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Advice needed! My son is struggling with university life

Eunica
7 months ago

Any advice will be very much appreciated.

My son, who is in his second year of university, has been struggling with his university life. The staff's lack of knowledge of autism has harmed his mental health, which has clearly deteriorated, yet it is also frustrating that I am unable to engage directly with the university. 

Academic staff do not know anything about autism - how autism impacts on his learning and daily simple activities. He has been misunderstood by the academic staff - for example, his mental health has been deteriorating due to lack of support but they told my son that his symptoms (depressions) is just his laziness. He has found it difficult to communicate with relevant staff and request to meet his needs - he is not able to articulate his needs. He is just suffering by himself.  Any reasonable adjustments were hardly made..
He has stopped talking to anyone and hardly communicated with me and my husband any more. He lives in the university accommodation but he talks to nobody & has been isolating himself . 
The university discourages parents' involvement, meaning that I have little chance to discuss his difficulties with university staff. The university clearly states that all students are "adults", thus, there is no need to get parents involved. My son has nobody to advocate his needs at university.
His university policy also clearly states that the students are deemed to be independent so that if the students need "unreasonable" support (other than functional support such as note taking), then they have the right to suspend/expel them under the Policy of "Fitness to Study". . 
The university has a disability team and they are aware of his struggle but it does not seem that they are liaising with academic staff so that my son is not able to get direct support from his academic staff.
I am aware that if the university obtains my son's consent, I will be able to work directly with the university, but I am also concerned that it will give them the opportunity to invoke "Fitness of Study," which could put him in an even more difficult situation - my impression is that (based on emails sent to my son), they are not sympathetic to autistic students.
Does anyone have similar experience? How do I best support my son? 
Parents
  • 7 months ago

    The university is required by law to make 'reasonable adjustments' for disabled students. These adjustments are meant to ensure equal outcomes for disabled students so that the effects of the disability are nullified. Ideally, this means that there is an even playing field between able and disabled students.

    The 'fitness to study' is not a 'get out of jail card' for the university, and what might be termed 'unreasonable support' for students in general, might not be so for disabled students. The university disability support team should be proactive in helping your son. They should have regular liaison contact with him. I would write a formal letter to a senior member of the university and cc the disability team, outlining your concerns about your son's treatment, and include that you think that he may be being discriminated against on the grounds of his disability.

    Some universities are good in making useful accommodations. My autistic daughter received very useful support, which she considered prevented her from dropping out of her course. In the end she finished with a first class degree in chemistry, came top of her year and won a Royal Society of Chemistry prize.

  • 7 months ago in reply to Martin

    Thank you so much for your advice and information, which is really helpful! Glad to hear that your daughter thrived in her university, also glad to know that not all universities are unhelpful. Just wonder... may I ask which university it is ? 

  • 7 months ago in reply to Eunica

    It was Manchester Metropolitan University; she was originally at Sheffield University for her first year and had similar levels of support there. With the Covid lockdowns she wanted to move closer to home, so transferred.

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  • 7 months ago in reply to Eunica

    It was Manchester Metropolitan University; she was originally at Sheffield University for her first year and had similar levels of support there. With the Covid lockdowns she wanted to move closer to home, so transferred.

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