After a hard day of teaching or advising students, you might not notice that a particular student isn’t picking up on your social cues. Maybe you didn’t realize that joke you told in class was taken literally. Or that there’s more than meets the eye with a student who won’t make eye contact or only brings in homework assignments written in the syllabus, never those given verbally in class.

In a perfect world, we’d quicky notice all of this, the problems would be solved swiftly, and everyone would live happily ever after. But a perfect world, this isn’t.

In December, I participated in a panel discussion on “Families with Autism,” at SUNY Oneonta.  As someone who has a long history with the subject—I am on the Board of Directors of the Getzville, N.Y.-based SUMMITT Educational Resources, which provides educational and therapeutic services to children with autism and speech problems—I was glad to see so many interested members at the event. 

I wasn’t surprised, however. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 110 children is diagnosed with some form of autistic disorder. Many more people—parents, siblings, family members and teachers—are also affected.

HARD TO TELL

More and more students with special needs are entering and succeeding in college. This led me to think of just how many of our students, whether we know it or not, are affected by autism. In many ways, autistic students are indistinguishable from other students, and they often excel in class. Many parents say this is the hardest part of having a child with autism; unlike a child in a wheelchair, it is difficult to see the problems autistic students face each day.

The list of famous faculty members with autism is a long, distinguished one.

It includes UC Berkeley professor Richard Borcherds, 2002 Nobel Prize winner Vernon Smith, and Western Washington University professor Dawn Prince-Hughes, author of “Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism.”

AIDING AUTISTIC STUDENTS  

Support systems for autistic students are in place at many campuses, providing students with quiet places to take exams, use computers or write essays. Teaming up with campus professionals can jumpstart such improvements at your school, which can create a better learning environment for all students.

Here are some other suggestions to make things easier for autistic students:

• Hit the lights: For many autistic students, florescent lights emit a noise only they can hear. Clicking off the lights can make a big difference.

• Offer structure: Change is particularly difficult for students with autism. Rattling off assignment changes at the end of class—which I have been known to do on a regular basis—can be disastrous; it can adversely impact the work they do in your class and all the classes they take that semester.

• Rinse, repeat: Following up with an e-mail reinforcing the assignment can help.

Also, assigning mandatory study groups for projects and exams will aid with organizational skills and provide social interaction without adding to workload.

ASK UUP

UUP can help as well. What can UUP do? For starters, your chapter can do what Oneonta did and set up a panel to start the discussion about autism on your campus.

I can help you with that, and if you ask,

I would be happy to attend.

Autistic students who make it into SUNY are truly success stories. They can have amazing college careers, but some may need a little help. Making a few simple changes can mean a world of difference for a student with autism.