Midwestern State University Autism Support Program

Midwestern State University Autism Support Program

The Birth of an Idea

On the first Monday of February, 2008, five graduate students in Special Education sat in their Seminar class in their professor’s living room. For three weeks, they had been studying Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Four of the graduate students were practicing teachers; two of them were teaching students with ASDs. They bemoaned the fact that nothing existed for adolescents with ASDs who were academically brilliant, but who could not succeed in college without special support. One teacher said that she had an upcoming senior and junior, both of whom were highly capable, but who had nowhere to go because no college existed that would give them the kind of support that they needed to succeed: supervised housing, in-house peer mentors, study halls, social skills training, counseling, a therapy dog, recreational therapy, training for faculty, etc.

Then the idea occurred to the professor. She said, “What do you think would happen if you students wrote a proposal to Midwestern State University to create a program for such students? I think something might come of it. We wouldn’t be around to see the project come to fruition; it would take five or six years, but you could plant the seeds that would bloom in time.” Little did she know…

The students’ eyes lit up. They decided that they would spend two weeks, each researching different parts of the proposal; they would ask for everything that they could imagine that a world-class autism support program for college-eligible students would need. Then they would present their proposal to university administration.

Three weeks later, they stood in front of university Vice President for Student Services, Dr. Howard Farrell, and the dean of the College of Education, Dr. Grant Simpson. As the grandfather of a brilliant five-year-old with ASD, Dr. Simpson was enthusiastic about the project from the beginning. The professor beamed as her students each presented their part of the proposal. Dr. Simpson and Dr. Farrell listened attentively. Then, when the last student had made her case, Dr. Farrell said, “I have one question: is this just a class project, or are you people serious?” The students affirmed that they were serious. Then Dr. Farrell asked some hard questions, and the students and profssor all answered them as well as they could. Satisfied, he nodded his head and said, “Then I am going to give you a house, pledge full institutional support, and provide funding for one year. Then you have to come up with the external funding to keep it going.”

The MSU Autism Support Program is now seeking grants from individuals, foundations, and the government. For those who are interested in assisting us, our Tax ID number is 75-6001738.

What is the Midwestern State University Autism Support Program?

The Midwestern State University Autism Support Program is a system of supports that are designed toempoweracademically capable students with ASDs succeed in college. The program cannot make a student succeed; the individual student is still the one who must be motivated to succeed and go to class, read and study, do and turn in homework, and pass exams.

The program will also provide opportunities to develop social skills and make friends.

The program includes specialized transitional housing for the first year, and longer if needed. Once students enter general campus housing, they may continue as part of our program for as long as they wish.

How does the program provide supports?

The heart of the program is our peer mentors. Peer mentors livewith the residents on a ratio of 2:4.

Peer mentors are specially selected juniors, seniors, or graduate students who are majors in special education or allied fields such as nursing or social work. They receive scholarships and a monthly stipend for assisting with the Autism Support Program; however, they are not peer mentors for the money; they are peer mentors because they want to work with students with ASDs.

Most importantly, peer mentors are responsible, socially-competent, mature students with outgoing personalities.

The role of the peer mentors is not to be a resident’s mom or dad. They do not tell residents what to do. They listen, encourage, suggest, recommend, give advice, provide feedback, tell lessons from their own life experiences, and serve as role models. Like a good friend, they “tell it like it is” and will “be there for you.” In addition, they perform such duties as scheduling activities, sharing in house chores, helping with transportation when residents have errands, reminding residents to eat, and if necessary, to take medicine.

Peer mentors cover the house most hours of the day, in case of emergencies; if the peer mentor on duty is not actually in the house, s/he is on campus with a cell phone, only three or four minutes away. They have undergone confidentiality training and are often certified in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention.

In addition, residents receive the following supports.

Assistance with Daily Living Skills- Peer mentors live in the residence with the students, so they often help them awaken for morning classes. Mentors also advise residents in matters of personal hygiene and other health issues as needed. They encourage residents to become involved in university organizations and activities. They also instruct residents in how do to house chores; chores rotate often, so all residents learn to do all chores.

