and support organization he envisions on college campuses everywhere. Hear how Ryan’s doing as he winds down his sophomore year and expands his advocacy. 

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Quinn loved almost everything about her time at Southern Oregon University. When she went to check out the school as a high school senior, she fell in love with the town of Ashland.  And the range of support services available for her as a student with an AU/ADHD dual diagnosis made choosing SOU an easy decision. Along the way she had some great roommates, loved her classes in the arts and managed her math dyscalculia, graduating last May. She also encountered an ableist professor, some jerky suitemates, and navigated distance learning for a while during the pandemic. For all the details and some advice about how she did it, take a listen! 

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Career Training Centers offer students on the spectrum experiential learning in ways that can prepare them for college or work. At Miller CTC in Los Angeles, high school graduates or students with a GED can explore training in everything from auto detailing and repair to professional baking and food service, retail, landscaping, and even media arts -  including behind-the-camera work and digital editing. Bryson is in his second year at Miller, an LAUSD public school, where he says the programs are excellent, the social opportunities have been extremely beneficial and he's already enrolled in one class at Pierce College, with the goal of transferring there next year. Bryson talks about his experience, along with one of his teachers Cindy McGee,  who explains the range of what the school and Miller community has to offer to students on the spectrum looking for their next step.

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Students on the spectrum often decide that because college is a fresh start, they aren't going to ask for accomodations before classes even begin. Instead, better to see how it goes, and ask for accommodations if needed. That makes sense, but in real life, it's sometimes hard to fix a situation or make it work better on the fly. That's the observation of Dr. Maria Keller, Associate Director of Disabled Student Services at UCRiverside. Better, she says, is to put the accommodations in place from day one, and if it turns out you don't need them, that's great. Getting accommodations in a hurry can be more of a challenge, and can't change previous academic outcomes - like test scores. Dr. Keller was in the documentary film Autism Goes to College, and she says since the film was made, campus culture has really shifted. Hear all about how UCR is evolving programs and policies focused on inclusivity for neurodiverse students and even modeling campus cultural shifts for other colleges.

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Preston looked at four-year colleges, but he was hearing about typical students getting overwhelmed by the course load and the adjustment to college life. So he decided to start out at a community college and take two classes to start.  He chose one language arts class and one math class for the first semester, and he joined the Media Arts Club, which is giving him hands-on experience producing a news show. This winter,  he's adding a part-time job. He's gotten the hang of commuting by bus five days a week. In this episode, Preston talks about what made his fall semester a "perfect experience." He says he's feeling confident about adding another class this winter and starting to think about how his credits will transfer to a four-year school to finish his bachelor's degree.

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Data recently collected from over 400 college students on the spectrum shows that most feel protecting their mental health is often as important as getting good grades and graduating. The typical college goals are not so surprising, according to Professor Brett Ranon Nachman, an autism self-advocate and education researcher at the University of Arkansas. "But the findings about prioritizing mental health, finding friends, and avoiding burnout are significant. Students are saying success is important but not at the expense of their mental health." In the first wave of the study, Nachman's team, led by Dr. Brad Cox at Michigan State University, has collected data from students on the spectrum at over 100 colleges and universities around the country. It’s one of the largest data sets provided by students on the spectrum to date. But it's not just academic. The team plans to use the data to help colleges and faculty understand what autistic students are looking for in their college experiences and how to help autistic students find success. One goal, Nachman says, is to help universities see the growing number of students with autism on campus as an opportunity, not an issue.

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