{"id":57927,"date":"2016-01-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/uri-professor-dean-create-program-to-help-college-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorder\/"},"modified":"2016-01-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-01-13T00:00:00","slug":"uri-professor-dean-create-program-to-help-college-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2016\/01\/uri-professor-dean-create-program-to-help-college-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 professor, dean create program to help college students with autism spectrum disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tKINGSTON, R.I., Jan 13, 2016\u2014College life can be difficult for students with autism spectrum disorder. They may have trouble interacting with other people, staying organized and making friends.


\nNow a 溏心vlog免费B站 professor and assistant dean have created a program that guides eligible students to help them have a more fulfilling experience on campus.<\/p>\n


\nThe \u201cCommunication Coaching Program\u201d created by Amy L. Weiss, a professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders, and Pamela Rohland, assistant dean of Students, Accessibility and Inclusion, could be used by educators throughout the country.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWe’re excited about offering a program that makes our students\u2019 lives on campus more fulfilling,\u201d says Weiss. \u201cSo far, we\u2019re getting positive feedback from the students\u2014and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rohland agrees: \u201cThe program is a great example of the University\u2019s commitment to inclusion and diversity. Programs like this can help the 溏心vlog免费B站 community increase awareness and decrease fear of the unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe main goal of the program, Weiss and Rohland say, is to \u201clevel the playing field\u201d for students with autism heading off to college. The program helps build the students\u2019 social and academic skills so they can thrive on campus.<\/p>\n


\nThere is a wide variation of behavior in autism spectrum disorders. Some people have trouble communicating; others don\u2019t. Some are social; others have problems connecting.<\/p>\n


\nIn general, though, people on the spectrum have difficulty picking up on social cues like body language and facial expressions. They might not grasp irony or sarcasm, or understand jokes.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cPeople with autism might have difficulty understanding someone else\u2019s point of view,\u201d says Weiss. \u201cA person without the disorder knows there are certain things you wouldn’t say out loud that might offend someone. People with the disorder might not have that. They could come across as blunt and possibly hurtful.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nSome people also have trouble staying on task, which can interfere with academic success. A student, for example, might say he or she spent eight hours studying for a test, but actually took only one hour. <\/p>\n


\n\tWeiss and Rohland launched the program six years ago after recognizing a need to help 溏心vlog免费B站 students. They gave training sessions to faculty members and then put together a plan for students.<\/p>\n


\nThe \u201cCommunication Coaching Program\u201d is unique for many reasons. Graduate students in speech-language pathology provide the instruction, the program is tailored to meet each student\u2019s needs, and the program is a collaboration between student services and academic departments.<\/p>\n


\nFrom four to six students every semester are enrolled in the program. Students voluntarily sign up, and all information is confidential. The program focuses on five areas: disability counseling; communication coaching; peer coaching; social groups; and campus resources.<\/p>\n


\nAll students receive an advisor from Disability Services for Students who meet with them weekly to offer guidance on adjusting to college life. The advisor might help students contact professors about making special accommodations for a test and assist students selecting courses. Advisors also help students manage their time and work on other academic skills.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThese counselors,\u201d says Weiss, \u201care the students\u2019 lifeline to the University community.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nCommunication coaches are graduate students in speech and language pathology in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Department of Communicative Disorders. They help students improve their social skills by talking about experiences they’ve had on campus that might\u2019ve been frustrating and figuring out more socially acceptable ways to deal with them.<\/p>\n


\nPeer coaches are undergraduates close in age to the students. The two might meet at informal places like the Ram\u2019s Den to chat about students\u2019 concerns\u2014or joys.<\/p>\n


\nA social skills group meets weekly on campus to provide additional support to the students and, again, the chance to practice their social skills. The participants are other students in the program. <\/p>\n


\nStudents receive additional support from academic advisors; the Academic Enhancement Center; the Writing Center; career exploration departments; the Counseling Center; Health Services; Housing and Residential Life; and enrollment services.<\/p>\n


\nWeiss and Rohland hope other universities use the program, as well as high schools preparing students on the spectrum to transition into higher education. The program should also appeal to parents trying to find a nurturing college for their children.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cHaving this program in place is important for parents who have been highly involved in their students\u2019 education,\u201d says Rohland. \u201cIt\u2019s comforting for parents to know there\u2019s an extensive support program in place to help their children navigate the college environment.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nRohland says the future of the program looks bright: \u201cPeople who have autism spectrum disorder can make really good contributions to society. This program helps people understand that students who have autism are not so different in many ways from other students. In life, we\u2019re more alike than we are different.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tAlso involved in the program are Paige Ramsdell, assistant director of Disability Services for Students; Jacqui Tisdale, coordinator of Disability Services for Students; Rosemary Lavigne, coordinator of Disability Services for Students; and Maggie Korn, a graduate assistant at Disability Services for Students who is getting her doctorate in school psychology.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above: In black shirt, Amy L. Weiss, a professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders. Photo courtesy of 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n


\nPamela Rohland, assistant dean of Students, Accessibility and Inclusion. Photo by Michael Salerno Photography.\n\t<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I., Jan 13, 2016\u2014College life can be difficult for students with autism spectrum disorder. They may have trouble interacting with other people, staying organized and making friends. Now a 溏心vlog免费B站 professor and assistant dean have created a program that guides eligible students to help them have a more fulfilling experience on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}