How to Prepare for the Transition
In my own family, we probably did quite poorly in this particular area, so while I can speak with 20-20 hindsight, advice from personal experience on dealing with the transition is probably not the most helpful. However, I had the fortune of being able to attend the 2010 Symposium on Autism Spectrum Disorders, where I heard Rebecca Hansen, Marshall University's Program Coordinator for their College Program for Students with Asperger Syndrome (CPSAS), speak on the subject. I learned so much from her talk that, with her permission, I have posted the PowerPoint from it below. I hope it is as helpful for you as it was for me!
In addition, one of the things my family did to help my sister transition that she confirms was helpful was having her spend time at the university. Specifically, we had her come live with me at school for short periods of time. I live in the school dorms at the same university Caley ended up coming to and to help her transition, every time she was out of school but I wasn't, she came to stay with me. Three day weekends that high schools recognize, but colleges don't, Thanksgiving break, which is twice as long for high school students as it is for college, my sister came for all of them. At the end of it, she was the most prepared for living on campus as it's possible for any freshman to be. In addition, she came out more prepared academically as well. I had my friends, who were studying my sister's desired major, take her with them to class. I also took her to those few of my classes that I thought might replicate the sorts of classes she'd take. Because of this, not only did my sister come out more prepared for living on campus, but she also was more prepared for the classroom setting with a better idea of the academic rigor she'd encounter.
Naturally, she had an advantage that most students don't have. It's unlikely that most of your children also have older siblings that still go to the university your child on the spectrum will attend, let alone siblings that still live on campus at that university. However, it doesn't have to be the exact university that your child will attend - spending any amount of time in a university setting will be helpful.
Also, this plan doesn't require a sibling to carry out. I have a friend that's a freshman this year who did the same thing, despite knowing no one in our university, and, in fact, being from out of state. She simply contacted the dean, informed him that she was very interested in coming to my school, but as an out of state student coming without her parents didn't have any place to stay when she came. The dean took care of it from there, sending out an email to the students in my dormitory, asking if anyone would be willing to let her stay with them while she was here. Some of my friends agreed, and she had such a great time that she ended up coming to my school.
My point is that you may be able to make something like this work for your family, too. You don't even have to approach it from an autism/disabilities standpoint - my friend's experience points towards an interested student working just as well, if not better. This would help with the transition from community college to university, as well, should your child pursue that route. I don't claim that this method will work for everyone - although I see little reason why it wouldn't - but it was certainly great for my sister and my friend and bears investigating further for your situation.
Naturally, she had an advantage that most students don't have. It's unlikely that most of your children also have older siblings that still go to the university your child on the spectrum will attend, let alone siblings that still live on campus at that university. However, it doesn't have to be the exact university that your child will attend - spending any amount of time in a university setting will be helpful.
Also, this plan doesn't require a sibling to carry out. I have a friend that's a freshman this year who did the same thing, despite knowing no one in our university, and, in fact, being from out of state. She simply contacted the dean, informed him that she was very interested in coming to my school, but as an out of state student coming without her parents didn't have any place to stay when she came. The dean took care of it from there, sending out an email to the students in my dormitory, asking if anyone would be willing to let her stay with them while she was here. Some of my friends agreed, and she had such a great time that she ended up coming to my school.
My point is that you may be able to make something like this work for your family, too. You don't even have to approach it from an autism/disabilities standpoint - my friend's experience points towards an interested student working just as well, if not better. This would help with the transition from community college to university, as well, should your child pursue that route. I don't claim that this method will work for everyone - although I see little reason why it wouldn't - but it was certainly great for my sister and my friend and bears investigating further for your situation.
Further Resources
A woman who is both on the spectrum herself and is a mother of a child on the spectrum wrote a great guide for parents helping their autistic teens through transition from high school to employment/college, which I recommend and you can read here.
