How to Select Colleges for Students with Asperger's Syndrome
Your smart and special child with Asperger's Syndrome has made it to his junior year in high school and it's time to consider colleges! The good news is that more and more colleges are meeting the special needs of these students to help them succeed.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Understand that your child can have a successful college experience. More than likely she is doing OK or even brilliantly at academics and will just need extra help with social and life skills.
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2
Research universities. Talk with high school counselors and other parents; search online for schools offering support to Asperger's students. Some schools designate certain dorm floors for students with social difficulties and facilitate interactive activities to ensure they connect with others right from the beginning.
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3
Consider broadening your search if your child has additional disabilities such as ADHD, which often co-exists with Asperger's. Academic programs for children with organizational disabilities may also offer social help for Asperger's students.
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4
Streamline the process by honing in on schools that offer majors in your child's areas of interest and then contact the departments of disability accommodations in each of those schools to see what they offer.
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5
Visit several colleges. Most Asperger's children are very concrete thinkers and cannot just "imagine" what a school will be like from descriptions and photos.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Have your child be as involved as possible in this process.
Don't settle on the state college "all the kids" are attending and just hope for the best. The rest of your child's life is at stake.
Don't compare the college application search of your Asperger's child to her older siblings. It may be more time consuming but it will be worth it when you find the right fit.
