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Higher Education Resources
About the PAN Higher Education Forum
PAN held an "Autism Goes to College" forum for professionals in higher education, as well as autism advocates, on September 25, 2007. This meeting, held on the University of Pennsylvania campus, was designed to identify issues related to students with ASD on college campuses. The group shared ideas for promoting successful adaptation to college life and discussed next steps for the development of a professional network with a goal of continuing the dialogue.
For complete notes from this meeting, click here. (pdf file)
For Dr. Anthony Rostain's PowerPoint presentation, "Autism Goes to College: Identifying Issues and Sharing Ideas," click here.
Thank you to all the attendees who participated from the following higher education institutions and autism organizations:
Arcadia University
ASCEND Group, the Asperger Syndrome Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
ASPEN, Asperger Syndrome Education Network
Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
Boston University
Bucks County Community College
Community College of Philadelphia
DeSales University
Dickinson College
East Stroudsburg University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Holy Family University
Lebanon Valley College
Ocean County College
Penn State University
Pennsylvania DPW, Bureau of Autism Services
Rider University
St. Joseph's University
Shippensburg University
Swarthmore College
Temple University
University of Connecticut Law School
University of Pennsylvania
The University of the Arts
Villanova University
COLLEGE PLANNING RESOURCES
Heath Resource Center
Online Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities
Information on Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Internships.
Asperger Foundation International
The "Asperger Syndrome College Resource Guide" provides lot of information on colleges, universities, and independent living programs.
College Planning for the High-Functioning Student with Autism
Lars Perner, Ph.D., shares information on "Preparing to be Nerdy where Nerdy Can be Cool.
NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST
Click on title to read.
How these college students deal with disability
Press of Atlantic City, April 27, 2008
Shakur Burton always liked to cook. Then he discovered it could be a career. "I realized I could make money, make a living for myself in hard times," said Burton who has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism...
Asperger's no barrier to University of Michigan degree
Ann Arbor News, April 23, 2008
When Tim Hull is surrounded by his classmates at the University of Michigan commencement ceremony on Saturday, he will be focused on what comes next--graduate school at the U-M School of Information. But his mother, Sheri, will be much more reflective about how far he has come in order to receive a U-M diploma...
Demand high for MU's Asperger program
The Herald Dispatch (Huntington, WV), April 19, 2008
When Rebecca Wallen first read about Asperger Syndrome, she couldn't believe her eyes. "It sounded like they had written the book about my son," she said. While much remains to be known about this form of autism, advocates say programs and services continue to be needed locally...
More students with Asperger Syndrome going to college
ABC News, April 2, 2008
Like many of his classmates, Robby Cvejanovich is trying to decide which college to attend this fall...
Note: This story appeared on Good Morning America and features Jane Thierfeld-Brown of the University of Connecticut. Jane presented at PAN's annual conference in March 2008.
Autism no longer an obstacle for students seeking college degree
Detroit Free Press, March 10, 2008
If college were purely academic, 16-year-old Cullen Kappel would have no worries. But the mostly straight-A student who studies astrophysics just for fun knows his challenge at college will be in what happens between classes...
Autism no hurdle for HCC freshman
Connecticut Post, January 14, 2008
Sitting in the quiet atrium of Housatonic Community College, Austin Smith, 18, talks about his goal of becoming a writer. The college freshman, with short hair and glasses, makes eye contact and is not at a loss for words as he talks about school, family and getting where he needs to go by bus...
Autistic student adjusts to college life
The Journal News, New York (Hudson Valley), December 30, 2007
Claire Sayers is a 19-year-old freshman at Albany University, SUNY. Sayers was born with Asperger's syndrome, which is a high-functioning autism spectrum disorder...
Campuses widen the mainstream:
Program welcomes some with cognitive disabilities
Boston Globe, December 10, 2007
Dressed in a hoodie and cords, cellphone clipped to his belt, Wilson Lee looks much like any other student at MassBay Community College. Yet in his halting speech and hesitant prose, Lee, an autistic and intellectually impaired 19-year-old, is helping to radically redefine the traditional boundaries of a college classroom...
College Transition Programs Launched for Students with Autism
Newswise (Source: University of Alabama), December 10, 2007
Description: A handful of colleges nationwide are establishing transition programs for students with an autism spectrum disorder. With the number of ASD diagnoses ballooning in recent years, there's a growing demand to help these students navigate college life - the near ultimate in social interaction challenges...
Colleges meet special needs: Conference urges more possibilities
Detroit Free Press, November 6, 2007
Rachael Kollman is proof that having an intellectual disability doesn't mean you have to write off a college experience. She's taking classes five days a week at Oakland University, volunteers regularly and enjoys meeting new people...
Providing the Structure the Autistic Need for College Life
The Washington Post, October 29, 2007
The first 15 years of Laura Freeman's childhood were marred by erratic obsessions with television shows, outbursts when other children teased her, a suicide attempt and questions about why she behaved the way she did...