Mindset Matters

Expect the road to college success to be filled with setbacks

Students with autism are heading off to college in record numbers. In fact, based on statistics from the National Center for Special Education Research, more than 200,000 students on the autism spectrum will arrive on campuses over the next decade. Unfortunately, a majority of students with disabilities who start college, including those with ASD, won’t successfully graduate. While there is not one clear cause or one simple answer, it’s important to consider the role resiliency plays in success.

Fixed vs Growth Mindset

A Rice University study found clear evidence that college students are more likely graduate when they have a belief that their intelligence can improve over time, also known as having a Growth Mindset. When students lack a growth mindset, they see intelligence as a fixed trait and may be tempted to:

put in minimal effort when maximum effort is needed;

hide mistakes rather than address them;

avoid seeking help due to fear of being seen as not smart enough;

become overwhelmed when setbacks occur.

Hard Work Beats Talent

Encourage a growth mindset by praising efforts instead of intelligence or results

Carol Dweck

The Four R’s: Facing Adversity

Recognize

Admitting a failure can be difficult and students are sometimes tempted to hide their head in the sand when things start to fall apart. I’ve worked with students who avoid talking about the things that are not going well and by the time they feel ready to face a failure, it’s too late to turn things around. When things don’t go as expected, it’s important to recognize the setback and keep talking positively, even about making mistakes.

Successful students expect to face new challenges, arrive at college prepared to work hard and struggle some, and recognize that setbacks are a natural part of the learning process.

Reach Out

Colleges often have lots of resources to offer but students need to be willing to utilize them. Students who are facing academic challenges should be encouraged to visit their professors’ office hours and seek out tutoring supports for challenging courses. Not sure what resources are available or the process for utilizing them? Academic advisors and disability services staff will be familiar with all the resources the campus offers and can refer and direct students.

Successful students ask for feedback, aren’t too proud to seek out support for academic and personal challenges, and are prepared to take advantage of campus resources.

Reflect

Reflection provides us the time to think through our experiences and find ways to turn mistakes into lessons. Life is full of setbacks so students have plenty of opportunity to practice active reflection before they go off to college. Students need to be able to ask themselves: What went wrong? What could I do better next time? What can I learn from this?

Successful students accept responsibility for their mistakes, understand that personal growth is as important as academic learning, and see setbacks as an opportunity to grow and improve.

Rally

Students need to avoid getting down on themselves for their mistakes and instead spend their time and energy thinking about how to do better in the future. Students sometimes need supportive permission and encouragement to “press the restart button”. They can be encouraged to work with college support staff, perhaps a faculty member, academic advisor, or counselor, to make a plan that will help them avoid making the same mistake twice.

Successful students leave mistakes behind and don’t get stuck in the past, but instead plan for what they can do next to move ahead successfully.

Peers as Agents of Support

Student retention, persistence and graduation are major concerns for colleges and universities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics only about 60% of students attending public universities will graduate after 6 years. For college students on the autism spectrum, that percentage drops to less than 20%, with many students leaving within their first year.

What impacts college retention for students with autism and what can be done help students on the autism spectrum find success in college?

We see students prematurely exit the university due to typical challenges related to poor preparation, financial constraints, family stressors, and lack of academic fit. However, social factors also influence continued enrollment in post-secondary education. For college students with autism, a sense of belonging is critical and social connection is a powerful predictor of both college satisfaction and persistence. Additionally, a sense of belonging and connection acts as a protective factor against mental health challenges.

Where does this leave students on the autism spectrum, who may struggle to find spaces and places where they feel socially confident, comfortable and connected?

Peer mentoring in higher education is regarded as an effective intervention to impact both academic and social outcomes, particularly for college students with autism. Many colleges have implemented mentoring programs as part of their student support services and most specialized support programs for college students with autism include mentoring as a key component of their programming.

Peer mentoring relationships are mutually beneficial, allowing mentors to act as useful role models and trusted allies as they share their knowledge, advice and experience. Students with autism benefit from having a safe environment in which to work through issues, ask questions, and raise concerns as they navigate the complex college environment.

What can a mentor do to help a student with autism who is struggling in college?

Mentors can help students who may be struggling in the dorms by discussing roommate issues or problems related sleep or hygiene routines. Mentors who are familiar with the campus can assist students in understanding the many resources available, think about when to reach out for help, and understand the process for utilizing office hours, tutoring supports, or accomodations. Mentors can assist students in learning new ways of managing a college course load, suggesting tools and strategies that have worked for them. Students with autism may need help managing the social transition to college as well and mentors can help direct them toward clubs of interest and assist students in setting and meeting social goals.

