College Admissions Testing and Autism

This contribution is from Parent Advocate/Trainer Nancy Popkin.

Back when my son was diagnosed with autism, I couldn’t imagine him going to college, let alone surviving his school years. But here we are, sixteen years post diagnosis, with a high school graduate who is now a college freshman. If college is in your child’s future, now is a good time to start planning. There are so many steps along the road to college for anyone and the path is more circuitous for someone with an autism spectrum disorder, but here I want to address one step along the way, college admissions testing.

Possible Standardized Tests
Most colleges today require students to submit scores for the SAT or ACT as part of the application process. These tests are administered by the College Board and the ACT (formerly American College Testing Program), respectively. In addition, some students with autism diagnoses may be taking AP (Advanced Placement) Exams, also administered by the College Board. But even before your child takes his/her first SAT or ACT, there is the PSAT/NMSQT. If your child is following the standard course of study and working toward a Future-Ready Core Diploma Track, they will most likely have their first exposure to college testing with the PSAT in October of the tenth grade year.

Accommodations
The test will be administered by your child’s high school, but here’s the catch: your child’s testing accommodations, as outlined by the IEP, do not automatically apply to the PSAT or subsequent standardized tests. There are steps you must take, beyond the IEP to assure that your child has testing accommodations for the PSAT and any other College Board tests that will follow. The same is true for the ACT. To learn more about the testing accommodation process, what documentation is required, and the timing for applying, check here for the PSAT, SAT, and AP exams,  and here for the ACT.

For the most part, there is someone, either a school counselor or testing coordinator, who applies for the testing accommodations for your child. Your child’s EC teacher should be able to tell you who this is at your school. I would encourage parents to be proactive and contact this person in 9th grade to get this process started rather than waiting for them to contact you. The accommodation application needs to be submitted seven weeks or more before the test your child will take. So if you are planning for the PSAT administration in tenth grade, the end of August is the latest you should be filing for testing accommodations. Even earlier is better as sometimes the College Board will request more documentation before granting some of the accommodations, so time for this further submission should be provided.

Some more unusual accommodations may not be approved. One accommodation my son had on his IEP was to take all tests in pencil (some of his teachers required essays in pen). We applied for this accommodation well in advance of the AP US History exam (also administered by College Board) but it was denied. This gave us time to demo tons of different types of pens and have him practice writing with the best one so he could pull off the essay (he did great).

Once the accommodations are set, you will not need to reapply for each test. You will just need to bring the accommodations confirmation letter your son/daughter receives to each test he/she takes.

Preparing for Test Day
With the exception of the PSAT, you will need to register for testing days on your own if your son/daughter is taking the SAT or ACT. Go to the respective links provided earlier to find out possible test dates for the respective tests. To determine which tests you need to take, you will need to begin a college search and find out which tests are required by the colleges to which your son or daughter is hoping to apply. Don’t leave testing to the last minute in case a retest is desired to get a better score. For some students taking the test twice is a good idea. The first time is for getting used to taking the test as there will be some new experiences when taking the test. The second time things will be more familiar.

Once you have registered for the test, put it on a calendar and come up with a plan for preparing. There are tons of study guides out there. College Board will email a single practice question every day if you want. We actually did not have our son do too much preparing for the PSAT or SAT. We didn’t want him to get anxious about it and we weren’t sure if he would generalize the practice to the actual test. For other students, it may be appropriate to review the different sorts of math problems and verbal reasoning questions to expect, as well as the expectations for the writing section.

Closer to test day, make a schedule for your son or daughter to know how the day will proceed. The College Board tells you exactly what you are allowed to bring into the testing location. They are very strict about this, so discuss this in advance as well. Get these things ready the night before the test. There is lots of good information about what to expect on the College Board website.

On Test Day
On test day, you will not be allowed to escort your son or daughter to the proper room or talk to the proctor, so make sure they know how to self-advocate if they need to. This is especially important if they are taking the test in a school other than their own high school, where things are familiar.

My son took the SAT at an unfamiliar high school, so I went ahead and prepared a page for him to give to the proctor in his testing room. He and I discussed this in advance and he helped me write the page. We provided his name and contact information and my contact information at the top. If you choose to do this, keep it brief and simple. We also provided the following information on this page:

Gray has a diagnosis of autism. Things he might do that are due to his autism:

Make audible silly sounds.
Pop out of his seat and flap his arms or hands.
Sit on his knees and hang his head below the seat of the chair.
Make grunting sounds if he is frustrated.
When frustrated or scolded, he may hit his head with his fists.

