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Residential Students on the Autism Spectrum
The findings highlight the need for information and for environmental supports
that are interpersonal, physical, and accessible to students. Campus living provides
opportunities for residents to articulate and advocate for needs, to identify reasonable
solutions and compromises, to enter into peer communities and relationships, and to
connect with campus-based support resources-all of which are routinely facilitated
by student and professional staff who should be educated and aware of a variety of
students' needs, mindsets, and preferences.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
The findings highlight a number of beneficial strategies for residential professionals,
including improving program content and structure, acknowledging self-diagnoses
in the accommodations process, expanding RA training, and considering autistic sensitivities
in the room assignment process. When planning programs, assumptions
about programmatic efforts should be revisited to include a variety of approaches
and options that resonate with and are more likely to appeal to these residents. For
autistic students, spontaneous, unscripted, and highly interactive programs intended
to welcome students and foster relationships and community belonging may be more
likely to alienate and isolate. A broad menu of programming and methods of delivery
and choices regarding special interactions is more likely to reach a broader swath of
residents. In post-COVID times, residence halls should also retain some level of virtual
programming, communications, and participation opportunities.
Clinical documentation of neurological evaluations is frequently required to access
academic and residential accommodations, but the criteria for diagnosis continue
to evolve in order to eliminate discriminatory patterns that have been reported in ASD
diagnoses (Lewis, 2017). These circumstances provide opportunities for residence life
staff-including but not limited to disability accommodation specialists-to foster
support systems and involvement opportunities for autistic students in collaboration
with colleagues in other campus offices such as student health, counseling services,
and student activities.
With respect to the training and ongoing development of RAs and professional
staff, an expanded understanding of diversity that invites and encourages students
with autism and other so-called hidden disabilities to participate in these educational
programs will foster a more inclusive community. RA opportunities can be broadly
publicized by creating an informational tool, such as a social media post, flier, or brochure,
that can be accessed by all prospective applicants to receive information about
the position, the selection process, and potential contacts. The goal is to maximize
autistic students' access to leadership roles such as membership in the Residence Hall
Association and to peers and relevant advisors who can serve as personal contacts.
Accommodating all autistic residents in single rooms is unrealistic and not necessarily
something they prefer. Efforts to place them in rooms away from staircases,
elevators, kitchens, or social lounges can help address noise sensitivities. As codes
permit, allowing fluorescent room lights to be disconnected and replaced by alternative
66 The Journal of College and University Student Housing
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