Supervised study time –Graduate or undergraduate special education students are available to assist students with work throughout the week at designated times. This assistance is in the form of suggestions of study strategies, organizational strategies, and help prioritizing assignments.

Group counseling- A graduate student in the Master of Counseling program provides weekly group counseling to assist students in living together cooperatively. Individual counseling is available on an as-needed basis.

Social skills instruction- A graduate student in the Master of Special Education or Counseling programs provides social skills instruction weekly. Some lessons are facilitated by professors and other students in various disciplines such as dental hygiene, nursing, and nutrition.

Grocery shopping trips- Because some of the students have unusual eating habits, they have the opportunity to purchase as few as 25 meals per semester from the cafeteria and prepare their own food in the house. Shopping trips each week allow them to make food purchases.

Shopping trips for errands-Residents may schedule special shopping trips with their peer mentors for the purpose of going to book stores, hobby stores, clothing, etc.

Special recreational activities- Peer mentors collaborate with residents to schedule special recreational activities, birthday parties, trips to local restaurants, etc. Undergraduate students in special education are asked to assist in planning and participating in these activities.

House Meetings- House meetings allow residents to express their desires and concerns to each other and peer mentors on a weekly basis. All reasonable requests are acted upon in a timely manner, and all concerns are addressed.

Face-to-Face with Faculty- At the beginning of each semester, students have the opportunity to meet with each of their professors for that semester at a location of their choosing, to clarify course expectations, discuss needs in the classroom, and get to know their professor on a more informal basis.

Who is involved in the program?

Currently (Fall 2010), we have five residents in the program: three males and two females. The house in which three of the students live (named Initium House by the residents), is staffed by undergraduate students earning degrees in special education and teacher certification. The five residents share their home with Calli (Calliope), a gentle, mix-breed black lab who is in training to become a facilitydog.

In Spring 2010, one of our original students moved into a campus apartment, considered “semi-independent living,” where he lives with a Peer Mentor, has less responsibilities to the program, but still has access to the program amenities on a more voluntary basis. In Fall 2010, one of our female residents followed suit, and she shares an apartment with a female Peer Mentor.

Also, in Spring 2010, we acceptedone additional student who participates as a non-residential student, or, “townie.” This student, who lives in the Wichita Falls area with their guardian, takes part in whichever aspects of the program they like except actually living in the Initium House.

Only students under the age of 25 will be allowed to live in the houses due to the concerns of young females about older males co-residing with them.

Other personnel associated with the house are:

• Graduate and undergraduate special education majors who gain field experience hours through assistance with errand transportation, coordinating special events, and/or providing Peer Mentor respite
• A graduate special education major who teaches social skills lessons once a week
• A graduate counseling major who conducts group counseling once a week
• Graduate or undergraduate special education majors who assist with study halls.
• Jessica Dunn, the current Program Director, and Dr. Millie Gore, Program Supervisor, who visit the house frequently

Related university personnel include:

• The Academic Support Center (located a one-minute walk from the house)
• Student Counseling Center (located directly across from the house)
• Student Disability Support Services (located in the Student Center)
• University professors who
• Attend a workshop on ASDs presented by the Program Director
• Receive specific information about the needs of the student(s) in their classes
• Contact the Program Director when problems arise
• Respond to monthly grade checks from the Program Director

Related personnel in the community include:

• A DARS* courtesy counselor to relay information to students’ home DARS counselors
• A crisis counselor from Helen Farabee MHMR Center**
• A medical case manager from Helen Farabee MHMR Center**
• Transportation for errands will be provided by Helen Farabee MHMR Center**

Elective personnel

• Private tutors can be hired by students as needed; in some cases, DARS may be the payer

*Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)

**For those students who qualify for Helen Farabee MHMR services

Additional university services

• Vinson Health Center
• Free dental cleanings and X-rays from the MSU Dental Clinic
• Checking and savings accounts from the MSU Credit Union
• Maroon Money (like a debit or declining balance card; these are accepted on campus and at a number of local businesses)
• A new, state-of-the-art wellness center
• An Honors Program for qualified students

How do I get admitted to the program?

