Advising Students with Asperger Syndrome Presented by Shawn

Advising Students with Asperger Syndrome Presented by Shawn Marie Arnold, M. Ed. Lynchburg College Lynchburg, Virginia

Challenges for Advisors § Many advisors have little knowledge of Asperger Syndrome and other spectrum disorders. § No two students with AS are alike and therefore may require completely different approaches. § Students with AS often do not ask for help with the exception of their accommodations. § Students with AS often have learning disabilities and/or other disorders. § These students often have executive functioning challenges and can easily become overwhelmed with what they perceive to be too much information and too many expectations.

A Review -- Characteristics of Students with Asperger Syndrome § § § § § Problems with social skills and developing friendships Difficulty carrying on conversations Obsession with rituals or restricted behavioral patterns Sensory problems (auditory, visual, tactile, smell) Fine and gross motor difficulties Difficulty understanding others’ thoughts Inappropriate behavior Resistance to change Anxiety Depression and other emotional behaviors

A Review -- Typical Strengths of Students with Asperger Syndrome Gifted thinker; originality in tackling problems Inventive and creative Willingly works with routine tasks; sameness Highly focused on an idea Seeks accuracy; perfection The reward is the successful completion of the task, not financial or material § Once comfortable, very loyal § § §

Advising Strategies – Cooperative Relationships v Disability Service Office Who is the student? What is their academic history? What is their history with Asperger Syndrome? Meeting and introduction v Career Services Office Career assessment and research assignments Related major/minor research v Residence Life, Counseling, other campus resources v Community Organizations/Support Groups

v Help students understand their role in academic advising using an advising questionnaire. v Treat the questionnaire as an assignment the student must complete for their advising session (s). v If they have trouble responding to any of the questions, help walk them through it. v After each advising meeting, send a summary to the student with tasks assigned to help keep them focused. v Meet periodically to review their progress.

Topics to Consider When Advising Students with Asperger Syndrome § Have a frank conversation about how Aspergers impacts the individual student. § Assist student select courses, plan for breaks between classes, discuss majors and/or minors, plan meetings with instructors, time management, and classroom etiquette. § Help student gather information about the courses available/required to be taken to understand expectations. For example: courses requiring students to compare, contrast, or look for implications can be difficult for someone who sees the world in black and white, with few shades of gray. § Students with Aspergers can also have difficulty with courses requiring physical activity, such as PE and the social implications of team sports.

Using the Who I Am? Questionnaire, begin to learn about the student and help the student learn about themselves. Examples of topics to be discussed: How does Asperger Syndrome affect you? What are your strengths: academic and non-academic? What are your favorite subjects? Best subject? What are your hobbies or favorite things to do? What things are hard for you to do? In class? Out of class? § Do you enjoy being with friends or prefer being alone? § Do you have trouble remembering things such as appointments, homework due dates, class? § § §

Who Am I? Questionnaire for ______________________ Intake Advisor ____________________ Date _________ In order for us to help support you at XXX, please fill out this questionnaire to help us understand your needs. You may want to consider asking your parents, spouse, friends or others who already know you. Please complete the following questions. 1. How do you tell others about your diagnosis and how it impacts your life? ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What are your strengths? (both academic & in life) ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What subjects have been the best for you? ________________________________________ 1. ________________________________________ 2. 4. What subjects have been the most difficult? 3. ________________________________________ 4. ________________________________________ 5. 5. What other things in your life are challenging for you? 6. ________________________________________ 7. ________________________________________ 8. 6. Are there specific things about homework and other assignments that are especially difficult for you? 9. ________________________________________ 10. ________________________________________ 11. 7. What do you like to do in your free time? 12. ________________________________________ 13. ________________________________________ 14. 8. How do you keep track of your day-to-day responsibilities? (planner, calendar, etc. ) 15. ________________________________________ 16. ________________________________________ 17. 9. Do you have trouble starting homework, completing projects? 18. ________________________________________ 19. ________________________________________ 20. 10. Do you have trouble scheduling and remembering appointments? 21. ________________________________________ 22. ________________________________________ 23. 11. Are there any things that give you particular difficulty in class? 24. ________________________________________ 25. _____________________________

12. Who is part of your support system and what is their relationship to you? _______________________________________________________________________________ 13. How do you act when you are angry or frustrated? _______________________________________________________________________________ 14. How do you manage when you become angry or frustrated? _______________________________________________________________________________ 15. Are you sensitive to touch, noise, light, odors? If yes, please explain: _______________________________________________________________________________ 16. Is there anything about your eating habits that we need to know about? _______________________________________________________________________________ 17. Have you spent any time considering majors and/or minors? If yes, which ones? _______________________________________________________________________________ 18. Have you spent any time exploring career possibilities? If no, would you like to? _______________________________________________________________________________ 19. Have you given any thought to how many credits you would like to take or if you would prefer a somewhat less demanding schedule? _______________________________________________________________________________ 20. Have you contacted Disability Services for accommodations? If no, would you like a referral? _______________________________________________________________________________ 21. Have you contacted the Health Center about any physical, mental, or other health disorders or to check in about your prescriptions? If no, would you like a referral? _______________________________________________________________________________ 22. Have you contacted the Counseling Center to make arrangements for support with managing stress or other concerns? If no, would you like a referral? ________________________________________________________________________________ 23. Are there any other things you think we should know about to help make your experience at XXX more comfortable? ________________________________________________________________________________

To Help Students Prepare for Academic Advising. . . Ø Review academic strengths and weaknesses, interests, and what courses would be a good match. Help them ask: Ø What are my career choices? Ø What courses should I take next semester and what will I need to graduate? Ø Am I taking too many difficult courses in one semester? Should I take a lighter load? Will this delay graduation? Ø What are electives? Are they graded? Ø What do I need for graduate school? How do I apply?

For Discussion ü What have your experiences been with students on the spectrum? ü Do you have any special procedures for guiding students through the academic advising process? ü As an advisor working with students on the spectrum, what other offices do you work with closely? ü Do you have any processes or procedures you can share with us that you have found useful in working with students on the spectrum?

Suggested Reading Succeeding in College with Asperger Syndrome: A Student Guide, John Harpur, Maria Lawlor and Michael Fitzgerald, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005 Students with Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for College Personnel, Lorraine E. Wolf, Jane Thierfield, and G. Ruth Kukiela Bork, Autism Asperger Publishing Co. , 2009 College Students with Asperger Syndrome: Practical Strategies for Academic and Social Success, Louise E. Bedrossian and Rodney E. Pennamon, LRP Publications, 2007 Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and Highfunctioning Autism, Temple Grandin and Kate Duffey, Autism Asperger Publishing Co. , 2008 Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s, John Elder Robison, Ebury Press, 2007