questions by James A. Baumann
I
t is difficult to say how many students on college and university campuses have been diagnosed with a disorder on the autism spectrum (ASD). A number often used, though, comes from a 2017 paper stating that almost 50,000 individuals who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders complete high school each year, and, of those, approximately 16,000 will enroll at an institute of higher education. As the rates of ASD diagnoses rise, so do the number of students who arrive on campus as an individual with autism. In fact, as cited in the 2017 study, 0.7 to 1.9 percent of college students could meet the criteria for having high-functioning ASD.
This development has been met by additional studies as well as additional services and offices designed to meet the needs of these neurodiverse students. While many of these focus on academic advising and assistance for the classroom, housing and student affairs offices have also been tapped to support these students as they adapt to the independence of living away from their homes and families. Talking Stick spoke with housing professionals who have had experience with ASD students. Joining the conversation are Sarah Friswold-Atwood, associate director of residence life at the Colorado School of Mines; Mary Elliott, director of residence life and housing at the Colorado School of Mines; Dustin Grabsch, director of academic initiatives at Southern Methodist University; Amy Lorenz, associate director of housing and residence life at the University of North Florida; and Tara Rowe, associate director of student accessibility services at the University of North Florida. Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.
Mary Elliott: Colorado School of Mines is a STEM school, and research suggests that students on the autism spectrum have a particular propensity for STEM fields. Our campus started to pay closer attention to students on the spectrum when our numbers of accommodation requests, in particular for housing, began to increase. We started to pay attention to how we were understanding neurodiverse students, including autistic students. Experts like Jane Thierfeld Brown, director of the organization College Autism Spectrum, came to campus to train us on how we approach our work. She told us that the number of our students who had self-reported being on the spectrum was incredibly low compared to how many students we actually have on campus. This is actually true for most campuses. This knowledge began a process for us of thinking about how we in residence life needed to be proactive about our work to best meet the needs of all our students.
The thing that prompted me personally, as well as others at Mines, was the death of a student. His mother reached out to many offices on campus asking for friends for her son and asked us to help support him. After he arrived on campus, we checked in on him every day, his academic advisor emailed him, student groups reached out, and he was invited personally to attend programs. And he took his life a week into the school year. His mom was worried about his mental health, but we never knew to what extent. Now we know that many mental health challenges can come along with autism and that for college students who are on the spectrum loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression are very real challenges they work through.
Dustin Grabsch: While I was at Texas A&M University, residence life, disability services, and an academic initiative called Aggie ACHIEVE partnered to offer Spectrum Living Learning Community. We were all aware of the growing numbers of students with ASD, and we were all interested in supporting students on the spectrum. As I can recall, it was perfect timing, as the university was beginning to scale a number of student successes initiatives to bolster retention and graduation rates. Our colleagues in disability services and Aggie ACHIEVE really drove the development of the program at the time.
Amy Lorenz: At the University of North Florida, we are home to the national award-winning THRIVE (Transition to Healthiness, Resourcefulness, Independence, Vocation, and Education) Program, which was created by UNF staff within student accessibility services and the College of Education and Human Services to support them. The goal is to provide supplemental services to help students with ASD be successful in their transition to and throughout college. The department of housing and residence life has a long-standing partnership with the THRIVE Program staff, and in the fall of 2019 we launched the THRIVE LLC to provide even stronger curricular and cocurricular support to students admitted into the THRIVE Program, along with their mentors and allies.
Tara Rowe: One driving conversation with a parent outlined the struggles and challenges her son faced while living on campus. He was an honors student and was excelling academically; however, outside of his classes, he did not have friends, seldom left his room, struggled with depression and isolation, and experienced extreme anxiety. From this conversation, we identified another student with ASD having similar experiences and coordinated a meeting between both students, both parents, and the staff. The outcome of that conversation was that they could select each other as roommates in the same suite and thus have more opportunity to interact socially. Before the start of the summer semester, another student with ASD had been identified by one of the parents and quickly jumped on board for the opportunity to room with similar peers. The impact that housing has for students with ASD is life-changing and is often the very reason why a student thrives on campus.