The MSU Autism Support Program serves students on the Autism spectrum who are fully academically qualified for admission to our university like all other students. In Texas, this means that students coming directly from high school must complete the state’s “Recommended” curriculum with satisfactory grades and must make satisfactory scores on the ACT or SAT. Students who are coming from community colleges must have satisfactory grades. If the student has completed at least 18 hours that will transfer from a community college, the student does not have to take the ACT or SAT.

Applicants must

• Complete a college preparatory track in high school
• be academically qualified for our university like any other student
• have a current evaluation (within three years) from a psychologist, physician, or DARS counselor diagnosing them with an autism spectrum disorder
• have no history of violent behavior

In order to be admitted to MSU, you may go online to click on “admissions,” and complete the application.

You will also need to contact the program director by email () and ask her to put you on the waiting list. She will need your contact information and the date that you will/did graduate from high school.

We recommend that applicants also contact their state’s vocational rehabilitation office and apply to become a client of that agency. DARS currently pays room, tuition, fees, and books for our residents. DARS has also purchased laptop computers for our residents.

Applicants who are still in high school are encouraged to transition using these guidelines:

At the end of eighth grade, applicants are encouraged to review college admission requirements, and learn more about the Autism Support Program to decide if they would like to be placed on the waiting list. This allows the special education teacher and professor to ensure that the student takes the courses in high school that will help prepare them for that major.

At the end of eleventh or twelfth grade, students who are interested in enrolling at MSU in an upcoming semester are invited to make a campus visit, get a campus tour, and meet with the Program Director.

If an opening is anticipated for an upcoming semester, families will be notified if their student is eligible for that semester. They will be asked to complete the Program application, send official transcripts, and their most recent documentation of their diagnosis on the autism spectrum (within three years).

What is required to stay in the program?

We have a long waiting list, so the spaces in our program are valuable resources. Therefore, in order to continue to stay in the program after admission, a student must attend all classes, maintain a 2.0 GPA, and participate in program activities. If a student starts a pattern of skipping classes or of failing to turn in work, s/he will be dropped from the program. If a student is placed on academic suspension, the student will be dropped from the program.

Of course, a student will be dropped from the program for drinking or using other drugs on campus or at the house, engaging in assaultive behavior, refusing to live by house rules, etc.

What else should I know?

Ours is the first program of its kind in the world. We are learning as we go along. We aren’t going to get everything right, but we are trying.

Faculty members are enormously supportive of our students with ASDs; in fact, the level of support from faculty has both amazed and delighted us.

The continuance of our program is dependent on finding continued funding. We may have to start assessing a program fee, but at this time, we are trying to obtain grants to continue the program.

We are encouraging other community colleges and universities to start their own programs, and we invite them to visit us. We are presenting our program as a model support system for others to emulate through conference presentations and those organizations who invite us to present.

Conclusion

News of this program is staggering the Autism community across the nation. The Texas AP picked up the 2008 article about our program in the Times Record News; people from Corpus Christi and the San Antonio area have emailed to say that they read about the program in their local papers. The article is on many sites on the Internet, including at least one site in the United Kingdom. We have received emails about the program from as far away as New York City and Washington State as well as from Albania. Parents have told the Texas Legislature about our program (even a parent whom we have never met), and are lobbying for more such programs in Texas with ours as the model.

Through the vision of five graduate students, the boldness of Dr. Howard Farrell, the cooperation of faculty members teaching the students, the support of MSU Housing and Student Affairs, and the daily hard work of the Peer Mentors, we are making differences in the lives of students with ASDs and their families and are setting the bar for universities across America; we are the pioneers, doing something that has never been done before… anywhere. Do not think that residents take the privilege of being in the program lightly. One student described the program as “a rare blessing,” and on another occasion he said, “Remember Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Being accepted into this program makes me feel like I just won the Golden Ticket.”

More information can be found on the Autism Support Program website:

Jessica Dunn, M.Ed.

Director, Autism Support Program

Dr. Millie Gore

Supervisor, Autism Support Program

Hardin Professor

Department of Counseling and Special Education

Gordon T. and Ellen West College of Education

Midwestern State University

3410 Taft Blvd.

Wichita Falls, Texas, 76308, USA

Phone 940-397-4269

Fax 940-397-4694