The next steps to higher education— Son of an I.E.P.
As you may or may not know, the autism spectrum, is just that. A spectrum. Our son, is mildly autistic, but even we are going through steps that we need to take in order for him to go to higher education.
Step 1: As soon as your kid turns 18, they are now legal. Yes, this means that any/all decisions need to be made by them. You can decide whether or not you (as the parent) want to get guardianship. (We decided NO on that). There are steps you need to take if you feel that your kid is NOT able to make any adult life skill issues or can fend for themselves.
Step 2: The young adult (no longer kid, by the way) will then need to make the decision to either go to a higher education or not. For regular kids this can be a hard decision, but with a young adult on the spectrum, it’s a little more challenging. Challenge them by giving them any and all decisions that they will need to make. They can choose to go to a 2 year college instead of a 4 year college. For our young man, he decided to go to a 4 year college. (By the way, he was accepted into Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts).
Step 3: Besides filling out all the forms, you now need to have your young adult (or you as the parent/guardian) request to get any/all paperwork needed such as; IEP, diagnosis, and the psychological evaluation in order for them to receive Student Accessibility Services at the University. (Most colleges do have this now, but check with them or on their website exactly what paperwork they need!).
Step 4: Check with the young adults para professional about the “Chapter 688” form from your Massachusetts government: DDS (Department of Developmental Services?) Now, we are in Massachusetts. I would suggest if you live in a different state, to check with your local chapter of who you need to reach out to. They will then send you more forms to fill out. This form needs to be done as soon as possible, and you as the guardian may fill out the form, but your young adult WILL need to sign the form (if they are 18 or older).
All this paperwork needs to be done in order for your young adult to now get into college. The lady I spoke with at DDS was kind enough to chat with me in regards to what steps we need to take, but she advised we do this paperwork as soon as possible.
(Here I thought that I.E.P.’s were a pain in the butt).
By the way, hubby brought up this video (from 2016) College Autism Spectrum (CAS) — College Autism Spectrum — I would HIGHLY suggest to WATCH this video as soon as you can WITH your YOUNG ADULT that is on the spectrum.
