News and Knowledge

Going to college is an exciting opportunity for students to defy expectations, discover new interests, live independently, and grow both academically and socially. All students that attend college deserve to have a safe and rewarding experience, including those with autism.

OAR’s Finding Your Way: A College Guide for Students on the Spectrum was created to help students with ASD become better prepared for college life and academics. Finding Your Way offers practical advice from experts, powerful narratives from self-advocates, and many resource tools.

The guide covers a range of topics including:

• Transitions from high school to college
• Self-advocacy and disclosure
• Academic supports and accommodations
• Strategies to establish and maintain daily routines and structure
• Social relationships and conflict resolution
• Jobs, internships, and financial aid

OAR supports high schools, transition programs, and autism college support programs by providing copies of Finding Your Way. Program coordinators are encouraged to use the guide content to reinforce discussions and existing curricula and to distribute these guides to their students as a take-home reference tool.

The guide comes with a companion microsite called College Central, which is dedicated to providing up-to-date resources and information about existing support programs, scholarships, and more. The website includes quizzes that students can take, such as:

• Should you live on campus?
• Should you have a roommate?
• How effective are your study habits?

College Central is continually expanding and being updated. If you wish to contribute your personal story, academic strategies, or resources to the website, please email programs@researchautism.org with the subject line “College Central Submission.”