Elliott: The last few years we have developed a residential learning model (RLM) that focuses specifically on one-on-one interactions that we call "intentional interactions" between the RA and each one of their residents. This one-on-one is not too long or invasive, but it is designed to give time and space for individual residents to get to know their RA and vice versa. This effort connects with the larger programming that the RAs put on that they can then connect to the actual needs and interests of their residents, because they have intentionally gotten to know them.
We also do this physically. We have been intentional in our design planning to create spaces where students do not just have their room or apartment and a large common area to choose from. Small spaces, where they can find respite, both indoors and out, have been intentionally designed for our students. Overhead lighting that they can control in terms of brightness and warmth also creates spaces that may more closely meet their needs. In our dining facilities, we work to put booth spaces in, so that students have a space that feels a bit more secluded than those out in the middle of the large dining hall.
Sarah Friswold-Atwood: We believe that students learn through living. When designing our residential learning model, the intent was to create an approach that focuses on student learning and development through lived experiences and reflection. Our goal is to support students in their journey of self-authorship through meaning-making. In recognizing that all students come to Colorado School of Mines with unique lived experiences and will choose to engage in the community in a variety of ways, we developed the model to incorporate a variety of modalities. These include formal programming, resident one-on-ones (our version of intentional interactions or Osprey Chats), community builders (casual social events), and passive programming (i.e., bulletin boards, door decorations, etc.).
While the initial design was not intentionally focused on serving students on the spectrum, assessment of the residential learning model demonstrated the value of resident one-on-ones for supporting this population. Similar to UNF, resident one-on-ones are structured around intentional learning outcomes; however, recently we have placed a greater priority on general relationship-building and getting to know residents when training staff for these conversations.
Lorenz: The THRIVE LLC is located in a suite-style residence hall to provide students with a balance of independence while also negotiating and navigating roommate relationships. The housing and THRIVE Program staff work collaboratively to develop the LLC’s learning outcomes and yearly cocurricular plans. Some of our educational strategies include student enrollment in a weekly social skills development course, a THRIVE LLC orientation for students and families, weekly movie nights and game nights, and participation in our Osprey Chats intentional conversations model.
Rowe: Our program director has worked with Dr. Jane Thierfeld Brown, Dr. Temple Grandin (a renowned author and speaker on autism), and other prominent experts in the field of autism and in postsecondary education disability services. The program sets the bar for inclusive excellence, all while maintaining cost-free participation for students. These unique program characteristics and standards are based primarily on the fact that all THRIVE Program and LLC participants are students beyond anything else, which only further confirms that each student is welcome, supported, and truly at home on campus as an Osprey.
Grabsch: Like any good practice, our campus effort attempts to be holistic. The Texas A&M living-learning community is for both students on the spectrum and their allies. Some students within the community may want to go into special education or serve non-profits with ASD-related missions. This physical space on a residence hall floor along with social and educational programming is similar to most LLCs; however, this LLC also requires regular one-on-one meetings with a disability resource professional.
Elliott: Most often, our student staff are incredible when it comes to working with neurodiverse students. They always approach their residents with care, and the one-on-ones really help. It's easy for a floor of people to write off a fellow resident because they are awkward or because they exhibit characteristics or behaviors that seem unusual to them. The RAs have done a great job of bridging the gap between students and themselves, and that has, in turn, provided opportunities for students to learn.
A lot of times, students on the spectrum crave relationships with others but may not know how to approach social interactions where relationships are typically built. Going to large floor- or building-wide programs can be incredibly intimidating and overwhelming. For this reason, the RAs plan small group outings or social interactions and specifically invite a student on the spectrum to join them. This has gone a long way in helping to bridge some of the social gaps.
Grabsch: Certainly! Colleagues and I conducted empirical research, interviewing residential students on the spectrum. Our hope was to understand their expectations for an on-campus living experience and how we might not be meeting them. If the expectations of students with ASD are better understood, then, according to expectation confirmation theory, their satisfaction can be improved.