Please redirect Gray by telling him what he should be doing instead.

Gray may need help when using a telephone, finding a restroom, or knowing when he can have a break.

On test day, I did take my son into the testing location front door and immediately found an adult to help him figure out where he was to go. I had my phone on and hung out at a coffee shop near by. If your child has extended time, the testing session will last 50% longer than other students. So expect to pick up your child five and a half hours later.

When Gray came out of the testing center, he was accompanied by someone who clearly was making sure he got out of the building safely. She even reported that he did great! He looked at me and said, “You owe me!” I do find it so ironic that the kids who need to get up and move around the most, have to stay the longest to take these tests, so I agreed with him. I did owe him and told him how proud I was that he handled the stress of the test and a strange location so well! I offered to do whatever he wanted for the rest of the day! But all he wanted was a Hershey Bar! Wish granted.

These standardized tests are just one step of many in preparing for a college experience. With careful planning, our kids can have a positive testing experience and do their best. Then it is on to the application, college visits, deciding where to go and moving on!!

A great resource is the book, Realizing the College Dream with Autism and Asperger Syndrome by Ann Palmer, available at the Autism Society of North Carolina Bookstore.

Written by Nancy Popkin, Parent Advocate/Trainer. To contact Nancy, please send an email to: npopkin@autismsociety-nc.org.

 

A New Year, A New Approach to Challenging Behaviors

Editor’s Note – The following post was written by Louise Buchholz Southern, M.Ed., BCBA, Training Specialist for the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC).

As professionals working in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) intervention and as parents of individuals with ASD, it’s likely that we have all experienced challenging and persistent behaviors. These behaviors come in many forms including aggression, property destruction, non-compliance, and self-injurious behavior, to name a few. When we experience these behaviors in an individual with ASD, one of the first questions we should ask ourselves is, “What is the individual trying to communicate with this behavior?” What want, need, confusion, or fear is the individual trying to express? As one individual with ASD stated, “You can’t not communicate. Everything you say and do or don’t say and don’t do sends a message to others.”

Some behaviors take us by surprise, and seem to appear without any cause. However, if we operate under the assumption that there is always a reason for the behavior, we are more likely to take the action necessary to change behavior. Changing someone else’s behavior always requires a change in our own behavior first. So as the New Year begins and as we continue to face challenging behaviors, let’s assume that behavior is always meaningful and let’s ask ourselves these questions:

• Does the individual have a way to communicate his/her wants, needs, and choices all of the time and across contexts? In order to teach an individual the power of communication, we cannot compartmentalize their communication to certain parts of the day or to certain locations (e.g. only when the instructor directs the individual to a choice board that is affixed to the wall).
• Even if the individual is “verbal,” does s/he functionally communicate? For example, some individuals script from TV shows, or they repeat back what they hear rather than responding. Some individuals are nonresponsive to anyone other than people with whom they are very familiar. Some individuals use language that does not seem to make sense given the context. Some individuals label everything, but don’t use language to express wants or needs, or to respond to questions and statements. In all of these examples, while the individual is “verbal,” we need to explicitly teach and reinforce functional communication.
• Note: ASNC’s Training Department is preparing to launch a functional communication training workshop this spring. In addition, the Autism Internet Modules website http://www.autisminternetmodules.org offers a range of free trainings on evidence-based practices such as functional communication training and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
• Have we identified a behavior that we can teach and reinforce to replace the behavior that we don’t want to see?
• Are we effectively reinforcing those behaviors that we want to see? Are we applying consequences that are actually reinforcing /motivating to the individual? Are we reinforcing the appropriate behavior consistently, and are we making sure that the individual understands the connection between behavior and consequence (reinforcer)? Are we attending to (and reinforcing) those behaviors that we want to increase significantly MORE than we are attending to those behaviors that we want to reduce? Are we missing opportunities to reinforce the individual when s/he is doing what is expected?
• Are we delivering instructions/information in a way that the individual with ASD can understand?
• Are we visually structuring academic, leisure, and work activities so that the individual understands what to do, how much to do, when finished, and what next? Many individuals with ASD experience significant anxiety and frustration when they don’t understand the expectations, the “rules” of the game, or when the activity will be finished.
• Has there been a change to the routine or has something unexpected occurred? How can we better prepare the individual for these inevitable events?
• Does the individual have a strategy in place to regulate his/ her sensory needs? What self-calming activities do we need to explicitly teach? How does the individual indicate that he needs a break?

