For my third discussion, I wanted to talk about the issue
of college, which is an important issue for autistic people. This will involve, preparing for, attending,
and exploring colleges as an autistic person.
As with last week’s discussion, do consider a few things: 1) this forum
is not to demean or belittle any individual participating in it, 2) that
through this discussion, I hope to learn what sort of struggles and challenges
are experienced by people on the spectrum, so we can design better behavioral
and educational interventions for autistic people later in life, and to know
what autistic people as a whole, do not need help with, and what therapies and
interventions are doing right. If not,
we hope you as the readers gain valuable insights into your love life or that
of those close to you, but let them all speak for themselves, as their
impression may be entirely different from yours, 3) if you not to feel
comfortable sharing your name, that is fine, and if you do not want your
personal information to be shared without a need-to-know basis (should that be
an issue) please mention that at the beginning of your comment. If sharing your name could create negative
consequences or trouble in the life of you or others do not share it, and 4)
that bashful and abusive comments are not welcomed and any will be
deleted. Also do not share any
information that is too personal (e.g. sex life) using you’re the names or
identifying information of yourself or others involved. 5) Remember that everyone may have different
views and on all these forums we are not looking for right answers, but to know
what you as an autistic person and their loved ones think, 6) If the question
is not relevant, feel free to leave it blank; these questions are merely to
help each person format their comments. With
that said, here are my questions:
1.
What is your age? 18-24? 24-30?
2.
What is your gender?
3.
How long has it been since you attended
college? How much of the time since then
has been in college?
4.
What options have you explored before making a
decision on colleges or are you exploring now to help influence your decision? What factors have influenced that decision?
5.
When and how in life did you get diagnosed as
autistic?
6.
Where do you live outside of college?
7.
Where do you live while attending college?
8.
Do you commute or live on campus property?
9.
Tell us about your college town. Is it a big city, small town? Are you out of the country, studying abroad,
a foreign-exchange student, etc.?
10.
What type of residence do you live in during
college (dorm buildings, apartment, Greek housing, off-campus)?
11.
Do you work while you are on campus, whether in
your home town or near campus?
12.
Do you have any dependents while you attend
college, fiancée, spouse, children? Where do they live? How has that
affected your college career?
13.
What kind of educational, professional, or
independent living experiences have you had prior to your current college
career? How have they affected your
current college career?
14.
How, in any way, do you feel autism has affected
your college experience?
15.
What supports, if any, have you had prior to
your college experience? How were they
provided to you –the state, parents, family members?
16.
What other conditions to you have besides
autism? How have they been accommodated in
the past and through what sources? What
kinds of supports do you use, find helpful, or have available on your campus or
in your area? When and how in your life
did you receive the diagnosis for these conditions?
17.
How would you describe your expenses in
college? What, if anything comes to
mind?
18.
What type of academic program or major are you
enrolled in (e.g. nursing, education, social work, undecided)? Do you have any other type of academic
commitment, such as a minor?
19.
Where do you feel you can go to get help with
things related to your condition on campus or in your area?
20.
How easy do you feel it is to keep up with the
pace of college life? Is it too
fast? Slow enough? How do you deal with it?
21.
What sacrifices have been made or have had to
been made to attend college life?
22.
Have you been involved with a person
romantically before college? How has
college affected that relationship? What
impact have they had on you as an autistic in college and as an autistic
person, college student, and person in general? Have you found new love (boy/girlfriend, fiancée, spouse) in
college? What impact have they had on
you as an autistic in college and as an autistic person, college student, and
person in general?
23.
What type of social networks or supports exists
for people with autism on campus or in your area?
24.
Have you found many friendships or close
relationships at college?
25.
Where do you go to meet people (friends,
potential dates, etc.)?
26.
Have you joined many clubs, societies, or social
organizations (e.g. fraternities/sororities, religious organizations, community
service outreach programs, etc.)? How has
that affected your college life and experience as an autistic person?
27.
How easy do you find it to start on school
projects?
28.
Do any of your friends, professors, Greek
brothers/sisters, co-parishioners, Community Advisors, Residence Hall
Directors, or anyone you associate with on a regular basis know about your
condition? Have you told them? How well do you think any of these possible
people understand your condition? How
open are you about your condition? How
might your acquaintances find out? What
is there to be gained from disclosing your condition more? Less?
Differently? How do they affect
your college life and experience as an autistic person?
29.
What is your favorite or most enjoyable part of
college life (academically)?
30.
What is your favorite or most enjoyable part of
college life (socially)?
31.
What is the hardest or least enjoyable part of
college life (academically)?
32.
What is the hardest or least enjoyable part of
college life (socially)?
33.
Have you been in a committed relationship before
college? How did college affect it?
34.
What are you most proud of in college? Is there anything looking back that you wish
you could have done differently?
35.
Have any major events in your life made it
harder or easier to attend college (death in the family, new marriage, new job,
etc.)?
36.
What makes you want to persevere in your college
career?
37.
What, if anything, ever makes you tempted to
give up on college?
38.
How have you changed in any way since college,
whether personally, socially, emotionally, professionally?
39.
What do you feel you have gained from college,
in both your life in general and as an autistic person?
40.
What more do you hope to gain from college, both
in your life in general and as an autistic person?
41.
Is your experience in college what you’ve
planned? What do you wish, if anything,
you had been able to do differently?
42.
Where do you hope in life to go and achieve after
college? How do you believe college is
helping you with or influenced that?
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