For students with autism, there are benefits related to the mentoring relationship itself in terms of increased opportunities to practice social communication and interaction, help in understanding social expectations, and reducing isolation.

Supportive peer relationships foster a sense of belonging and contribute to college success. For students with autism, peer mentors are important source of social support as they work to integrate into campus and find college success.

misconception

(noun) mis·con·cep·tion | \ ˌmis-kən-ˈsep-shən

a view or opinion that is incorrect because based on faulty thinking or understanding

I’ve listened enough. It’s time for me to speak.

Neal Katz, Autistic self-advocate

As autism has become more prevalent, we’ve seen increased portrayals of autism in the media.  TV shows featuring autistic individuals, such as Atypical, Good Doctor and Big Bang Theory, can contribute to awareness of autism.  However, these portrayals often show a narrow view of autism and don’t accurately reflect the subtleties or variances in the autistic experience.  This can contribute public misconceptions about autism that can eventually negatively impact educational and employment opportunities for autistic individuals.      

MTYH: Autistic individuals can’t understand emotion

Contrary to popular belief, several studies have confirmed that autistic individuals do indeed have the ability to recognize and respond to the emotions of others. However, autistic people may have a variety of difficulties with emotional expression, including a tendency to misinterpret emotional clues. Difficulties with reading facial expressions and discomfort with eye contact can make it challenging to perceive and respond to emotional states. However, it’s important to remember that autistic people simply express empathy in different ways.

TRUTH: A less-than-typical empathetic response does not equate to a lack of empathy 

I am different. Not Less.

Dr. Temple Grandin

MYTH:  Autistic people aren’t interested in being social

At its core, autism has an impact on social understanding.  This means that autistic individuals can have trouble navigating the social world but it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in social connection.  The truth is, autistic individuals may crave social connection but struggle to negotiate it.  Sometimes, autistic people need alone time to recover from the high social demands of the day or may feel most comfortable on the fringes of social activity.  I’ve worked with autistics who express an intense fear that making a social mistake could subject them to devastating rejection and further isolation. 

TRUTH:  Social reluctance should not be confused with lack of social interest 

I don’t really understand why it’s considered normal to stare at someone’s eyeballs.

John Elder Robison

MYTH:  Males are more autistic than females   

While males are more likely to be diagnosed with autism than females, how much of this is due to diagnostic bias and misinterpretation of clinical presentation is under debate. Autistic females are often more adept at “masking”, hiding their autistic traits in order to avoid standing out. Symptoms are manifested differently in females than in males so girls who are experiencing significant social difficulties may simply be labeled as shy or immature. This can cause autistic females to experience a delay in diagnosis or be misdiagnosed as bipolar, anxious or depressed.

TRUTH:  The impact of autism on females is different, not less     

English is my 2nd language. Autism is my first.

Dani Bowman

MYTH:  Autistic people can’t go to college

According to Shattuck et al. (2012) approximately 50,000 autistic adolescents per year enter adulthood and 34.7% of them attend college.  That number has likely increased, as more colleges step up and provide campus support systems for the growing population of autistic college students.  Of course, finding success in college depends on a lot of things.  Autistic college students need to be good self-advocates, able to identify their strengths as well as their challenges and be willing to utilize the resources that are available to support their success.  It’s important to have good self-care skills as well.  Practicing wellness strategies that can ensure a healthy sleep routine and a manageable level of stress can make the difference between succeeding and floundering in college.

TRUTH:  With the right supports, autistic individuals can attend college and be successful

*Please note, as is preferred by many individuals (e.g., Autism Self-Advocacy Network) identity-first language is used in this post

Shattuck, P. T., Narendorf, S. C., Cooper, B., Sterzing, P. R., Wagner, M., & Taylor, J. L. (2012). Postsecondary education and employment among youth with an autism spectrum disorder. Pediatrics, 129(6), 1042-1049.

Tech Tools for the Transition

Since today’s college students spend a majority of their day interacting with technology, it makes sense to look for technology solutions that can address some of the major challenges new college students on the autism spectrum can expect to face as they navigate the college experience.

All students need time to become accustomed to college life. It takes time to adjust to a new environment, increased responsibilities, and the expanded independence and freedom that comes with college life.

