The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Two students with ASD share their individual journeys in high school. Jordan just graduated with a modified diploma, from a large public high school. Elijah is a junior at a small private school for students with ASD. Each will communicate his own unique perspectives about what factors make for a successful high school experience, discussing social connections, diversity awareness, sources of stress, academic challenges, adult attitudes, and preparation for life after graduation. They’ll allow time for questions and surprise entertainment. There is very little written about the first-hand experiences of students with ASD in high school. It is common knowledge that this is a difficult time for all teens, whether diagnosed with ASD or not. It is a time filled with demanding tasks: hormonal changes; establishing one's identity in relation to others, including sexuality; strong expectations to achieve academically; pressure to make decisions about the future; and so on.

When the unique challenges of ASD are added to the mix, it can be overwhelming for these students. Jordan Ackerson says, “Because my brain is wired differently in some ways, and because it takes longer to process certain information, the typically quick pace of high school makes it feel harder to find a comfortable balance. Therefore, it causes me to experience a higher level of stress during the school day.” A fifteen year old sophomore with ASD who spoke on a teen panel said, “I left public school because I couldn't deal with the large classes, the crowded hallways, and students who only wanted to give people a hard time.”

We must listen to teens with ASD and learn from their experience. What are these young people telling us that they need most, in order to be successful at school? Another panel member, who is an 18 year old college freshman tells us, “If I could change one thing about my past school, I would hire more staff so that there would be more individualized attention…My advice to teachers who have students with Asperger's (AS) is to read up on it. It seems like a lot of special ed teachers don't know about AS.” She goes on to say, “Respect the student and understand the differences between a person with ASD and a non-spectrum person. The perfect school is when teachers respect their students for their differences and don't judge or criticize them.”

Schools are difficult places to tolerate when a student has sensory processing challenges. The same 15 year old on the teen panel shared how much she dislikes people bumping into her. Jordan says that the likelihood of being exposed to sudden, unexpected noises in school is bothersome and shocking to his system. Sensory challenges can also result from fluorescent lighting in classrooms, noisy hallways, strong smells, etc. These types of sensory “assaults” definitely increase the level of stress for many students on spectrum.

A lack of friendships is a key issue for most students with ASD. For Elijah Wapner, being in a small school geared for students with ASD was the right thing. At 14 he wrote, “For most of my life, I didn't have good friends…When my mom decided to start a school for teenagers with ASD, I wondered if it was good or bad for me, or whether I had made the right decision to be there…Almost every one of the students there became my friend because we had “Morning Meeting” every day and each student got to talk about his feelings or good news. I have no enemies there. No one ever bullies me. The school won't allow that…”

Teens with ASD need to find their own unique way of developing friendships. The same 18 year old girl on the panel found that being “a really motivated person and wanting to change,” helped her to be a more sociable person, along with the help of individual speech therapy and social groups.

Elijah shared, “I basically use humor most of the time, and most of the time it works!” When still in middle school, he made a new friend, Michael “who was always there for me. Sometimes I'd call him on the phone and tell him jokes. I still do that sometimes, and he always laughs very hard.”

Jordan said, “I use some humor too, but I also just tell them who I am and really try to ask about them too. I just kind of communicate about my experience, and we usually can find some common interest.” Jordan has also tried to build friendships by joining in school activities. His four years on the cross country team gave him the opportunity to connect with a closely knit group of students with whom he could interact in other areas of school, such as classes, lunch or walking in the hallways.

Obviously, there is no one right formula for success for students with ASD. These two young men come from highly divergent school experiences. Elijah attends a small private school for students on the autism spectrum. He has close friendships with a small group of students. He also likes the fact that he has been exposed to experiential learning. This small school's curriculum allows them to go out into the community and experience first-hand what they have studied in the classroom. Elijah will be graduating in two years, with a regular high school diploma.

Jordan, on the other hand, preferred the variety of choices that were offered in a large public school. From an academic standpoint, he graduated with a modified diploma and was therefore not expected to take all state required courses. Also, he could choose to take classes on a pass/fail basis which meant he did not have to be overly burdened by intense pressure for grades.

On a social basis, he wanted the option of many activities from which to choose. During his four years in high school he participated on the cross country team, the track team, musical theatre, acapella choir, drama club and the ecology club. In addition, he worked as an assistant in the counseling office, helped to decorate homecoming floats, and ran for student office. For Jordan, this was a fairly positive school experience.

One thing that Jordan strongly objects to is the separation of students with cognitive and developmental challenges, from the mainstream of school life that occurs in so many public schools. He said in a recent speech, “If I was in charge of the world, I would make schools stop isolating students with academic challenges from the general education environment by putting them in a self-contained classroom. Although students do not have to have diagnostic labels in order to feel isolated, this is one example of how schools work against creating a welcoming community. My idea of a perfect school would be where everyone was able to show their diversity while still being made to feel like they fit in.”

This session will provide participants with amazing insight from two wonderful young men with ASD. Our field has much to learn from those who are living with autism. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and each of them will demonstrate their unique gifts as they share their journey through high school with the audience.

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