Support for Students with Asperger syndrome is organised if the student wants it.  It is usually paid for through the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

The information is kept confidential unless the student gives explicit written permission for us to share it with the department or others.

The support is there to make sure that each individual student has the chance to achieve their full potential in their chosen area of study.   It is planned to meet individual needs and might include some of the following:

Anxiety management and support usually from the specialist Study Adviser but sometimes this has been offered by an education support worker from the National Autistic Society.

Help with personal and workload organisation is offered by the Study Adviser but can also provided by a post graduate from the student’s faculty or department. 

A Post-Graduate mentor is usually a post-graduate student, but might be a part-time lecturer, who can meet the undergraduate two or three times a week.  The mentor checks that the student has been able to access the lecture / seminar content and has interpreted other materials in the manner intended.  This support is not individual teaching, instead it aims to ensure that problems arising from the disability for example from interaction and/or communication difficulties, anxiety or, sensory and processing overload, have not impaired the student's access to lectures, seminars or the content of other materials.  When problems are identified the mentor can support the student in seeking solutions.  

Travelling to campus can be arranged by use of the University's taxi account which can be set up for students for whom travel to the campus from home or a hall of residence is too difficult.  This can be established for the academic year or as a temporary arrangement, for example to make sure the student gets to their examinations on time.  The service is usually limited to once in and once out per day.

The Specialist Study Adviser for students with Asperger syndrome can have regular meetings with students to discuss:

• co-ordination of support and liaison with departments
• assessment of educational needs  and help with understanding and adapting to the new setting of HE
• study skills in general
• personal and workload organisation
• anxiety management
• sensory issues
• access to library facilities
• requests for reasonable adjustments for coursework and exam arrangements. 

They can also help students approach other University staff to ask for help or solve other problems.  

Sometimes this provision is augmented by an education support worker from the National Autistic Society. 

Help in lectures is available.  It can be difficult for some students to listen to a lecture and take notes at the same time.  For this reason students can make digital recordings to listen to later and / or have the services of a note taker.  Some students find being in a lecture room particularly unpleasant so they may want to have an Education Support Worker (National Autistic Society) or take advantage of Informed Peer Support or a departmental Buddy system.

An Education Support Worker sometimes works with students with AS/asd to support them during their ‘working day’.  The National Autistic Society in Leicestershire has a small team of Education Support Workers who can help the student keep calm, interact with other people, and help them organise their work.  Some of the workers are graduates who can also take notes in lectures. 

Informed peer support or a departmental Buddy system can sometimes provide support.  These are other students, studying the same subject, who already know the student with AS/asd.  They can be helpful and supportive, in the usual way that friends work, if they understand the difficulties experienced by people with AS/asd.  With the students' permission this type of support can be arranged.

Liaison with Social Services and the National Autistic Society takes place when required. 

It is our usual practice to work co-operatively with all those involved with the student. 

For more information...

Please contact the AccessAbility Centre and ask to speak to the specialist Study Adviser for students with AS/asd.