For college-bound students with autism spectrum disorders, who rely heavily on structure and for whom transitions are especially difficult, it can be helpful to identify new ways of establishing routine, managing adult responsibilities and controlling stress.

Building Routines

We often meet high school students who still rely on parental prompting to maintain hygiene, sleep or medication routines.

Starting in middle school, students should be building structured morning and evening routines that they can follow independently. This will not only ensure that proper attention is paid to hygiene, medication and sleep when they are ready to head off to college, but routine can also help students with autism feel much less anxious.

Habitica (iOS and Android) uses gamification to help students set and track habits and goals, earn rewards, and connect with other Habitica users.

Productive Habit Tracker (iOS) allows students to create a to-do list, plan their day and habits, track progress and get reminders.

Organizing the Workload

While a typical day in high school follows to fairly rigid schedule, when students enter college they face a less structured schedule that can include a fluctuating daily schedule and large blocks of free time.

Therefore, students will benefit from finding technology solutions that work for them in organizing and planning their time.

iHomework2 (iOS) allows students to easily record class schedules, document assignment due dates, and track grades.

MyHomework (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac) helps students stay organized and syncs across devices.

Initiating Tasks and Managing Time

Students on the autism spectrum often become overwhelmed when faced with large tasks like writing assignments or projects. Getting started on assignments, especially in less preferred subjects, is often challenging as well.

Breaking assignments down into bite-sized parts can make things feel more manageable and often, once they get started, students become intensely focused and accomplish much more than they expected.

Marinara Timer (web based) uses the Pomodoro method to break tasks into short, timed intervals of work, spaced out by short breaks.

Google Calendar (iOS, Android, cloud-based) can be used to schedule reminders for repeating events like classes or non-repetitive appointments with professors, plan periods of focused work time, even create multiple, color coded calendars to track the due dates for each class.

Reducing Internet Distractions

The internet gives students access to an endless supply of information and entertainment. For students with autism, the internet is often used to connect with a source of friends and online community.

However, we have also seen the internet pull students into a rabbit hole of social media, wiki pages, and internet gaming that they can’t easily escape.

Productivity Owl (google chrome extension) allows students to block “time-wasting” websites and schedule “free-time” hours.

SelfControl (iOS) allows students to blacklist distracting websites for up to 24 hours

Managing Emotions

A healthy amount of stress can motivate students to be productive but overwhelming or uncontrolled stress can take a serious toll on a student’s physical health and emotional well-being.

All college students experience periods of high stress but people diagnosed with autism tend to have more difficulty regulating emotions than their typical peers (Cai, R., Richdale, A., Uljarevic, M., Dissanayake, C., Samson, A., 2018)

Breath2relax (iOS, Android) uses diaphragmatic breathing exercises to decrease the stress response and stabilize mood, control anger and reduce anxiety.

Calm (iOS, Android) features guided meditation for sleep and relaxation as well as sleep stories.

Of course, technology is only one tool students should have in their college success toolbox.

Colleges are often rich in resources so its important to combine technology tools with regular use of resources like tutoring services, office hours, and counseling or wellness supports as well as connect with academic support and disability service professionals on campus.

Welcome

I’ve had the pleasure of watching my three daughters go off to college. There were a few ups and downs along the way but they each fairly easily found their footing and navigated the experience with no lasting scars.

Most young people face some challenges in navigating the transition from high school to college: choosing a college and major; leaving the comforts of home, beloved pets, and best friends; dealing with a difficult professor, a challenging roommate, lousy dining hall food.

For high school students on the autism spectrum, the challenges are compounded and the journey can seem to be filled with unexpected stumbling blocks. Once at college, students with autism find that the supports they became accustomed to at home and school are no longer readily available and we see them quickly become overwhelmed with navigating new experiences and a complex college system.

According to the 2018 National Autism Indicators Report: Transition into Young Adulthood study, fewer than 20% of college students with autism had graduated college or were on track to graduate after five years. Students who attend but don’t earn a degree can find themselves saddled with college debt and facing an uncertain future.

Parents and guardians of college-bound students on the autism spectrum, who are often highly engaged during the college planning process, the transition to higher education, and sometimes well into the college journey, are looking for ways to give their student the best chance for college success.

This blog is intended to help college-bound students on the autism spectrum, and those who support them, to anticipate the challenges and proactively prepare for the transition to higher education. Through this blog we will walk the journey together, discussing how to plan for expected setbacks, identify appropriate supports, and deliberately step back and allow the student to take the lead.

I look forward to sharing this adventure with you!