Developing College Skills in Students with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

Going to college can be a daunting prospect for any young person, but for teenagers on the autism spectrum this is especially true. This book describes the unique needs that ASD students entering further or higher education are likely to have. The author identifies the key skill-sets they will need to develop in order to be successful in college and in life, and shows how they can be helped to develop these. She outlines the skills required for success in further and higher education in relation to the strengths and weaknesses of individuals with ASDs, and explains how those weaknesses can be ameliorated to enable success at college. Describing the unique accommodations and support that students with ASD will need, and the skills for which they will need particular help, she provides effective intervention strategies that can be implemented throughout the period leading up to college entrance. This book is essential reading for psychologists, special educators, educational therapists, high school teachers/career counselors, and other professionals supporting high school and college students on the autism spectrum. Parents of such students will also benefit from the ideas presented in this book.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements. Foreword by Tony Attwood. Preface. Part I. 1. Becoming Familiar with Autism. Part II. Introduction: Skill Sets for Success: Being "Smart" Just Isn't Enough. 2. Self-Awareness Skill Sets. 3. Environmental Skill Sets. 4. Self-Advocacy Skill Sets. 5. Organizational Skill Sets. 6. Asking for Help Skill Sets. 7. Self-Care Skill Sets. 8. Social Skill Sets. Part III. 9. The Big Decision: Going to College. 10. Colleges and Professors Helping Students with ASD. 11. Are We Ready? References. Appendix A: Table - Overview of Skill Sets. Appendix B: Helpful Resources and Websites. Index.

About the Author :
Dr. Sarita Freedman is a licensed psychologist and maintains a private practice in Calabasas, California, USA.  Dr. Freedman has over 30 years' experience working with children, adults, and families, in both educational and clinical settings. She has published articles in autism-related magazines and presented on many aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorders at conferences. Formerly, Dr. Freedman co-founded the Child Development Institute where she was Director of Special Needs Programs. She was responsible for designing training programs for undergraduate and graduate students interested in working with children on the spectrum, and overseeing their progress in individual and group supervision.  Dr. Freedman is the founder of College on the Spectrum®, devoted to helping students with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome succeed in college and in life.

Review :
With the skill sets and preparation advised by Sarita Freedman and outlined in this book, students with ASD can thrive in postsecondary education (PSE) settings... The book is a very practical, concise outline and guide aimed towards professionals into the many intricacies and challenges that students with ASD will bring to the higher education setting and how to best prepare these students for a successful postsecondary experience prior to entering the campus culture... this book should be required reading for any high school or higher education professional or parent who will be working with and learning from students on the autistic spectrum. She makes a powerful case for the strengths of people with autism, which was a strong point in the book, and she encouraged the reader to view students with ASD as the positive contributors to society that they can become. Freedman has written a practical book identifying seven critical skill sets for success, which are: self-awareness, environmental, self-advocacy, organizational, asking for help, self-care and social skill sets. Each skill set has its own chapter that is further subdivided into sub-skills or problem areas that a person with an ASD must be able to navigate successfully in college. What is particularly helpful is that each of these subsections is further subdivided into early preparation and later preparation steps. This allows the parents, educators and therapists working with younger children to develop building block steps to more complicated behaviours that the student with the ASD will need to master... The resources section is also rich in information including government assistance, preparing for college web sites, transition planning resources, and scholarship sections among many other valuable sections... Freedman offers excellent advice to young adults on the spectrum o how to avoid sexual violence and avoid having one's romantic interest in a peer being perceived as stalking... ideal for parents of higher functioning high school students on the autism spectrum. It is also a great resource for forward thinking parents of younger children on the autism spectrum... The book can also serve as a blue print for parents of younger children in developing a support team both in and outside of the special education system... Both therapists and life coaches will benefit from reading this book as well as general and special educators... this book should be given to student s on the spectrum early in their high school career so that they have an idea of what to expect regarding going to college and know what skills they will need to acquire before they go. By giving this book to high school freshmen or sophomores with and ASD, it will allow the student to identify and develop the requisite skill sets. Dr Sarita Freedman's new book, Developing College Skills in Students with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome, provides guidance for education professionals and parents wanting to support autistic young people through school and give them the best chance of succeeding at college or university. Although written primarily with the US market in mind, this book contains valuable observations and interventions to prepare ASD pupils to succeed in later life, making it also relevant to the UK... In conclusion, this is an accessible book with observations, lists and suggestions that would be of value to professionals working with ASD students in a school, college or university setting or to parents of children with ASD in helping them to prepare for change and to achieve successful outcomes. It is not often that I can say that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading a text book but I found Sarita Freedman's style of writing and depth content to be excellent. As a parent of a boy with autism, and as a consultant who supports careers programmes for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities, I can recommend this book wholeheartedly. It will be very useful to anyone involved in CEIAG for more able young people on the autistic spectrum including careers advisers, teachers, mentors, learning support staff and those in colleges and universities who support students with difficulties. It would be an excellent tool for joint planning meetings before a young person makes the transition to college... In summary, this book is great value and a really useful resource with just the right balance of 'hard' information and workable ideas. The book is essential reading for key workers in the Education system, and is considered to be a guide for parents with adolescents on the spectrum. "Developing College Skills in Students with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome" by Sarita Freedman is an ambitious attempt to describe high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome in teens, discuss appropriate therapies and social skills coaching, recommend a program for college preparation starting in the elementary school years, and provide a general introduction to college selection and accommodations for autistic students. Developing College Skills in students' by Sarita Freedman is written for parents who wish to prepare their child for college. She concentrates as much on the early years in a child's development as she does on the pre and post-college days. Freedman sees the preparation as a continuum that begins almost from the nursery... Freedman undoubtedly knows her stuff and the information she gives can be trusted implicitly. A timely how-to book written to address the needs of students on the autism spectrum who plan to attend college. It contains invaluable advice for parents, mental health professionals, educators, and personnel engaging with these students, as well as for the students themselves. An excellent resource; useful even before the college process begins... I highly recommend this book to prepare for college.