Transitioning to University

I agree. Loads of great ideas above. When I went to college I found the social side really challenging - I drank quite a lot of alcohol to help me cope with that (if that’s ‘coping’ - it probably isn’t really!).

it’s also true that most students struggle with the practical side of things - and if they stay in Halls it’s not as scary from a practical point of view. The people in Halls though - that can be quite intense. 
I struggled but I don’t  regret going (and I met my future husband there too :) 

In my case I was able to go to a university near enough to home to commute. But that's not practical for everyone. My feeling is the average autistic student is going to have the same domestic challenges a lot of students have and probably need to learn to cope with them by being thrown in at the deep end. Food, cleaning, washing. Students go through their messy, take out loving, underwear inside out phases but they generally push through.

The issue is more likely to be the social side. Dealing with house mates or shared facilities. Maintaining enough social contact not to feel isolated. Dealing with points of conflict when lecturers or other students misinterpret autism as aggression / rudeness.

Contingency and preparedness planing could include:

1. A careful plan for his accommodation.
   1. Will he live alone?
   2. If so will he have to share a kitchen / bathroom?
   3. Will the area be noisy?
   4. Should / could house mates be vetted in some way?
2. A predetermined schedule of social activities.
   1. What clubs and activities could he go to or become involved in?
   2. What kind of people are in them?
   3. Where and how do they socialise?
   4. What is the culture of each society like, is it very alcohol focused? Does it have a diverse membership?
3. A conflict resolution plan.
   1. In the event that he should find him self in conflict with a staff member or other student what protocol should be used to resolve the situation?
   2. Should the disability unit keep a document on standby explaining how his autistic traits might be misinterpreted or could lead to conflict unintentionally?
   3. Should there be an understanding that the disability unit will facilitate some sort of mediation if any conflict looks like it could lead to a formal complaint?

Art? How wonderful. I really hope they manage to make it happen - I studied Art and I would have hated to have missed out on that. 

When they were at Sixth Form they had a one-to-one learning assistant which was incredibly helpful. I don't think they would have made it through otherwise.

Yes, the subject they want to study is Art. There is an Art degree I think with the OU but it wouldn't be quite the same.

I have seen on twitter autistic students commenting about their Uni support, some great, some ok, some bad.  

There is always Open University, study at home and online - though may not offer the degree they want to study towards.  They offer academic support I know, but what means for someone with autism I don't know.

So interesting to read your post here as my son is just taking a break from college as he was struggling to cope. He was doing quite well until the pandemic hit and that completely disrupted his education - and when he eventually returned he couldn’t cope with it. He had sensory overload and going back to having Selective Mutism (he only has this in educational settings) was horrendous for him. His social anxiety also hugely increased going back to college after the isolation of lockdown. It was all too much.

My son is at a further education college (not a university) so has lived at hipbone throughout - so that is different to your situation. My son’s college have not been great at offering support I must say - they say they cannot provide the specialist support he needs for his Selective Mutism - even though he has an EHCP. We’ve always struggled to get support for him. I hope you have more luck with the University. As is often the case I suspect you’ll have to do a lot of work to find the support never mind to actually get it! Good luck x 

Thank you, yes. I think that the 2 years has shown us that they're not likely to ever be ready to live independently without some degree of support. I have previously tried to speak to the university but they were completely useless and clueless. I don't know if I just need to keep on at them until I find somebody who does know and can help.

I would suggest asking the university what support they could offer for autistic students, and if they could help in between.
You could then look into any other support that's available, the NAS might be able to help with that.

It can be daunting when thinking about Uni, I had the chance for a sponsored placement at my first job, but rejected it outright because of difficulties I had with college and working. Kind of regret it as it would have been better to have faced it and see how I got on, but it may have been a car crashing waiting to happen.

Its different times now though, Uni's are much more aware and supportive (though not always good at it, from what I've read), and also there are ways to reduce anxieties, build confidence, and learn to cope independently - such as 'dry runs' to the Uni, get used to going there, and what its like so its not a shock on day 1, and if the Uni can let them sit in on lectures then they could experience that.  Also, help them be more independent at home - cooking, shopping, managing money, cleaning, etc.  May also be local support services for independence skills, have at look online or maybe ask social services.  Local disability charities might also help with independence skills.

Two years provides enough time to develop, but also too much time to think/worry so important to manage that side of it.