Sarita Freedman: Developing College Skills in Students with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome

Abstract

Children born in the early 1990s who were diagnosed with an ASD and received early intervention are now coming of age and entering college. The transition from a secondary special education environment to the less structured and more social post secondary environment of our nation’s colleges is particularly difficult for higher functioning students on the autism spectrum. 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 behaviors that the student with the ASD will need to master. Later chapters are directed toward deciding whether or not to go to college and how to make this decision. This decision is not simply a yes or no decision, but as Freedman aptly points out, there are many other dimensions to consider (e.g., commuter school vs. living away from home; 4-year college vs. a 2-year community or junior college; size of the college; staffing ratios, etc.). A young adult on the autism spectrum also needs to be familiar with basic laws protecting their rights in college settings (e.g. the Americans with Disabilities Act; Family Education Rights Privacy Act) as well as entitlements (Social Security Act; The Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Freedman covers this legislation in a clear and concise manner. Most readers forgo reading appendices and resource sections of books. However, Freedman provides valuable information in these often overlooked portions. She provides an overview chart that summarizes the seven critical skill sets along the dimensions of personal, daily living, academic and executive functioning lines. 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. In future additions of this book, both in the resources and the legal sections, should be a paragraph on the latest amendments to the Higher Education Opportunities Act (2008) which will allow students with intellectual disabilities (broadly defined) to be able to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if the student is in a Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) approved by the US Department of Education. The revised edition will need to define what an approved CTP is as well as how families completing the FAFSA form for students with intellectual disabilities will answer questions differently from neurotypical college students. Currently, students with intellectual disabilities are only eligible for grants and student work study programs if their CTP is approved by the US Department of Education. The second edition of this book should also revise its section on sexuality. Freedman offers excellent advice to young adults on the spectrum on how to avoid sexual violence and avoid having one’s romantic interest in a peer being perceived as stalking. However, Freedman’s advice is inadvertently heterosexist in its orientation. Young adults on the autism spectrum may not be aware of the societal E. VanBergeijk (&) New York Institute of Technology, Vocational Independence Program, 300 Carleton Avenue, Room 112 Independence Hall, Central Islip, NY 11722, USA e-mail: evanberg@nyit.edu