Autism and College? -

[Heimdallr]

I found this article very intriguing: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/health/autism-spectrum-college.html

Its about colleges that try to help their autistic students. It really seems like a great idea because, along with their social deficits autistics (apparently) struggle with organization, keeping track of things etc.

I sort of liked the first guy mentioned Kory Gardner. Kind of a pity about him not having a girlfrend, and here's hoping his mathematical method succeeds!

Do many colleges activly try to assist their autistic population? Do you think they should?

I suppose many colleges have entry grade requirements that autistics couldnt hope to make, given their great struggles in school.

Still though, is this something worthwhile investing in for colleges? To help an autistic population?

Should colleges try to do this more? Is it worth the expense? If not why not?

 

[Bassomatic]

College is adult time, if you are too autistic and haven't got methods to deal with it it should be on you. The school should not have to work to make you liked, fit in or understand things. You went to school for 12+ years before to get coping skills, socializing skills and your basics it's appalling enough colleges milk kids with remedial classes, but to put kid gloves on people who can't make it already is just exploitive to both parties.

Struggling with the new concepts many kids have are things the schools already do and deal with. Schools pre and during college have help for it, it should be up to the student at that point unlike someone in school system.

If the person who is autistic can't get good grades why should a school let him in? It's not going to help anyone aside line the schools pockets.

 

[Nobody]

I remember that there was an autistic fellow in one of my Japanese classes in my shitty community college at one point. ("JPN 102 - Conversational Japanese", required JPN 101)

Quite a big, 6-foot-something, overweight guy, white as snow, had curly light brown hair. Always wore the same long sleeve gray shirt with matching sweat pants. Smelled like warm ass. I swear to god this wasn't Chris-Chan.

He often giggled and sometimes "REEEEEEEEEEEEE'd" at literally random, inappropriate moments, regardless if the professor was in the middle of lecturing or we were all quietly doing a test. Always startled somebody, especially the poor teacher (the nicest Japanese 50-something lady ever). We often had to ignore his strange outbursts because "oh, he might be retarded, let's try not to offend".

There was a really cute Chinese girl, only a young teenager (13 or 14) that attended my Japanese classes after middle school, because she was advanced or something. Every start of class, the autistic lummox tried to hug her like a deranged bear (as well as screeched like an opossum) whenever she was near, so me and a group of friends got her sitting with us in the very opposite corner of the room from the big guy. She was fucking terrified of him.

Another interaction in class was with a very... androgynous student. This student had a long pony tail, dressed in Hot Topic goth shit, and the voice was like a higher-pitched Dana Hill. I seriously could not identify the gender of this person, and no one bothered to ask at risk of offending. Well, nobody but our autistic oaf. One class, in the middle of a lecture about Japanese language politeness suffixes, the big lug got up while the teacher had her back turned to the class, walked directly to the front of Androgynous-ladyman's desk, and loudly asked, "SO ARE YOU A BOY OR A GIRRRLLLLLL?". He/she gave a very frustrated "ugh, are you kidding me?!" and stormed out of the classroom. Big guy casually shrugged and sat back down like nothing happened. I still do not know the gender to this day, everybody else remained too afraid to ask. He popped out a Nintendo DS and the teacher stopped giving a shit about his autistic antics at that point.

There was also a time when we were doing presentations to the class by saying some Japanese shit to test what we learned. Some did oral speeches, some did little videos/animations we presented from the projector -- I did the latter. As soon as my video presentation was done, he waddled over to the computer, pushed me out of the way, fumbled through YouTube, and brought up a fucking YouTube Poop video that blared extremely loud nonsense through the projector's rattling speakers. The teacher was bewildered, and another student had to get up and close the video (with such massive disdain in her face) for the sake of everybody's ears. The teacher tried asking people if they knew the number for this guy's parents (mind you, he was 20-something). Nobody knew, and the class ended shortly after.

He didn't speak a single goddamn lick of Japanese the entire time there. He eventually stopped showing up after about 3/4 of the semester in, so I'm pretty sure he was dropped out of class because he was always an amusing, yet disruptive spectacle.

Sorry, your post immediately reminded me of my one class I took some several years ago.

While professors always proclaim on their syllabus that they'll make accommodations to students with special needs, I think they're hardly ever prepared for students like this. You must need dedicated departments that deal exclusively with special needs students and know how to effectively teach college-level material around their quirks.

Honestly, I don't think higher education funds this part really well because you never really hear of autistic students making it big, let alone follow up successfully on whatever degree they study. (but this is as far as my lazy NEET ass knows)

That's my two C-Quarters.

 

[Positron]

I think social training should be started much earlier; college should be reserved for college-level things.

But I suspect the real reason of such college courses is this:

Like most such programs on other campuses, it charges a fee; W.K.U.’s is $5,000 a semester, much of which may be covered by federal vocational rehabilitation funds.

 

[DuskEngine]

College is where the youth of tomorrow need to be trained in how to suppress and disenfranchise autists.

 

[Ruin]

This is going to sound cruel as all hell but the modern business world is like 20% technical knowledge and 80% social/communication skills. Sending autists to college is a complete fucking waste of time because even if they complete their degree they'll largely be unable to function in a professional environment.

http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567(13)00377-8/abstract

According to this shit only 1 in 5 spergs manage to find full time employment and the average wage is 8.25/hr.

 

[Lurkman]

Autistics are one reason imo that free college should not be allowed.

Especially the ones that you know would only go because they're pushed into going. There needs to be a sort of punishment for misbehavior. Maybe do your best to make their student debt lower, but always make them pay for college, which means getting a job and going out into the real world where they have to interact with people and where they are punished for misbehavior.

I'm not saying all autistics are misbehaving and I understand the topic ISN'T free-college and autistics, but it is a point that I feel the need to make.

Autism and college doesn't really mean anything different, the fact that this is even an article scares me for how society really thinks about autistics. "They are objects to be used to make ourselves a good news story! Quickly, we must put 'Autism' and something else involving social environment to get those clicks baby!"

This article shouldn't exist. Now I'm gonna try to address the questions

Do many colleges activly try to assist their autistic population? Do you think they should?

Oh yes, like for instance, put them in smaller classes, or teach them social skills as well as the subject they are learning.

Still though, is this something worthwhile investing in for colleges? To help an autistic population?

It very well could, most people think those with mental disorders are already destined for failure, that really puts alot of pressure on autistic people.

Should colleges try to do this more? Is it worth the expense? If not why not?

Yes.

 

[Vitriol]

Im afraid we only keep one thread on tism alive at any one time due to issues in the past with honey pots. I told you this recently here https://kiwifarms.net/threads/help-for-autistics.26169/. Do not make another of these threads.