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Practical Strategies for Supporting Autistic College Students

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Faculty Webinar

CatholicU Autism Spectrum Program (CASP)

(CASP)

April 9, 2026

Autism in Young Adults

What is Autism?

• A neurodevelopmental diagnosis characterized by:
• Difficulties in social communication
• Restricted and/or repetitive patterns of behavior
• Autistic young adults*
• The “resource cliff”-
• reduced support/access to services in

higher education and career opportunities

• Increased need for self-advocacy

American Psychological Association; APA, 2013; Maenner et al., 2021, Carter, 2021

*To read identity-first language, see Taboas et al., 2022

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What is Autism? - Autistic Perspectives

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Transitioning to College

Most common challenges:

• Lack of social support
• Opportunities for socializing
• Managing academics
• Community inclusion

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Anderson & Butt, 2017; Gurbuz et al., 2019; Gurbus, Hanley, & Ruby, 2019; Orsmond, Krauss, & Seltzer, 2004; Lee et al., 2021

Heightened risk factors:

• Social isolation
• Limited friendly and romantic opportunities for growth
• Mental health struggles
• Increased risk of dropping out

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Currently, no higher education institution in Washington, D.C. has a specialized program dedicated to supporting autistic college students. Only 2% of funded autism research projects focus on the transition to adulthood and post-secondary outcomes.

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Overall goal: To support autistic students in their transition to college by developing, implementing, and sustaining the CatholicU Autism Spectrum Program (CASP)

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1. Create accessible programming for autistic students to practice skills within a group setting.

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• To build the capacity of faculty and staff knowledge, experience, and skills, as well as develop systemic and sustained change.

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• To create lasting change by training students to engage with the autism community, increasing interest and professional work down the line.

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• To examine programmatic effects through research and evaluation.

Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, 2021

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Faculty Training/Workshops

Goals: Build faculty and staff knowledge, experience, and skills, as well as develop systemic and sustained change.

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Topics of Discussion

Supports Inside the Classroom

Supports Outside the Classroom

Existing Supports at CUA

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Supports Inside the Classroom

• Students with autism may exhibit difficulties in written and/or verbal communication
• Ex. Take things literally, difficulty understanding tone and/or social cues
• Can result in:
• Over-participating in class
• Calling out in class
• Misunderstanding assignment directions

Autistic Students in the Classroom

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• Establish classroom norms, even if they seem intuitive
• Ex. hand raising, turn taking, discussion vs. lecture, respectful dialogue, etc.
• Create a class routine, and notify students about changes in routine in advance
• Provide both verbal and written instructions
• Explain content directly, limiting the use of metaphor or unnecessary verbiage
• Break large assignments into smaller steps
• Transparency in Learning & Teaching (TILT) Framework
• Purpose (Skills, Knowledge), Tasks, Criteria for Success

Communicating Effectively within the Classroom

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• Ask if students have accommodations! Remind them to give you their letters.
• Encourage students who may need accommodations but don’t currently have them to contact DSS!
• Use DSS as a resource if you need support in implementing accommodations into your course.

Managing Student Accommodations

Faculty Help Page at the DSS website: https://dss.catholic.edu/faculty/index.html

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Supports Outside the Classroom

• Students with autism may exhibit difficulties in written and/or verbal communication
• Ex. Take things literally, difficulty understanding tone and/or social cues
• Can result in:
• Unprofessional emails
• Misunderstanding personal boundaries
• Misuse of office hours

Autistic Students Outside the Classroom

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Communicating Effectively Outside the Classroom

• Establish expectations for email
• How you would like to be addressed
• Response expectations (ex. won’t check over the weekend or at night)
• Establish expectations for office hours
• Topics addressed in office hours vs. email
• Drop in vs. appointment only
• Student preparation (specific questions, assignment discussions, etc.)
• Provide alternative meeting options

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CUA Resources

Intervention Program

• 12-week group therapy program focused

on social skills, college life,

and academic responsibilities

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Peer Mentoring Program

• Students assigned with a peer mentor

to navigate college life

• Mentee led - determine frequency and topic of meetings

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Email psy-casp@cua.edu for additional information

CASP Resources

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○ Disability Support Services

○ Counseling Center

○ Center for Teaching Excellence

○ Office of Residential Life

○ Student Affairs

○ Schools and Departments

○ Campus Ministry

○ Public Safety, and other entities

The CatholicU Network: A Collaborative Effort

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How to Refer

• Use DSS as a resource
• Email the student and cc DSS to summarize the challenges you have discussed with the student, DSS can then contact the student
• If student is told to email DSS, also have them cc faculty so you know email has been sent
• Follow up with the student to encourage meeting with DSS

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Student Vignettes

• Thomas is a first-year student in your 20-person discussion-based philosophy class. Thomas is very passionate about philosophy and enjoys participating in discussions. He has a tendency to speak when not called upon, however, and talk for minutes at a time, taking opportunities away from other students who may be more reluctant to share. You are appreciative of Thomas’ contributions but wish to balance class discussions.
• How would you respond?

