College Living Toolkit
Digital download
This is a digital download, no physical items will be sent to you. You will see the download as either a PDF or zip file.
For many autistic adults, college represents the biggest transition period of their lives up to that point. College combines many of the freedoms we associate with adulthood with a flurry of opportunities, experiences, and new people of many different backgrounds.
But an unfortunate reality for autistic students is that college has historically been a neurotypical institution and is mostly defined and run on neurotypical norms and expectations. Yet college provides experiences and opportunities that are difficult to replicate elsewhere, and for some people it’s going to be the best way of helping to achieve their goals.
The purpose of this toolkit is to offer some helpful information on the college experience and how to navigate it to people who might have reason to reference it at some point during their college career.
In this toolkit, we cover/include:- Common Needs for Autistic College Students
- College Living Self-Assessment of your goals
- Executive Functioning
- Life Skills
- Connecting with Others
- Accommodations
- Identifying Your Next Steps
This toolkit is for all members of the autism community to get on the same page around a specific topic.
In whatever role(s) you occupy, you can use this guide to support your knowledge on the topic, share information with others in your support networks, and use this guide in discussions about locating appropriate resources.
Each individual is in a different place and can benefit from learning about ideas and ways to support or seek support.
About the Lifespan Toolbox
The Lifespan Toolbox is a collection of toolkits for everyone in the autism community from self-advocates, family members, professionals, and other members of the community to get on the same page about autism and lifespan.
We span topics all over the lifespan, specifically thinking about the adulthood years (the longest span of our lives!) and how we can all work together to support the autistic person/people in our lives and community.
Research and reported experiences from autistic individuals show a need to receive individualized support regarding life skills and to be connected with others. That’s where the Lifespan Toolbox comes in!
New Releases
- We have a growing library of toolkits and are adding to it on a biweekly basis. There are numerous topics to cover here!
Up to Date Resources
- Isn’t it frustrating to finally find a resource and discover that it’s from 2011? We keep ours updated with news, research, and feedback from the ASD community.
Interactive
- Each toolkit page has an interactive webpage with active links and videos. You can also download the PDF which has ample space for taking notes.