by Justin W. Kelley
Over the past decade, a growing body of research has discussed the neurodiverse population and the increasing number of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are entering higher education and require diverse sets of accommodations to succeed in the classroom. Nonacademic accommodations have also grown significantly through additional programming and staff training. Some suggest that this is due to focusing more intently on diversity, equity, and inclusion work in higher education, as well as placing advocacy efforts for marginalized groups at the core of strategic plans and research areas. As barriers are being broken, residential communities are often at the heart of this shift to welcome all students, including neurodiverse ones, to campus.
These modifications are only fitting. Residential education and campus housing are architects of community, providing a place that residential students soon come to call home. Residential spaces provide opportunities for learning outside of the classroom to complement the rich learning and development that happens inside the classrooms. Residential programs today also provide learning spaces to develop students’ leadership skills, encourage their social justice efforts, and create an opportunity for them to feel their greatest sense of belonging and inclusion. Residence halls unite diverse students from all places, cultural backgrounds, and other intersecting identities, bringing together people from all walks of life and experiences. And now specific efforts are being made to create spaces promoting inclusion and belonging for students with ASD.
Autism, a form of neurodiversity, is medically defined as a developmental disorder that impacts how the brain communicates and responds to social interaction. A person’s symptoms or presentation can range from low to high functioning, presenting along a wide spectrum, and environmental factors can have a significant impact on how these students live and interact within a space. As campus housing professionals continue to create and reimagine the residential experience, it is crucial to consider the neurodiverse population and how thoughtful community building can enhance their sense of community and inclusion. To do so, they should have a basic understanding of autism to support and create inclusive living environments intentionally.
While there is no one symptom or behavioral trait that defines the disorder, most conditions involve communication challenges or barriers. Autism refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by lack of social skills, the manifestation of repetitive behaviors, and challenges to speech and nonverbal communication; these in turn are linked to a lack of executive functioning skills, such as the ability to understand directions and instructions or to build and maintain relationships. Extreme nervousness and anxiety can be fully present in students with ASD who are trying to contend with overstimulating situations. Overcrowded social situations, gatherings, and group activities can be difficult, and campus housing professionals should understand that autistic students may be involved in a situational issue that needs to be de-escalated rather than a chronic or persistent mental health problem that needs to be treated.
Sensory challenges are also commonly associated with ASD and should be considered in plans for building renovation or construction. All the senses are triggered easily for this population; the placement and brightness of lighting can cause severe distractions and mental anguish, ultimately significantly impacting mental health. Behavior can present in the form of staring or sniffing or in an overly physical activity such as excessive talking or repetitive movements. A wide range of environmental noises – from hairdryers, echoing conversations, lawn equipment, chirping birds, and sirens or alarms – can startle individuals or cause dramatic outbursts.
Being aware of potential triggers and understanding how a student on the autism spectrum may respond is vital, but generalizations and stereotypes can negatively impact planning and responses. Campus housing professionals can plan strategies to minimize disruptions and help students with ASD overcome communication barriers. The following areas should be considered priority focus points when thinking about the neurodiverse population.
Executive functioning and planning: Students with ASD generally prefer consistency, structure, and order over the course of their day. Interruptions such as testing fire alarms are understood to be inevitable, but, when possible, proper and timely advance notifications are beneficial for students with ASD. In addition, housing staff should consider the importance of meeting deadlines in a way that demonstrates patience and flexibility, especially for important deadlines such as housing selection and leadership applications. Staff should also be straightforward when setting behavioral expectations.
Communications and procedures: Communication barriers can significantly impact the ability of students with ASD to build relationships. Much of the residential experience is centered around community building and engaging with peers, and a lack of clear boundaries can result in behaviors that violate community standards and may be misinterpreted as sexual misconduct, harassment, stalking, or other violations associated with Title IX policies. Policies and procedures in these areas should be articulated and outlined well before students on the spectrum are integrated into any community or living environment. Policies are commonly executed in large group settings such as new student orientation programs, but students with ASD need other forms of communication, such as virtual modules or written policy examples that will allow them to control how they hear and process this information.
