Understanding Disabilities: Asperger’s Syndrome

September 29, 2005

UW-Whitewater has approximately a half-dozen students currently enrolled who have been identified as having Asperger’s Syndrome—a “high functioning” form of autism.  This number is expected to grow.

One of the 25 August 2005 LEARN Center Workshops was presented on this topic by Dr. Shannon Stuart (Assistant Professor & coordinator of the Autism Specialist Certificate in the Department of Special Education) and Nancy Amacher (Senior Associate Director of the Center for Students with Disabilities).  This presentation was very informative and Dr. Stuart’s handout is reproduced below.

Communication: Probably the Biggest Obstacle Students with Asperger’s Face

Difficulties with communication are a hallmark of autism spectrum disorders. Students with Asperger’s have difficulty with the following: they may not know when to break into a conversation; they may not look at the person with whom they are speaking, they may be interested in discussing things that are only of interest to them (e.g., Trek bicycles, stopwatches, roller coasters), they may walk away unexpectedly in the middle of a conversation, etc. To further complicate matters, a major part of studying at college involves communicating with different groups, and the language style may alter with each group.  Professors might consider their language to be quite informal, but it is much more formal than the language a student uses with friends and family. Students with Asperger’s really don’t intuitively know when to use specific styles of communication. The following diagram shows some formal and informal communication styles that most individuals have no trouble differentiating.

What Students with Asperger’s Need to Learn about turn-taking cues

A conversation involves people taking turns to speak, knowing the right cues can be different in different situations.

In class and when talking with friends, it is usually not a good idea for one person to dominate the conversation, even if they are the ones who may have the answers.  In large group lectures the instructor will usually do all the talking and not expect students to interrupt or comment.

What Students with Asperger’s say About Social Interaction

• I like to be left alone at times.
• I'm never sure when it's OK to interrupt in a conversation.
• I have difficulty knowing when people are joking.
• I find it quite hard to look people in the eye.
• I'm not very good at interpreting non-verbal cues.
• I'm not competitive (winning or losing is not important to me).
• I'm not good at conversing with others.
• I don't understand what is funny in many jokes.
• Others have said my speech is odd or eccentric.
• I find it difficult to make friends.
• I'm not very good with sarcasm or metaphor, I like people to say what they mean.
• I can get impatient when people don't understand me.

How Asperger’s Syndrome Affects Studying

Most students (including those with Asperger's Syndrome) find that studying at the university level is quite different than studying at the secondary level. While Asperger's Syndrome presents some challenges, many students also say that studying with Asperger's can also have advantages, including excellent rote memories.

Some Particular Studying Challenges Include:

• Messy handwriting
• Writing too slowly
• Difficulty making decisions about what is (or is not) important when reading a book or journal article
• Easily distracted
• Difficulty with abstract thinking. Students with Asperger’s find it much easier when people use concrete examples.
• Difficulty focusing on topics that are not of interest to the student. Trouble figuring out what to focus on in exams, or how to focus on exams. Students with Asperger’s typically run out of time on exams.
• Individuals with Asperger’s are often perfectionists, which leads to complications with turning work in on time and with working cooperatively in groups.
• Difficulty with problem solving (e.g., inability to make decisions about particular responses).
• Difficulty developing motivation about some topics. Some topics can be particularly upsetting, depending on the individual.
• Difficulty sitting still for long periods
• Difficulty with long-term goal setting
• Difficulty getting to class on time and with general organization (e.g., correct text, writing materials

Study Strategies

Teaching students to know their preferred learning styles, and therefore what works best for them as individuals is an excellent start to successful study. The Center for Disability Services or Project Assist here on campus may be able to help students with this, as may the web-site http://www.anu.edu.au/disabilities/reaacc.html. The Learner Communities also at UW-W may be a great choice for a freshman student with Asperger’s because of the build in sense of community. Many students with Asperger's learn differently and awareness individual learning style will enable the student to capitalize on the way he/she learns.  Temple Grandin, a scientist and author who also has autism, talks about “thinking in pictures”. She says that words are like a second language to her. She actually translates both spoken and written words into full color movies, complete with sound, that runs like a VCR tape in her head.

Not all students realize how different the university study environment is from their high school experience. Of course, the main difference at college is that students are responsible for their own learning. While there will be people there to help, students are expected to be much more independent than they were at school. Instructors expect all students to be responsible for knowing when and where exams are and when assignments are due, or where a lab class is to be held.  Many students with mild disabilities become accustomed to the support they received in high school from teachers and para-professionals who would remind them about due dates and would help organize study materials. Many of these students experience a much bigger “culture shock” than the typical freshman. No one reminds them if they fail to turn up for a lecture (some of the classes are so large that the instructor won't even notice whether the student is there or not. At high school a student may have been known and respected for specific your skills; because universities are bigger, more anonymous institutions it may be harder for a student with a mild disability to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. All this will be happening during a significant period of general transition.