We noted how students with ASD wanted to be treated the same as able-bodied and able-minded students. Even with this expectation that those with ASD should be treated the same as others, our participants recommended that RAs and full-time staff need to be educated on common behavioral manifestations of students on the spectrum, the prevalence of autism within college student demographics, and common disability resource accommodations. It is a great place to start, as housing and residence life departments commonly integrate LGBTQ, undocumented, international, and first-generation ally programs. Similar efforts could be integrated for students with ASD.
Rowe: One of the benefits of having proactive interactions and opportunities to provide education and training has been the natural generalization of effective strategies that have benefited housing staff when interacting with students with and without ASD or students not participating in the THRIVE Program and LLC.
Friswold-Atwood: Generally, our staff is eager to learn more about how to support students on the spectrum. Through assessment, Mary Elliott found expectation differences between RAs and students on the spectrum that may lead to disconnects and missed opportunities with these residents. To address this, we shared these findings with our team and changed how we train our student staff on resident one-to-ones. It is also, in part, what led us to shift our priority towards relationship-building, with a secondary objective of connecting to structured learning outcomes.
As a part of our assessment efforts, we also interviewed our student staff on their experience implementing the RLM. They expressed concern that residents didn’t understand why their RA wanted to talk with them in such a structured way and suggested that we prepare residents better to understand why staff initiates one-to-one meetings. In response, we discuss this expectation with residents during summer orientation and opening community meetings. For students on the spectrum, setting clear expectations and parameters of how RAs can support them can be especially helpful.
Lorenz: THRIVE Program staff regularly provide training to residence life staff so they can have a greater understanding of the needs of students with ASD. Often, that training includes myth-busting and helping student staff and professional staff understand the diversity of needs that students with ASD have. A primary training focus has been communication strategies.
Friswold-Atwood: I have found direct and honest communication to be helpful in working with all students, including those who identify as being on the spectrum. Mines students, who often approach problems from an engineering mindset, want to understand the “why” behind policies and decisions. So, preparing staff through training – and being prepared myself – has helped communication proceed more smoothly.
I find that partnering with trusted contacts is also helpful. Contacts include parents and other campus colleagues who have an established rapport with a student I am working with. We also coach RAs to identify trends and needs across the community and respond accordingly. For some students on the spectrum, the fact that an RA initiates interest and demonstrates knowledge can go a long way to encourage additional community engagement.
Grabsch: All students benefit from individualized communication; this is no different for students with ASD. Do your best to tailor or individualize communications when possible. From my experience and research, one way to be intentional with our students with ASD is around roommate relationships. Roommates can make or break a residential experience, and this student community may benefit from extra efforts to ensure that positive communication channels are established with roommates. These often need to be established in more of a direct way, being explicit in needs and wants and providing examples where possible. To the extent possible, how can RAs or allies of students on the spectrum facilitate additional roommate discussions if requested by either roommate? This might go beyond just the typical written roommate agreement.
Lorenz: We train student and professional staff that many students with ASD may need clear, direct communication, and, as a result, residence hall staff must think about how to approach communication in a more direct manner and with limited jargon. For example, when our RAs and learning community assistants are preparing to host an Osprey Chat (our intentional conversations model within our residential curriculum), we typically advise them to be informal and chat socially with students to start the conversations. We do not advise student staff to dramatically shift this approach with THRIVE Program students, but we do suggest that they clearly share with the students that they are going to have an Osprey Chat, the goal for the conversation, and what topics they might discuss. Additionally, THRIVE Program staff train housing staff on some of the nuanced communication styles of students with ASD.
Elliott: Honestly, one-on-one communication that is genuine is crucial. Most students I have talked to said that having their RA reach out to get to know them and actually spend time with them was integral to them feeling like they belonged at Mines: not just on the floor, but at Mines overall. Students on the spectrum, just like most of us, know when an RA is checking off a box and when they are being authentic, and it matters immensely.
