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Living with autism in college
Story Highlights
One in 166 children has autism, compared to 1 in 2,500 a decade ago

Students with autism-related disorders may have trouble making friends

Expert: Students need to be their own advocates

Students should ask if the school has an autism organization

(AP) -- When Dan Hackett started college, he didn't make the grades
he knew he could.

Hackett, who has Asperger's syndrome, found at the Community College
of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh that some of his symptoms were
holding him back. He had difficulty organizing his time and managing
assignments.

"I always knew I could do better," said Hackett.

His parents tried to help, but he wasn't comfortable with them
intervening at college. He was relieved to discover Achieving in
Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities, a group that
helps college students like him.

After contracting with AHEADD, Hackett's grade point average
increased from 1.5 to 3.6.

"They kept me on track," says the now 21-year-old political science
major. "They helped me manage my time."

Many students with Asperger's or other autism-like disorders face new
challenges in a college setting. The syndrome hampers communication
and social skills, so along with difficulties staying on top of their
studies, these students may struggle with making friends and living
more independently. They also may be more reluctant to ask for help.
Learn more about autism »

It's a problem colleges and universities are "very aware" of as the
first big wave of children with diagnosed autism-related disorders
moves beyond high school, says Gwendolyn Dungy, executive director of
NASPA, a Washington-based organization of student affairs
administrators.

"We've been very interested in it and finding out how ready colleges
are for these students," she said. "We want to establish a climate
for success."

While higher education institutions usually make accommodations for
students with disabilities, the law does not require them to provide
the extent of services that students receive in kindergarten through
12th grade.

College students must become their own advocates, a change that can
take them and their families by surprise, said Donna Martinez,
executive director of George Washington University's Heath Resource
Center, an online clearinghouse for students with disabilities.

"It's night and day" from high school, she said. "It's a whole
different world."

Colleges are trying to educate faculty and staff about autism-related
disorders and gauge how much services will cost, said Dungy, who
organized a seminar on these questions at her association's annual
conference in March. Most colleges already provide services to
students with disabilities or special needs.

For decades, only children with severe language and social
impairments received the autism diagnosis. In the 1990s, the autism
umbrella expanded, and autism is now shorthand for a group of milder,
related conditions, known as "autism spectrum disorders."

One in 166 children is now diagnosed with autism, compared to 1 in
2,500 a decade ago.

There has been a corresponding surge in special education services
for autistic children in elementary and high schools.

"More and more of these people who were identified (in the 1990s)
could be headed to college," said Marjorie Solomon, who studies high-
functioning children with autism disorders at the University of
California Davis' M.I.N.D. Institute.

One college that has added services for such students is Marshall
University, home to the West Virginia Autism Training Center. Through
its College Program for Students with Asperger's Syndrome, graduate
students help autistic students manage class assignments and develop
social and living skills.

The program fields about 10 calls a week from parents of prospective
students, said Barbara Becker-Cottrill, director of the training
center. "The parents are saying, 'Wow, my student has the grades and
there's a place that will provide the appropriate support for him or
her?"' she said.

Students pay $3,200 per semester to enroll in Marshall's program.
Advisers may speak with them several times a day, have weekly contact
with their professors and help find them social activities. They
might give guidance on dorm living or cafeteria food.

"Most classes are 50 minutes long, two to three times a day," noted
program coordinator Marc Ellison. "The rest of the time, you're
navigating the college community. My advice to students is to realize
the least amount of time you spend in college is in the classroom."

Families looking for the right college for autistic kids should ask
whether a school has a counselor who specializes in autism, if
professors receive training about it, and what academic
accommodations, such as additional time for taking tests, can be
made, experts said. Students also should inquire about social
opportunities: Does the school have an autism organization for
students? Would the university help find a peer mentor?

Peter Breslin of South Salem, New York, knew his son, Jason, could
handle college academics, but he worried about the rest of the
experience. The center at Marshall has made all the difference,
Breslin said, even though Jason doesn't always think to contact it
himself.

"They have to seek him out," said Breslin. "He thinks he could do it
without going to the center. But he really does need them."

Jason Breslin, 20, a music performance major, says, "They have all
been very helpful and supportive of me. I tried a semester without
going to the center and ended up with very low grades because of late
assignments or no assignments turned in."

The Organization for Autism Research, a nationwide group, is creating
a line of videos designed to educate college staff. The first is
aimed at professors; a second, in the works, will be geared to
resident assistants.

AHEADD, the Pittsburgh-based organization, recently opened offices in
Dallas, Washington and Albany, New York. It charges between $4,200
and $5,700 per semester for help with all aspects of college life.

"We start with academics," says founder Carolyn Komich Hare. "If our
students don't do well academically then they're not around to deal
with the big issues."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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