Vignette #1 - Thomas (In the Classroom)

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• Reactive Responses
• Can be direct (“I’m going to have to cut you off”, “sure, give us your thoughts briefly/ one minute”)
• Praise enthusiasm and redirect
• Schedule subsequent office hour meeting
• Proactive Responses
• Establish classroom expectations at the beginning of the semester

Vignette #1 - Discussion

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• Macy is a second-year student in your 50-person lecture. She tends to sit in the back of the lecture hall and get up several times throughout the 2.5 hour lecture to walk around the back aisle. Macy is performing well in the class so far, but you are concerned her behavior may be affecting other students in the lecture, who often turn around to see what Macy is doing.
• How would you respond?

Vignette #2 - Macy (in the Classroom)

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• Strategies:
• Talk with Macy after class to understand why she tends to walk around the classroom
• Explain your concerns to Macy (e.g. disturbing other students)
• Discuss alternative strategies - using fidgets in the class, going outside in the hallway for a stretch break
• Attempt to find a solution, and follow up with Macy to determine if the new strategy is effective

Vignette #2 - Discussion

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• Thomas is a first-year student in your 40-person Psychology class. Thomas is falling behind on assignments, and he sends you a one-sentence email asking how to improve his grades without a proper subject, introduction, or signature. You respond inviting him to come to office hours prepared with questions about class assignments. He arrives, and asks you how to improve his grade, but did not prepare specific questions to discuss.
• How would you respond?

Vignette #3 - Thomas (Outside the Classroom)

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• Strategies:
• Remind student of email expectations - approach as a teaching moment (recommend using your response emails as a template)
• Go over Thomas’ study habits and suggest areas for improvement
• Review what accommodations student might/might not have with them and whether they are utilizing them
• Discuss referral for supports on campus (e.g., CASP intervention, peer mentor support)

Vignette #3 - Discussion

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• John is a third-year Engineering student in your 20-person class. There is a large group project due at the end of the semester, and John reaches out to you expressing difficulties connecting with his group mates. He expresses that he has difficulties working in groups, and would rather complete the project independently. You receive an email from the other members of the group, who let you know that John has not responded to their emails or attended their work sessions.
• How would you respond?

Vignette #4 - John (Outside the Classroom)

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• Reactive Responses
• Set up a meeting with John to discuss concerns about group work and provide him with the contact information of the group members
• Discuss the rationale behind group work, and connect it to real-world scenarios
• Proactive Responses
• Assign groups at the beginning of the semester, and have students meet in class to gain familiarity and exchange contact information
• Set clear expectations for individual contributions for group work

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Vignette #4 - Discussion

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Faculty Feedback

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What has come up in your classrooms?

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Any Questions?

Fill out feedback form —>

References

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Elias, R., & White, S. W. (2018). Autism goes to college: Understanding the needs of a student population on the rise. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 732-746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3075-7

Maenner, M. J., Shaw, K. A., Bakian, A. V., Bilder, D. A., Durkin, M. S., Esler, A., Furnier, S. M., Hallas, L., Hall-Lande, J., Hudson, A., Hughes, M. M., Patrick, M., Pierce, K., Poynter, J. N., Salinas, A., Shenouda, J., Vehorn, A., Warren, Z., Constantino, J. N., … Cogswell, M. E. (2021). Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2018. 70(11).

Taboas, A., Doepke, K., & Zimmerman, C. (2022). Preferences for identity-first versus person-first language in a US sample of autism

stakeholders. Autism, 2, 565-570. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221130845

VanBergeijk, E., Klin, A., & Volkmar, F. (2008). Supporting more able students on the autism spectrum: College and beyond. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(7), 1359-1370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0524-8

White, S. W., Elias, R., Salinas, C. E., Capriola, N., Conner, C. M., Asselin, S. B., Miyazaki, Y., Mazefsky, C. A., Howlin, P., & Getzel, E. E. (2016). Students with autism spectrum disorder in college: Results from a preliminary mixed methods needs analysis. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 56, 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.05.010

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