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Giving Girls a Chance: Educating Females with Autism
While autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more prominent in males, females are also diagnosed at much lower rates (Autism Speaks, 2019). Females diagnosed with ASD require similar services in addition to diverse gender specific supports from their special education teachers and related service...
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Using Summer Programming to Prepare for Post-Secondary Education
Each year 50,000 young adults on the autism spectrum turn 18 years of age (Roux et al., 2013). How can parents and educators ensure that these young people are ready for the transition to post-secondary life? A good number of these young people are academically ready and prepared for the...
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Learning Neurodiversity in a College Program for Middle / High School Students with ASD
College students without disabilities are not cognizant enough of the different needs of neurodiverse students. The commonality concept of neurodiversity, of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) being deserving of equal opportunity (Silberman, 2015), is not evident frequently with students...
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Scaffolding Communications Skills for Elementary Students with Autism
When I decided to teach elementary Autistic children, my first task was to query many teachers as to their students’ learning styles. One size doesn’t fit all. Some students with autism learn visually, others need to listen intently, some draw, and others need to write things out. In most...
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Back to School Tips for Parents of Children with Special Needs
As families soak up the last few weeks of summer vacation, they may be starting to think about back to school tips for the new school year approaching. For parents of children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, it can take a significant amount of preparation to create a seamless...
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Communication Challenges in College Students with ASD
In addition to the typical challenges faced by young adults pursuing post-secondary education, those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis face unique challenges related to deficits in social communication. These include deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, such as taking turns in a...
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There are No IEPs in College: Succeeding with Accommodations
For many students, college is a series of firsts. With independence comes responsibility for many things they previously had assistance with. These firsts are challenging for many, however students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face additional, unique challenges — significant impairments in...
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Empowering Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
With the implementation of the Employment First Initiative, integrated community employment has become a nationwide focus that is affording greater opportunities for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While we’re moving in the right direction, there is still work to be done. According...
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Computer Science Inclusion Program Gives Marketable Skills for Adulthood
Businesses are anxious for computer science professionals. However, colleges currently do not graduate enough students knowledgeable in cutting-edge STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills (United States Equal Opportunity Commission, 2014). Computer science inclusion...
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Literacy Supports for Learners with Autism
In her article How People with Autism Think, Temple Grandin (1995), a high-functioning person with autism, describes her visual method of thinking. Grandin retrieves words through visualizations and movies within her mind. This type of thinking takes time to process, often making abstract thoughts...
