College Readiness for Neurodivergent Students
Results from the 2024 survey of over 50 leaders of U.S. college autism and neurodiversity support programs.
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2024 College Readiness Survey
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(e-book)
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Watch Inclusive Academia Videos About
College Readiness for Neurodivergent Students
College Autism Network's PEACES Study
College Autism Network's PEACES Study
College Autism Network's Building Bridges Event in Mesa, Arizona, February 20-21, 2025
Background on the College
Readiness Survey and Results
About This Project
We conducted a survey of over 50 leaders at autism and neurodiversity support programs throughout the United States.
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Our goal was to provide neurodivergent students and their families some insight into college readiness.
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We have created a workbook that summarizes the survey's findings and hopefully provides some useful discussion topics and frameworks for families as they consider post-high school options.
Survey Respondents
48 Institutions
25 States
Key College Readiness Skill Areas
1
Motivation to Attend College
The student genuinely wants to be at the university and to complete a degree and ultimately pursue graduate school or a career in their chosen field.
2
Desire to Seek & Accept Help
The student understands the areas where they would benefit from extra support and willingly seeks and gladly accepts that support. That support could come from an autism support program and\or from other sources.
3
Self-Regulation
The student has the ability to appropriately regulate emotions and reactions to stressful or uncomfortable situations. The student has some basic self-soothing tactics in their toolkit when they are approaching dysregulation.
4
Independent Living
The student has basic life skills to adjust to life away from home including ability to go to bed at appropriate times, to maintain health and personal hygiene, to maintain an acceptable living space, to take medications as prescribed, to perform basic tasks such as doing their own laundry, etc.
5
Executive
Functioning
The student possesses the organizational and time-management skills to handle a college course load and life away from home.
6
Mental
Health
The student's mental health is strong. The student’s not overly burdened by anxiety, loneliness, homesickness, frustration, etc. The student communicates when they are struggling.
7
Academic
Skills
The student took a rigorous course load in high school and is prepared academically for a college-level course load with basic accommodations but no modifications to curriculum.
8
Self-Advocacy
The student proactively speaks about how they learn best, deal with stress, etc. and proactively seeks help when appropriate.
9
Physical Health
The student can self-manage healthy living habits including appropriate diet, exercise, sleep, medication management, hygiene, etc. to maintain their physical health.
10
Social Connections
The student has the ability to amicably co-exist with roommates and colleagues and wants to build friendships and healthy relationships with others.
About Us
Learn more about the College Autism Network and their partners on this project, Routine Success and Inclusive Academia.
College Autism Network
The College Autism Network is a non-profit organization that links varied stakeholders engaged in evidence-guided efforts to improve access, experiences, and outcomes for postsecondary students with autism.
Inclusive Academia
Inclusive Academia is YouTube channel featuring content for neurodiverse high school students and their families who are navigating post-graduation options. The workbook's author Matt Gunter hosts the channel and aims to provide practical advice and lessons learned from top experts about options for neurodiverse students after high school.
Routine Success
Routine Success is a mobile application developed by the workbook's author Matt Gunter designed to support executive functioning and independent living skills. The app provides prompts and instructions for students to complete routines at scheduled times and facilitates monitoring and feedback from a mentor or parent.