Post-school education: Guidance for autistic young adults

When you’re in the autism spectrum and you are approaching the end of school, you may experience all the excitement and uncertainty about the future like many other young people your age. Autistic young adults with the proper guidance and with just a bit of planning can enter this next phase with more preparedness and confidence.

We have posted some topics to think about, things that are optional to consider after high school in education, ideas that may help you make the transition from high school to after high school or a college or university a little smoother and without so much anxiety.

Leaving school: what to expect

Transition may add some challenges to several individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Disruption of routines and the things people feel familiar with can be stressful, particularly where one has counted structure and predictability as a significant part of their lives.

The positive news? Progress is what you can achieve by taking time to plan, finding some support early, it can make a huge difference in how manageable the change will feel.

First, we can imagine what type of studying or training you can consider after school.

Study options after school

Some of the autistic adults advance their education to earn diplomas, certificates or degrees and acquire practical skills in the process. The learning opportunities are broad as well just like your peers.

They may be:

• TAFE/ university subjects
• Short courses in Community colleges
• Traineeship or apprenticeship

There is also a little bit more that may be provided at these institutions so that you can learn successfully. Information about your rights and the support that is there can help you a long way to ensure the provision of support that is right to you.

Support available at educational institutions

The Disability Standard on Education has stated that all education providers including universities and TAFEs, must consult with students with disabilities to determine what support they may require and provide reasonable adjustments.

This will usually entail communicating with disability support aid to create a Learning Access Plan (LAP) or a Reasonable Adjustment Plan (RAP). These describe the type of assistance or adjustments you may require to engage in education processes such as being allowed to take an exam in a calmer room in case bigger exam rooms distracts you.

One may also consult the student counselling team on the campus. They will be there to help you emotionally and practically and make you understand whether the course or environment suits you or not.

Getting ready for the transition

After you have decided the course in which you would want to move next, it is always good to prepare much earlier. Before it takes place, a couple of small activities will make everything seem less intimidating and allow you to feel more comfortable about this new experience.

The following are pragmatic advice to start up:

• Get a campus map and orient yourself in major places on the campus
• During open days, visit the campus, or have a quieter visit facilitated by the disability support
• Find some quiet places, such as the library or places to go where you can feel overloaded.
• Take pictures of the main sites and read them over to become familiarized
• Browse the website of the institution and use any information and orientation events
• Calculate your travel time to and fro your destination

These steps are easier to make when you work along with a support person like Support Network can deliver. They will assist you to make a list of some of the tasks to complete and guide you through it. Some of them can be helpful as far as examples are concerned:

• A visit to the disability support personnel to discuss with them what accommodations you may require
• Obtaining student ID card
• Discovery of your lecture rooms
• Visiting the library, acquiring skills on how to use it and being in one of its sessions
• Attending the timetable of public transport, especially evening classes

The support worker could also go with you to campus events, take notes during meetings or assist you communicate when it gets difficult.

Focusing on your strengths

Practice preparation sounds good but the other way would be to notice which thing you excel. Reviewing your strong points could make you become more prepared and focused.

Perhaps, you just have an excellent memory recall of facts or you are just passionate about a subject matter. Maybe, you are excellent at concentrating on issues that interest you. These are all the strengths and that will serve you in a learning environment.

Listing your skills and considering how each can be applied in your course can be a good idea. Ask a close person to assist you in case you are not confident enough, as they may point out your strengths, which you had not identified before.

Stepping forward

Leaving school to go into additional learning will be like a huge leap and it is. Still, it need not seem impossibly difficult. Gain control of uncertainty by looking at your post-school options, learning about available supports, and getting started, making small decisions, to get ready.

You’re capable. And you are not the only one so.