Support for uni student

If he has been having big trouble socializing in high school, and he's not so autistic that he can't speak at all, then I suspect he'll see the university as a wonderful magicaL City Of The Children. That's what it was to me, and it's the only place I still think of as home.

Your only job at college is to sit there while old people stand in front of the room and explain fascinating stuff. You get all your food free in the dining hall with your friends. And if you're shy, your roommate has friends. There is no place I would ever want to live besides the dorm. Nobody is ever mean to you, ever.

I wasn't diagnosed with autism until after I had turned 60.

Having said this, I hold three degrees; an Associates in Culinary Arts, a Bachelor's in Education, and a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction. I surivived by being exceptionally well organized. 

For example:

1) I had a loose leaf binder with a campus map that I inserted into the plastic cover. The map showed where all of my classes were. 

2) On the inside of the binder I had a copy of my class schedule. 

3) I had a calendar in the binder so that I could create weekly schedules. I color coded quizzes and tests in red. I color coded written assignments in light blue. Doing this allowed me to map out my study schedule so that I never missed a deadline for turning in an assignment and was always prepared for quizzes and tests. 

4) I took copious notes. The notes were separated by color coded tabs i.e blue for instructional methodology and green for instructional technology etc.

5) I had a foot locker that I kept locked. I kept snacks and canned food like ravioli stashed in the footlocker. This gave me something to eat if I got the late night munchies. The lock kept the food from being stolen by roommates. 

This is the stuff I use and find useful:

First thing is DSA

DSA for me provided recording software and hardware for lectures, including some transcription software (my audio prosessing is rubbish)

An app called brain in hand that has been very helpful with organisation and unexpected change, See below for a more detailed review

Active noise cancelling headphones (godsent)

And while my university provided this, if your uni doesn't provide it DSA can also give you an autism specialist mentor, and a study skills advisor. Both of these I found extremely helpful in the managing deadlines, admin, and working out what the question wants side of uni. 

Uni also provides a bunch of accommodations

Extended deadlines where feasible

Regular scheduling

breaks in practicals if needed (I have to choose an appropriate time, I can't leave if things are reacting and exploding everywhere)

Single room for field trips (also very useful)

More forward information

More information provided in writing

For exams: Extra time, separate room - low density venue (fewer than 10 people), some people can also get single person rooms, rest breaks - up to 10mins per hour, non bluetooth earplugs to avoid distractions, pre approved fidget items, a quiet snack. 

I'm at cambridge that provides housing for all three years, so I also have adjustments based on that, so en-suite, cooking facilities, and in a quiet area of college. 

I also have more meetings than other people with my tutor and college nurse.

There are many other things out there that are helpful, I found my disability advisor incredibly helpful in suggesting loads of stuff. 

Hope this gives you some ideas though

Brain in Hand review

I use brain in hand!!!!!! I love it!

I love it personally, for a variety of reasons, let me list them below, and share my experiences where I have used them practically:

Part of brain in hand is organisation, so you make a calendar ( you can connect an existing google calendar) and the individual events get tasks and problems put under them. And you can put in problems connected to a task.

So for example, for a teams call I have various problems like 'internet out', 'unable to join call', forget call'. And then within those problems I put solutions. So under 'forget about call' is 'send apology email', 'ask to reschedule', 'ask for recording'. And then what that mainly means is A. I get reminders about tasks, and B. when something goes wrong, I don't have to panic about what to do, because it's already there. 

So, when have I used this feature. Well, missing meetings for a start. Also a big one was train journeys. I find train journeys immensly difficult. They're sensorily overwhelming and then they go wrong. In this particular case one of my trains had been cancelled. I was already on the verge of a shutdown. It was very bad. But in my brain in hand app the pre made travel section has a solution which has the link to the national network website, where I could instantly find another train. It saved a meltdown, end of story. Because I didn't have to think.

And then there are those moments where the preprepared stuff doesn't work out, and you have to ask for help. I've used that twice I think. Once was about a phone call where I just couldn't, and they walked me through other options so I didn't have to do it right then and could wait until I had someone around to help me in person. The other was a moment where everything had gone wrong, and they helped me break it down until I could find a solution.

You also get someone that walks you through using it to it's upmost and also helps you make goals and stuff and plans to work towards them that you have appointments with a few times a year. 

Feel free to ask questions about brain in hand, I use it every day and find it often makes a real difference 

Hi Caroline

He would probably be entitled to a specialist mentor to help him stay on track.

Hi Caroline and welcome to the community!

Disability Rights UK offers a list of suggested adjustments for students here:

https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/resources/adjustments-disabled-students-and-apprentices#_Toc119421694

You might also find this NAS resource helpful:

Transitions England - Starting college or university - Support

Transitions advice for other areas of the UK