More People with Autism Pursuing Higher Education

My young son's on the autism spectrum. I just say he's autistic, but for some reason people don't like being that specific. It used to be that he had "ADHD," but that was only part of it, or perhaps even a misdiagnosis. In any case, my son's been having intense behavioral problems. He's been around bad influences at his school, kids who're having their own family or behavioral problems. He's been introduced to vaping (and worse). And he's been hard to handle.

In any case, we're getting him medical help, therapy and what not. But it's an issue for parents as well. You want to see your kids being successful.

So, this piece caught my attention, at the Chicago Tribune, "Chicago man's success shows college dreams within reach for more people with autism":

Chicago man's success shows college dreams are within reach for more people with autism. https://t.co/AGxa5RCoNL (via @vikkiortiz) pic.twitter.com/i4P5hMjCU2

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) December 15, 2017

It was never a question whether Paris King would go to college.

The 23-year-old, who is on the autism spectrum, loved learning — especially history — and he and his parents saw no reason why he shouldn’t continue to do so after high school.

But during the four years King spent earning his bachelor’s degree in history at Roosevelt University, he endured setbacks that would have challenged any student. His father died. King was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was mugged near his home. And his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer that required aggressive treatment.

So when King walked across the stage and received his diploma Friday at a graduation ceremony, he was cheered on by faculty, family and friends for not only believing that a person with autism is capable of college, but also for overcoming enormous personal challenges to become a role model for people with disabilities.

“Paris never has a bad attitude,” said Danielle Smith, associate director of academic success at Roosevelt University. “He always finds a way to do it.”

King is one of four students with autism who graduated with bachelor’s degrees from Roosevelt this year, a number that has been steadily increasing for the past four years, Smith said.

“I came to college so I can learn more about the world we live in,” King said. “It has been a fun experience, but it has been hard.”

The increase at Roosevelt mirrors a national trend of students with autism enrolling in and finishing college. Because universities cannot, by law, require students to report autism or other disabilities in college applications, exact numbers are hard to pin down. But anecdotally, advocates say the large increase in the number of people diagnosed with autism is prompting more conversations about how to offer opportunities and access to the growing population.

And in turn, more students on the autism spectrum are pursuing bigger education goals.

“It’s really important for every individual to be able to have access to lifelong learning opportunities,” said Vanda Marie Khadem, founder of the Autism Higher Education Foundation, which launched in 2008 with a mission of opening access to education for people on the autism spectrum.

“Parents are demanding it, and students are demanding it, and teachers are recognizing it,” she said.

King, the youngest of three children, grew up in a Navy family that relocated several times when he was young. As a toddler growing up in San Diego, he exhibited speech delays, sensitivity to noise and fixations with hobbies. But after a doctor’s quick evaluation incorrectly determined King was not on the autism spectrum, and instead had an unspecified learning disability, his parents carried on, handling his idiosyncrasies without guidance from doctors or educators, said his mother, Patricia King.

The family moved to the Chicago area by the time Paris King was of school age. Because he struggled to focus and missed social cues, he often was separated into classes for students with behavioral problems. King also became the target of bullies. At 12 years old, he was diagnosed to be on the autism spectrum — a revelation that triggered mixed emotions from his parents, his mother recalled.

“I felt irresponsible, because as we know now, the earlier you’re able to get intervention and get them the help they need, the better they do,” Patricia King said.

But it also motivated Paris King’s parents to advocate for him and his access to educational opportunities from that point on, she added.

“It was definitely in the plan for him to go to college,” she said. “We believed that he had the ability … and the whole plan was to support him as much as he could, to make sure that he had the tools that he needed.”

With encouragement from his teachers at Gary Comer College Prep High School, where he graduated with honors, King applied to Roosevelt University. He and his parents sought out the university’s Academic Success Center, which works with students with disabilities to help them meet the same class and credit requirements expected of all students.

King began meeting twice a week for an hour with Smith, of the academic center, who was impressed with the way he tackled difficult assignments, from term papers on ancient African tribes to readings on renewable energy. King takes longer to focus and get his thoughts onto paper than some of his classmates, but he never lets his challenges stifle him, Smith said.

More.