As previous posts have indicated, the number of college students with ASD will probably grow substantially. Many of them may seek accommodations, and colleges are wrestling with the issue in the context of other disabilities. Andrew Petersen writes at The Wall Street Journal:
Schools are required to extend "reasonable accommodations" for students with documented disabilities—including psychological ones—to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
But there's hand-wringing among university administrators and faculty about how to support college students with mental health issues while making sure young adults progress academically. One of the goals of college, after all, is to prepare students for the working world. And not every boss may be OK with a blown deadline for a critical client report, no matter the reason. Professors also want to make sure they're being fair to all students.
"There's the danger that we take too much care and when they hit the real world that same kind of support isn't there," says David Cozzens, dean of students and associate vice president of student affairs at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Some formal accommodations, like additional test time, are fairly standard across universities and apply to students with physical and learning disabilities, too. But, schools diverge widely on formal accommodations for flexibility with assignment deadlines, class attendance and participation. Some schools leave it up to individual instructors. Others intervene more directly on students' behalf.See:
- "Preparing Students With Autism Forcollege, And Preparing Colleges For Students With Autism"
- Autism Transition Handbook
- NavigatingCollege.org