Using adaptive technology

Some students really enjoy using technology, but even for students who aren’t all that interested, it's worth considering how much they can help with organization. I would tell students the following:

• If handwriting is not easy to read, a computer will ensure that others are able to read and therefore value your contributions.
• Think about how you can use files and folders on the computer to help sort ideas for an essay.
• A notepad computer may be useful in arranging your notes.
• Investigate software like Endnote to simplify potentially time consuming tasks like referencing.
• Would voice activated technology reduce fatigue associated with writing? Dragonspeak voice recognition software is an excellent starting point. www.dragonspeak.com

Some suggested strategies for getting organized include:

• Try to keep your performance in perspective, monitoring your progress through a diary.  Write down what you are doing well and what not so well and what things you have tried and which ones worked.
• Keep a list of equipment you'll need for classes or lab work in your diary.
• Some people say a tidy desk means a tidy mind. This is not necessarily true, but having a tidy desk will help you keep organized.
• Organize a quiet, interruption-free zone.
• Always study in the same spot, have a desk and filing cabinet for your files. Buy a jump stick for your computer storage and keep it in the same spot.
• Starting on the first day of semester, read through your notes at the end of each day; take no more than half an hour, and avoid the temptation to rewrite your notes- underline, circle, add in some comments.  Material you review in this way will stay in your memory more effectively but more importantly it ensures you have a regular daily task.
• Use prompts to get yourself started: ask someone to remind you, write yourself a note about when you intend to study, or use an alarm to remind you to stop an activity at a certain time and commence studying.
• Break tasks into small sections, for example read a chapter, write an introduction, do two math problems – always complete at least one of the tasks you set yourself.  Sometimes getting started can be the hardest part and doing a small section of work will give you the momentum to continue.

Taking Exams

Students may have alternative exam formats (look for a contract from the student via the CDS).

• Handwriting (slow and typically illegible) is often a permanent problem. If writing speed or legibility is a problem, the student may be able to arrange to use a computer or to have extra writing time.
• The student may be able to complete an exam only in an alternative environment such as a room through the CDS
• The student will need to learn to plan for time in exams and stick to it. Most students pick this up while taking exams in high school; students with Asperger's need to practice exam-taking in a concrete way or they will spend too much time on one question. 

