Realizing the College Dream with Autism or Asperger Syndrome. Ann Palmer
all of Eric’s teachers were as accommodating in high school, however. For the most part, the teachers were supportive and willing to do the minor accommodations Eric needed. We had one experience with a teacher that was quite difficult. The class was physical science, a required class for graduation. When Eric started having some problems with the homework and had a low test score, I contacted the teacher via e-mail to tell her my concerns and to ask how I could help Eric at home with his work. She didn’t respond to my e-mail. I then tried calling her and leaving a message on her school voice-mail and she never responded to that either. Eric’s case manager at the school also tried to talk to her with no success. Eric’s grades continued to decline and we called a meeting with the teacher and the autism outreach teacher and myself but the teacher did not attend. I was very frustrated at this point because I knew Eric was a good student. He always followed the rules and always did his work. We weren’t asking for anything above and beyond what a “typical” student might need.
Eventually it came to our attention that this particular teacher, along with a few other teachers at the school, had been involved in a law suit initiated by parents of several students with learning disabilities. I never met with or talked to the teacher to get her perspective. My assumption is that because of that difficult experience with the law suit, she was refusing to get involved with students with disabilities who needed accommodations. I eventually had Eric taken out of this teacher’s class and put in another class. I mention this story for several reasons. First, it is important that parents pick their battles. I could have pursued this further and gone the legal route to get what Eric needed. But this was not a battle I wanted to fight because I didn’t think the end result would have made the teacher be more responsive to students with disabilities. Second, it taught me the lesson that we all, professionals and parents, have “baggage” that we bring to a relationship, based on our previous experiences. We have to work hard to not let past experiences cloud our future relationships and how we advocate for these students.
One professional who is important in the transition to college process is the psychologist with the school. If the student is in a private school or is home schooled it will most likely be a psychologist in private practice who will be involved. In preparation for the transition to college, a student with a disability needs to have a complete psycho-educational battery of testing completed before graduation. The information from this evaluation is needed to acquire testing accommodations for the College Board examinations. It is also necessary for requesting accommodations at the college level. Most colleges require recent (i.e. less than three years old) documentation concerning the disability. It is helpful if the student or parents know before the evaluation what testing the college requires for receiving accommodations. That way they can make sure the appropriate testing is done before graduation from high school. The information required by the college may also give the psychologist some guidance as to what information to stress in the written report from the evaluation. If the testing is not done in high school, or if the testing is not current enough for the college, the parents may find it necessary to pay to have the testing done privately. This can be very expensive.
Probably the most important event that will take place during the high school years for any student with a disability is the Transition Plan. In 1990, there were concerns that special education programs in the schools were not adequately preparing students for adult life. The Congress of the United States amended federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), to require that each student of high school age have a Transition Plan. Students or parents can request a Transition Plan when the student reaches the age of 14 or earlier if appropriate. The goal of transition planning is to determine what services will be provided to the student during the high school years. These should not consist only of a list of agencies that can be resources for the student following graduation. They should address the high school years and focus on ways to educate the student in the skills they will need as an adult (Reiser 1995).
IDEA defines transition services as a “coordinated set of activities for a student that promotes movement from school to post-school activities.” These activities can include postsecondary education, vocational training, supported employment or integrated employment, adult education, adult services, independent living, and community participation. These activities must reflect the individual student’s needs and preferences and interests (IDEA 1990, section 1401(a)(19)).
The Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) is often developed as a part of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) for the student and should be reviewed annually. It includes long-range goals and services and is oriented to life after high school. The importance of the ITP is to clarify what the individual student wants in his or her life. The ITP team should be thinking about what the student wants to be doing in the future, where they want to live, what their dreams are and what they need to learn or do to reach these dreams.
There are many areas that can be addressed in an ITP in addition to the academic issues. Some of the goals written in the Transition Plan may address a specific skill. Goals may also address basic life skills such as the use of money, personal hygiene, transportation, assistive technology, and self-advocacy. The Transition Plan is a wonderful opportunity to concentrate on the individual student and help them to understand their disability and be able to advocate for themselves. Discussion in the ITP should include ways to help the student identify and access support services in the community such as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), Social Security, or residential support services. In the past, educators have had to provide school-based services only. Now, with transition services, schools must include instructional and educational experiences that may need to occur outside the school campus.
Students with disabilities often learn a needed skill in the classroom and then practice it in the classroom. The next step should be to practice the skill in the community. Some schools may be reluctant to use a community-based approach to teaching the student the skills needed for transition. When turning down a request for community instruction, it is not uncommon for schools to report issues related to staffing, funding, transportation, safety, or liability. Parents and students may need to advocate for more community-based instruction opportunities for the student. This may be necessary especially for those students who are not in self-contained special education classrooms where non-academic skills are more frequently taught. Being in the mainstream setting may mean fewer opportunities to teach self-help and independence skills to the student.
I arranged for Eric to work at a library in the community one period a day during one of his years in high school. It helped him learn some vocational skills that he would not have the chance to learn in the school setting. The school was agreeable but I had to suggest it, I had to arrange it with the library, and I had to transport Eric to the library. VR was involved in supporting him by meeting occasionally with Eric’s supervisor at the library. They also paid Eric a small stipend while he worked there. If working in the community is not available to your child, there may be jobs available on campus that can be pursued. Possible jobs may include working in the main office or the guidance office, working in the cafeteria, or working in the mailroom. During the last two years of high school, Eric worked in the high school library one period each day. This was good experience and also gave him the opportunity to meet more students and feel more involved with the school. Parents may need to initiate ideas such as these as schools frequently will not.
Leisure and recreational skills should be included as part of the goals in the ITP related to community participation. All leisure activities and ideas should be based on the individual interests and desires of the student. Specific skills can be developed to enable the student to participate in a recreational activity the student enjoys such as singing, bowling, swimming, etc. Goals also might focus on skills to help the student learn how to choose leisure activities or how to use their leisure time constructively. Ideas for recreational goals may include attending activities and sporting events on the school campus or attending activities in the community.
Personal and social skills should also be addressed in the student’s Transition Plan. Good personal and social skills can benefit the student in most areas of their life. Goals should again be based on the individual preferences of the student and should be individualized to meet the student’s specific needs. Goals may include learning how to greet people, developing better eye contact, improving table manners, or understanding the difference between