For more information about support services available to individuals, families and professionals through the ASNC Training Department contact Louise via email at lsouthern@autismsociety-nc.org.

For titles related to challenging behavior please visit the Autism Society of North Carolina Bookstore located at www.autismbookstore.com.

Books on autism make great Holiday Gifts!

There are 1000′s of books out there today about autism, from children’s stories, to novels, to informational materials on how to teach your child with autism, to personal accounts written by adults on the autism spectrum. The variety is endless! There are so many books to choose from that the Autism Society of NC Bookstore has narrowed down the very best books just for you. These top sellers make excellent gifts this holiday season! I’ve categorized them by recipient to make it even easier to find the right book for the right person on your list!

For Children Under 10:
* The Bully Blockers

* Accept and Value Each Person

* Taking Autism to School

For Middle-Schoolers:
* Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome

* Dude, That’s Rude!

* My Strange and Terrible Malady

For High-Schoolers:
* Communication: What Does It Mean to Me?

* Fighting Invisible Tigers

* Learning Social Skills – A Conversation Workbook

For Adults on the Spectrum:
* Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships

* Ask & Tell

* Life & Love: Positive Strategies
For Parents and other Family Members:
* Growing Up on the Spectrum

* The Boy Who Loved Tornadoes

* Temple Grandin HBO Movie
For Professionals & Teachers:
* Early Start Denver Model for Young Children with Autism

* Inclusion of Students with Autism: Using ABA Based Supports

* Tasks Galore Let’s Play

For Your Neighbors & Friends:
* All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome

* 41 Things to Know About Autism

* Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew

We also carry Bookstore Gift Certificates of various denominations if you just can’t decide what to get for that special person on your holiday list.

Now as a special treat for reading all the way through this blog post I want to let you know that the ASNC Bookstore is offering a 10% discount on all online purchases made from now through Jan. 1st 2011! Just use the coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS during checkout! Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping!

~Melanie Adams-Borgen
ASNC Booksore Manager

ASNC Bookstore June Top Ten Best Sellers

June 2010 Top 10 Bestsellers

1. Parent Survival Manual
2. Taking Care of Myself
3. Manners for the Real World DVD
4. Social Skills Picture Book
5. Super Skills
6. TEACCH Transition Assessment Profile (TTAP)
7. Tasks Galore: Let’s Play
8. Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond
9. Tasks Galore Book 1
10. Navigating the Social World

Please visit our website to read detailed descriptions of these and other popular titles. We are also adding new books monthly, so check out our New Items category to see our latest offerings.

What a great conference…

If you missed ASNC’s 40^th Anniversary Annual Conference, then we missed you; if you were there, then you’ll know what I mean.  The two keynote speakers whom I heard, Scott Bellini and Chantal Sicile-Kira, were outstanding, entertaining, and informative.  Two of the founding members of the Autism Society of NC, Bobo Warren and Betty Camp, were present and were honored in a video review of the history of ASNC.  The conference was concluded with an address by Dave Spicer, an adult on the spectrum, who spoke eloquently of his life’s journey.

Scott Bellini’s approach to social skills training really resonated with his audience—we have to reframe the definition of social skills training to include natural settings with typical peers in addition to therapist settings.  He spoke of the essentials of social skills: thinking about it, feeling about it and doing it.  In addition to teaching the skill, we have to teach the understanding of the skill (when, where, how to do it)—like a quarterback, humans have to make snap decisions that involve planning, movement and real-time analysis. He uses video modeling in his approach and showed the audience how simple it was (I think about 150 people immediately went and bought a Flip Camera afterwards!).  I strongly encourage you to buy his book Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills.  His exercise to show the difficulty in reciprocal conversation was a riot…just ask anyone who went to the conference about their shoes.

Chantal told heartwarming stories of her son, Jeremy, and his later adoption of technology to communicate so articulately (but not verbally).  She has written 4 books, the latest one being 41 Things to Know about Autism, contributes to the Huffington Post, blogs, and moderates webinars, among other accomplishments.  However, I think she would list her most important duty as mother to her children: her daughter and her son.  Jeremy is 21 years old and is finishing his high school diploma, in between presentations and speeches (using a voice output device).  Chantal compared the difference between neurotypicals and people with autism to the cultural difference between the United States and France (where she has family and lived when Jeremy was born).  I especially liked her framework of public versus private behaviors (as opposed to appropriate versus inappropriate)…which becomes even more important as children with ASD approach puberty.  Always fun to talk about THAT with teens—typical or not.

Join us next year for another great conference!