Campus housing professionals should consider an early process in housing selection to ensure that these students have priority in selecting a placement that will accommodate their needs, which can include having a single room or private bathroom. Preference for a specific living-learning community may also align their needs with a particular interest or hobby that could promote thriving and success. In addition, loosening some interview formalities for on-campus employment may attract a more neurodiverse applicant pool. Moving away from traditional interview practices that involve expectations for a standard résumé, formal business attire, and standard interview structure can open housing professionals to other practices, such as nontraditional exercises that allow students to showcase their talents in a more strengths-based way.
Facilities: The physical space of a building can create significant barriers for these students. Older residential halls are not always constructed in a way that accommodates some of the typical characteristics of the population. Sensory issues are significant, so some intentionality around space design and setup should be considered. Lighting can be triggering if it is too bright or in locations that may impact visual comfort. The brightness of standard office overhead lighting, for example, can impact sleep and the ability to focus in meetings, classrooms, or other learning spaces. Using softer or dimmable lighting can alleviate these effects, and having more private spaces could provide some respite from overstimulating situations.
While random roommate pairings have proven to be a good strategy for learning from and with another person, these placements may adversely affect someone with autism. New construction should include more private living spaces, bathrooms, and smaller reflection and study places. Common area lounges still have value in creating spaces for students, but there should be a mix of choices to accommodate the vast and varying needs of neurodiverse populations. In addition, soundproofing and constructing rooms away from elevators or staircases can help minimize noise pollution.
Residential curriculum: Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual program offerings have become more commonplace. Many students with ASD have noted that the pivot to online instruction and engagement was a positive experience. Since the spontaneous or highly interactive programs commonly held during the early days of the academic year to welcome students and build relationships could actually alienate and isolate students with ASD, housing programs should strive to create a broad menu of programming that offers a choice of ways to interact.
Training and awareness: It is important to develop an expanded understanding of diversity that includes students with autism and other so-called hidden disabilities. RAs face many complex situations and expectations on the job, and supervisors frequently coach and work with most of their RAs on improving their job performance. While the definition of autism based on a medical model speaks from a deficit point of view, it’s important to know that many people with autism see their behaviors as strengths, and new undergraduate and graduate staff should be trained to speak about these experiences and opportunities as a difference, not a deficit. Thinking more inclusively when designing programs and services is always a good mindset to lead with. Universal design should be the focus when considering how to plan programs, create communities, and enforce policy. Restorative justice practices can also be a good way to mediate conflicts in cases when behaviors have sparked worry or concern in a community incident.
Housing departments should also create, when possible and with the student’s consent, opportunities for family and support service personnel to help monitor the students’ experiences and ensure that they are aware of available resources. Concerns about FERPA or general worries about overreaching parents can be addressed in collaboration with students and service offices. Most important of all, self-advocacy should be regarded as a valuable and ongoing process of development with support from multiple sources.
It is important to comprehend the proper terms and language associated with students on the spectrum. The following key terms and their definitions from the Easterseals website are provided as a baseline understanding of autism.
"Asperger’s Syndrome (AS): A diagnostic label that was previously utilized to describe a person with an ASD who did not have a language delay or any co-occurring intellectual disability.
Autism: A commonly used term for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Autistic Disorder: A diagnostic label that was previously utilized to describe a person with an ASD.
Autism Spectrum Disorder: A developmental disability used to describe individuals who have difficulties with social communication/interaction and exhibit restrictive and/or repetitive patterns of behavior. . . .
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5): The official system for classification of psychological and psychiatric disorders prepared by and published by the American Psychiatric Association. . . .
High-Functioning Autism: A colloquial term used to describe individuals with ASD who do not have a co-occurring intellectual disability.”
Low-Functioning Autism: People with autism who have the most severe form of the disorder. Their verbal and communication skills severely impede their daily lives and ability to function without high-level assistance.
Neurodiverse: A word used to describe the vast and different ways one's brain may work and function. Being neurodivergent means having brain functions that operate outside of neurotypical (different from average) people.
The understanding of ASD and neurodiversity is increasing and new resources are being created. The following is a starting point to better understand the subject, particularly within the context of higher education.
Justin Kelley is the assistant vice president for student life at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He is also part of a research team that received an ACUHO-I-funded grant for the project “Residential Students on the Autism Spectrum: Belonging and Inclusion.”