Autistic student adjusts to college life

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Autistic student adjusts to college life

By SWAPNA VENUGOPAL RAMASWAMY

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: December 30, 2007)

LEWISBORO

A month into college, Sayers was excited about coming back

home during the first break of the semester.

The Adirondacks Trailways ticket counter at the Albany University,

SUNY, Student Center should have been an easy place to buy a bus

ticket back to New York City.

But for Sayers, a 19-year-old freshman with Asperger's syndrome - a

high-functioning autism spectrum disorder - it couldn't have been

more difficult.

" It took coaching in the form of four e-mails and one phone call from

me, " said Cheryl Thacker, her mother. " does not like to talk

to strangers or initiate a conversation. The communication piece is a

core deficit for her. "

After that first time, however, the sailing has been smooth.

Home for the Christmas holiday, Sayers, with short brown hair and a

beatific smile, said she now considers herself a " pro " ticket

purchaser.

And she is thriving at college too, at least academically. Her 3.6

grade-point average for the first semester has been a source of joy

for her family.

In September, Sayers was one of five students to be awarded $1,000 by

the CVS Caremark All Kids Can Scholars Program.

The program, administered by the Autism Society of America, is part

of a five-year $25,000 commitment to enable students with autism to

attend the college or trade school of their choosing, said

Veilleux, director of community relations with CVS Caremark.

She also won a $1,000 Spano Memorial Scholarship,

administered by the Katonah-boro school district, when she

graduated from Jay High School last year.

" These awards have given her a confidence boost, " said Thacker, an

independent lighting designer for television. " And they have served

as reinforcements. "

Over the past decade or so, more and more students who have received

an Asperger's diagnosis are attending mainstream colleges, said Jane

Thierfeld Brown, director of student services at the University of

Connecticut School of Law.

Thierfeld Brown, who has worked in disability services for 27 years,

consults at many higher-education institutions and is a frequent

speaker at conferences on Asperger's syndrome.

Her book, " A Professional Guide to Students With Asperger's Syndrome

in Higher Education, " is to be published in 2008.

" From the surveys I have conducted, the community colleges average

eight students, and four-year colleges average five, " she said. " It's

important to train the faculty and the staff of colleges and

universities so they can provide for the specific needs of students

who are coping with sensory sensitivity and overcoming communication

difficulties. "

Although Sayers has completed a semester at Albany University, she

has yet to interact with a faculty member, or even a fellow student,

outside of the classroom setting. She has trouble reading faces.

" If sees a stranger reading a newspaper, she will view this as

a threatening face rather than a neutral one, " Thacker said. " And she

finds it exceedingly difficult to ask someone for help. "

Sayers has opted for a " medical single " - a single-occupancy dorm

room.

" The last thing I need at the end of the day is more social

interaction, " she said.

Toward the end of the semester though, she had worked up the nerve to

say " hello " to a few familiar faces in the elevator, she said.

Sayers, who has a black belt in karate, hopes to major in political

science and go to law school.

" I want to be a civil rights lawyer, " she said. " I view Asperger's

syndrome as a civil rights issue. "

Researchers like Thierfeld Brown and parents of those with Asperger's

would surely agree.

" We want to see more students not only getting into college, but also

feeling comfortable in the college atmosphere and completing their

degrees, " said Thierfeld Brown.

But for Sayers, when she returns to school in mid-January, a more

daunting, self-imposed goal awaits.

" I need to make a friend, " she said.