Rowe: Knowing how a student with ASD receives information and communicates with others is an essential component of any program supporting students with ASD. It can be counter-effective to describe communication challenges in vague or general terms, whereas using concrete examples or past situations of interactions with students with ASD and knowing how to approach or address these have helped provide residential staff insight into explicit strategies that can be very effective.
TS: Many of you also have talked about being intentional with student interactions. What does that look like in practice?
Lorenz: At UNF, what that means is helping student staff understand the need to approach all student interactions with the mindset of actively listening to students and understanding their diverse needs for how they communicate effectively and what types of support they need to be successful. Specifically, we provide additional training and support for the resident assistant who lives on the THRIVE LLC floor in order to help them better understand the diverse needs of students with ASD and connect the RA with THRIVE Program staff if they have a need for specific support for student concerns or questions.
Grabsch: Let me call upon my colleagues within academic initiative areas within housing for a moment. What would we transform of our academic support programming and spaces if we were to be considering universal design that is inclusive of our students with ASD? If I could wave a wand, I would ensure that our residential computer labs included technology that empowers students with ASD (e.g., communication technologies, noise-eliminating headphones for checkout, etc.). Additionally, it’s important to provide spaces beyond music practice rooms that are highly insulated for noise reduction. So let’s think about design in a way that we are not thinking about a single-use purpose (music rooms) but instead about how can they be double-purposed to benefit more residents.
Rowe: Consistent structure, routines, and clear expectations have been essential. Students feel much more at ease when they can rely on what is scheduled and expected from them and in social situations in building and practicing appropriate social interactions. It is also helpful to hold topic-specific informational sessions, developed by the program director, that continue to serve as a platform for exposing students to important topics such as hygiene, roommate conflict, making friends, appropriate dating and sexual behavior, stalking, and other situations that often occur in residences.
Friswold-Atwood: As I shared above, we incorporate intentional interactions with priority on getting to know students. Depending on community type, this can range from one or two conversations per semester. Within our RLM, we highlight various learning outcomes throughout the academic year. Reframing these as Resident 1:1s has helped our staff understand – from their framework of having a one-to-one meeting with their supervisor – that these conversations can have both purpose and authenticity. Staff perception that these interactions, at times, feel disingenuous has been a barrier to implementation.
Grabsch: While at Texas A&M University, the greatest benefit was that the LLC brought our spread-out and disparate allies (professionals, students) together to collaborate and connect on a semi-regular basis. It provided an opportunity to identify and fill gaps where students may find themselves stuck or alone.
Friswold-Atwood: While this data does not directly inform the impact for students on the spectrum, Skyfactor data from spring 2020 suggests that students who interact with their RA more frequently are among the most satisfied. Additionally, engagement with RA staff is connected to students attending programs as well as to their overall learning and the likelihood that they will live on campus in the future. When interpreted alongside interviews conducted with residents on the spectrum, we also found RAs to be a strong influencing factor impacting participants’ experiences. However, this impact has the possibility to be negative or positive. Contributing factors include the RA initiating interest in the resident and the equitability of policy enforcement.
Elliott: We see students on the spectrum more willing to reach out for help when they need it, whether that be with academics or with a mental health concern. We also see more engagement from those students who feel known by their RAs and their peers. That engagement doesn't always happen on its own, and actually working to build relationships and helping to create environments where interaction is less stressful is something we are continually striving to do.
Lorenz: THRIVE Program students have an extremely high graduation rate, integrate into the campus community, and are supported in their transition to employment in the community. Many THRIVE LLC students return to the LLC for multiple years due to the extra layer of support provided by the common living space and cocurricular activities.
Rowe: As more students with ASD continue to pursue postsecondary education options and in light of additional challenges in supporting students on campus, collaborations such as the THRIVE Program and THRIVE LLC are essential and lend further support to overall student retention, student engagement, and ultimately, student success.
James A. Baumann is the director of publications for ACUHO-I.