Transcript Disabilities In College

Aspergers 101
Disabilities in college
Nationally approximately 11% of
college students have a disability of
some kind
 Typically only 8-10% report this
disability to the Disability Services
Office
 At UTC, we currently have over 950
students registered with DRC
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Invisible Disabilities
Face more discrimination
 Include disabilities such as:
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Learning Disabilities
 ADHD
 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
 Depression
 Generalized anxiety Disorder
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Fastest growing
One of the fastest growing populations
on UTC’s campus is Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD)
 What do you know about ASD?
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What are Autism Spectrum
Disorders?
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Students with ASD struggle with non-verbal behavior and
social nuance
ASD is a development disorder
No two people with ASD have the same behaviors or
symptoms.
ASD represents a broad spectrum of students
They are all unique individuals
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Students with ASD may also have strange, odd or
less socially acceptable interests that draw
teasing and isolation from other students. These
may include:
Dungeons and Dragons, Live Action Role Play
(LARP), World of Warcraft video games
Japanese Anime movies or cartoons
Specific movie or music interests that seem
obsessive (punk, gothic, twilight/vampire)
Obsession with odd items (French windows, turn
of the century soda cans)
What is Asperger’s
High functioning Autism
 Social Dyslexia or Social Blindness
 DSM Criteria is as follows:
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Impairment in non-verbal behaviors
Lack of appropriate peer interactions
Lack of spontaneous sharing of attention
Lack of social/emotional reciprocity
Abnormal preoccupation with a restricted pattern of interest
Inflexible adherence to routines
Repetitive mannerisms
Impact Triad
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Social/Emotional
Flexibility of Thought
Communication
Psychological Theories
Theory of the Mind
 Central Coherence
 Executive Function
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Theory of the Mind
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Theory of mind is the capacity we have to
understand mental states such as: beliefs, feelings,
desires, hope and intentions. It’s the way we
imagine other people’s feelings or thoughts.
Central Coherence
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Central coherence can be described as getting the
point. It is the ability to pull information from
different sources, both internal and external, to gain
a more clear understanding.
Executive Functioning
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Executive Function refers to brain functions that
activate, organize, integrate and manage other
functions.
What it is not…
Rain Man
 Savants
 Obvious
 Monotone
 Homogenous
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How to work with students
with ASD
Be clear, concise, consistent
 When working with these students, it is
essential to offer clear messages. Avoid
trying to address multiple issues at one
time.
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CLEAR: “It is against the student code of conduct
to threaten a faculty member”
UNCLEAR: “We have a student code of conduct in
place so everyone can feel safe in the learning
environment but when you speak in a
threatening tone, people may feel afraid of
you…”
Clear: “The due date for your final paper is
April 17, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Unclear: “I would like to have your final
paper before the end of the semester”
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Set clear boundaries and expectations. Be aware
they will not always keep them and have a plan of
“what to do next.”
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Separate emotions from your interactions; be clear
and focused in what you are trying to communicate
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Seek specific help on how best to interact with
students who frustrate you. Often students with
these kind of social difficulties (1) are very difficult to
change or (2) aren’t aware of their behaviors
Managing difficult behaviors
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Support the challenging behaviors
How many questions are too many? When
is a challenge disrespectful?
 Don’t see the challenging behavior as
threat to your competence
 Control your own frustration
 Avoid sarcasms, metaphors and
colloquialisms
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Avoiding Power Struggles
Pick your battles
 Focus on the goal at hand
 Control your own emotional response
 Avoid challenging the core belief
system
 Offer alternatives for more
conversation at a different time and
place
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Too many questions?
One of the most prevalent behavioral obstacles in the college classroom
Setting clear boundaries in the
beginning
 Defining the appropriate amount of
questions in a single class period
 Offering meeting times outside of class
for further questions
 Flexibility of thought inhibits the ability
to move on from a topic
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Real life application
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Large vocabulary often hides misunderstanding
Doesn’t understand sarcasm
Lack of reciprocity in communication means they talk at you
Misses body language
Anxious in social situations
Very naïve so easy target for bullying
Wants friends, but doesn’t know how
Cognitive rigidity makes changing focus of conversation very difficult
May have acute understanding of subject matter, but failing the class
May have an incredible memory for minute details, but cant memorize
facts for an exam
May appear to be lying or manipulating, but in actuality, they are
telling you what they want to be reality
Want to fit in desperately, but don’t know how
Video
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http://www.newsmedical.net/?tag=/AspergersSyndrome
What does this mean for you?
Stress/Anxiety escalates the difficulties
Will either act out or withdraw completely
 Personality conflicts
 Need for structure
 Lack of belonging
 Need for personal space
 Organizations skills are poor
 Poor executive functioning skills
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What can you do?
Read the many books available
 Take Universal Design approach
 Educational programming about being
accepting of differences
 Know how to get in touch with
Disability Services in case you have
questions
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Disability Resource Center
General Office Number: 425-4006
 Michelle Rigler/Director: 425-4008
 Steve Kinane/Asst. Director: 425-4059
 Amy Rutherford/Program Specialist:
425-2202
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Resources
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http://www.collegeautismspectrum.com/
http://www.jcu.edu.au/disability/JCUPRD_05
0409.html
http://www.utc.edu/DRC/mosaic.php
Understanding Autism: A College Professor’s
Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2333jtEZck