Accommodations for college aspies?

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This question has probably been asked before, but the title explains itself. What accommondations could an aspie ask for or what accommodations would be available for an aspie? I know I'll need them, but I can't think of ones that will benefit me.

It all depends on what your university and program offers/allows.

Some possibilities:

1. A quite room for exams. Getting stuck in a gymnasium with 500 people and plastic on the floor (to protect the floor) is a terrible sensory experience.

2. A note-taker - to get what is important and have nice neat notes.

3. A tutor - very useful! Allows you to practice and help with comprehension. Can check over papers and prepare you for tests.

4. Study skills/interview skills/ organization skills/ confidence and self-assertion programs/ friend groups - sign up for all of them! You don't need special permission to sign up for this. University is much more difficult than high school, if you were like me, you coasted through high school, never learned how to study or organize yourself and lost comprehension strategies.

5. One-on-one time with a professor. Maybe a stretch, but if you can get one, then do it. The best way for someone to learn with AS is one-on-one mentorship style. I wish when I was in college I would have one to atleast one of the profs so that I could have gotten someone to help me get through everything a little bit easier. It's nice to know things such as what is important, what should I be studying, what does a good paper look like, how else can I follow my interests...and also -who do I need to meet for my career, how do i need to act, what other opportunities can I get to boost my resume.. all those little things that are seem so pointless, yet are so important.

Some of the ones I have had:

1. Extra support when required to work in a group
This was very helpful. While I didn't have any group projects outside of class last year, we did a lot of in-class group work. Most of the time my professors nonchalantly joined themselves into whatever group I was in, and helped work me into the group.

2. Detailed written instructions for all assignments
I have a tendency to misinterpret and over-think instructions, especially when they are vaguely mentioned in class. If we weren't handed a detailed sheet in class, a professor would email it to me.

3. Make sure I understand assignments
Going along with the last one, I constantly misinterpret things, and I often don't realize I've misinterpreted until it's too late. My professors helped by speaking with me either during a break or after class to make sure I understood what I was supposed to be doing.

4. Flexible deadlines
I didn't actually ask for this, though it came in handy twice. The university disability support advisor said he found a lot of ASD students seem to have a much harder time that average students when it comes to getting our thoughts and ideas together, and that they've found it really helps to allow us some flexibility on assignments. That doesn't mean getting to procrastinate, it means when my project suddenly stops functioning and instead of being able to think clearly and resolve the problem, I have a meltdown... I can let my professors know and keep working after the deadline.

5. Copies of notes
My handwriting is terrible, and I often try to write down everything and miss the important things. The professors already had a system of putting their Powerpoint presentations online, and started including any additional notes as well


Other accommodations I was offered:

1. A typewriter or school laptop
In case I had trouble taking notes (since my profs were good at putting notes online, this wasn't an issue)

2. A special computer monitor for my workstation?
I think that's what I was being offered. Apparently the university has had quite a few ASD students who had a very hard time looking at a computer screen.

3. A quiet room for exams
I was postgrad, I didn't have exams.

What is available will depend on the institution. Be sure you have documentation from a medical professional that supports your disability and that states what accommodations s/he thinks are appropriate. It really helps if you have that documented up front, rather than just going in and saying "I'd like..." It's usually pretty easy to get "quiet room" accommodations for testing situations. The rest... it depends.

Also, be aware that some schools are really short of cash and were not expecting the larger numbers of students with disabilities who are coming into the system now from the high school level. They plan their budgets out several years in advance and disability services may not have been their priority when the budgets were planned. Now that revenues are tighter, well, it can get a bit sticky sometimes. The schools in these situations dole out support carefully, as they have to make do with what they have. You may have to make a forceful case for your needs. Just be prepared. (Not all schools are this way, but I've seen/heard of it more than once.)

Good luck!

If you are applying to go to college (polytechnic in NZ) then on the application there should be a section that asks you if you have any disabilities. If you think you might need accommodations then tick yes and you will probably have a meeting with the disability liaison person(s), if not then ask to have a meeting to discuss what support is available. I can't tell you what accommodations will benefit you, everyone is different but the ones that others have suggested are good ideas. What also might be a good idea is to see if there are any student organised support groups there for those on the spectrum.