What the Law Says About Providing Accommodations

Q. How does the Americans with Disabilities Act affect post-secondary schools? A. Title II of the ADA covers state funded schools such as universities, community colleges and vocational schools. Title III of the ADA covers private colleges and vocational schools. If a school receives federal dollars regardless of whether it is private or public it is also covered by the regulations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requiring schools to make their programs accessible to qualified students with disabilities. Q. What are the differences between the ADA and Section 504? A. For most post-secondary schools, there are not many practical differences. Although Section 504 only applies to schools that receive federal financial assistance, the reality is that most post-secondary schools do receive federal dollars. In addition, the ADA Title II requirements affecting state funded schools were modeled on Section 504. Only private post-secondary institutions that do not receive government funds are not covered by the broader 504 or ADA Title II requirements. Under Title III of the ADA these schools have a lower standard of burden in other words, assuming their resources are less, they wouldn't have to do as much as government-funded schools. But they are still required to accommodate students with disabilities in similar ways. Q. How does the ADA and Section 504 affect admissions requirements? A. The post-secondary program cannot have eligibility requirements that screen out people with physical or mental disabilities. Application forms cannot ask applicants if they have a history of mental illness or any other disability. Institutions may impose criteria that relate to safety risks but these criteria must be based on actual risk and not on stereotypes or assumptions. It is also illegal for an institution to serve students with disabilities differently because it believes its insurance costs will be increased. (It is illegal for insurance companies to refuse to insure, continue to insure, or limit the amount of insurance solely because individuals with disabilities are to be included in a program unless the practice is based on sound actuarial principles or actual experience.) Q. What do post-secondary programs generally have to do for students with disabilities? A. A school may not discriminate on the basis of disability. It must insure that the programs it offers, including extracurricular activities, are accessible to students with disabilities. Post-secondary schools can do this in a number of ways: by providing architectural access, providing aids and services necessary for effective communication, and by modifying policies, practices and procedures. Q. What kinds of aids and services must post-secondary institutions provide to insure effective communication? A. Qualified interpreters, assistive listening systems, captioning, TTYs, qualified readers, audio recordings, taped texts, Braille materials, large print materials, materials on computer disk, and adapted computer terminals are examples of auxiliary aids and services that provide effective communication. Such services must be provided unless doing so would result in a fundamental alteration of the program or would result in undue financial or administrative burdens. Public entities must give primary consideration to the individual with a disability's preferred form of communication unless it can be demonstrated that another equally effective means of communication exists. Q. How would post-secondary programs modify their policies, practices or procedures to make programs accessible? A. The most challenging aspect of modifying classroom policies or practices for students with disabilities is that it requires thought and some prior preparation. The difficulty lies in the need to anticipate needs and be prepared in advance. The actual modifications themselves are rarely substantive or expensive. Some examples are rescheduling classes to an accessible location; early enrollment options for students with disabilities to allow time to arrange accommodations; substitution of specific courses required for completion of degree requirements; allowing service animals in the classroom; providing students with disabilities with a syllabus prior to the beginning of class; clearly communicating course requirements, assignments, due dates, grading criteria both orally and in written form; providing written outlines or summaries of class lectures, or integrating this information into comments at the beginning and end of class; and allowing students to use note takers or tape record lectures. Modifications will always vary based on the individual student's needs. Modifications of policies and practices are not required when it would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity. Q. Can a school charge for the cost of providing an accommodation? A. No. Q. Do students have to provide documentation of disability to request accommodations? A. Schools may request current documentation of a disability. If a person obviously uses a wheelchair or is blind or deaf, no further documentation may be necessary. For those with hidden disabilities, however, such as learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities or a chronic health impairment, it is reasonable and appropriate for a school to request documentation to establish the validity of the request for accommodations, and to help identify what accommodations are required. Q. Are students with disabilities required to disclose their disability? A. If you do not require any accommodations, you can choose to keep this information private. If you do need accommodations because of your disability, however, you must disclose in order to receive them. A school cannot provide any service, modification or accommodation when it does not know one is required. It is a student's responsibility to make their needs known in advance. This process is often facilitated by an Office for Students with Disabilities. It is then the school's responsibility to work with the student to make reasonable modifications or provide appropriate services in a timely way. Q. Are schools required to make testing accommodations for students with disabilities? A. Yes. Schools must establish a process for making their tests accessible to people with disabilities. Schools can do this by providing appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities. Remember, each student's needs are individual, but examples of accommodations include allowing a student extended time to complete a test or providing a distraction-free space, sign language interpreters, readers, or alternative test formats. [Note: Testing accommodations are also required of agencies which administer college entrance exams, the agencies or businesses that administer licensure and certification tests that establish one's professional credentials such as bar exams, etc., and the businesses that offer classes to help individuals prepare to take these exams.] Q. What is the purpose of testing accommodations? A. The purpose of providing testing accommodations is to enable individuals with disabilities to demonstrate their mastery of the subject matter being tested not to provide lesser academic or professional standards for people with disabilities. Accommodations may affect how a test is taken, but not what it measures. Q. What can students do if an instructor refuses or neglects to make the requested accommodations? A. Sometimes individual instructors are not familiar with the requirements of ADA or Section 504, or the purpose of accommodating students with disabilities. It is not unusual to encounter instructors who feel classroom or testing accommodations give students with disabilities an unfair advantage over other students. It is a school's responsibility, however, to educate their faculty about the purpose of accommodations and their legal obligations, and to assist them with the logistics of providing accommodations. Many post-secondary schools have an Office of Services for Students with Disabilities that serves as a liaison between students and faculty, and can advocate for reasonable accommodations, like our Center for Disability Services. The student can contact this person at your school to get help to resolve the situation or file an internal complaint if necessary. Q. What if informal attempts to resolve the problem are unsuccessful? A. If your situation cannot be resolved informally, you can follow an institution's internal grievance procedure. All government-funded educational institutions are required to have an internal grievance procedure. Students also have the right to file an ADA or 504 complaint with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education.

References

 Al-Mahmood, R., McLean, P., Powell, E., & Ryan, J. (1998). Towards success in tertiary study with Asperger’s syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders.  Victoria Australia: Victoria Cooperative Projects.

Jarrow, Jane E. (1992). Subpart E: The Impact of Section 504 on Post-secondary Education. AHEAD: Columbus, OH.

Jarrow, Jane E. (1992). Title by Title: The ADA's Impact on Postsecondary Education.  AHEAD: Columbus, OH, 1992.

Morrissey, Patricia A. The Educator's Guide to the Americans with Disabilities Act.  American Vocational Association: Alexandria, VA, 1993.