college Financial help for persons with Autism/Aspergers

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I have a 25 year old high functioning Autistic Son who wants to attend college. He did attend a computer Tech school but did not complete. Is there funding or programs that might help him succeed? Does anyone have a clue? Thanks for any help.

Adamsmom

If you're in the US any accommodations he may need should be covered by the ADA, much like IDEA for younger kids. This is typically extra time on tests or proctored tests in a private room if needed. It just depends on what he needs. Colleges can vary with the services they are willing to provide, but since they don't particularly want to risk an ADA suit you have a handle. Depending on his financial situation he may qualify for Federal financial aid. You can also check for scholarships for students with disabilities. Since he's 25 now your income doesn't count towards his financial aid eligibility. Check the college's website or call their special services department. If you don't live in the US I'm not sure what to tell you.

Again, assuming you're in the U.S., there's a lot that can be done. Every campus is required to have an office (or at least a staff) that deals with the needs of students with disablities, so they'd be the ones to contact. They can't help him get accepted to college, but they can help with things like extended test times, testing in a private room, notetakers, assistive technology, etc.

For financial aid, call the financial aid office. There's a lot of federal assistance available, and depending on where you are, some states offer help. You might also contact your local Vocational Rehablitation office. I've known quite a few people who were able to get money from them to go to college.

since he's old enough to count as "independent", meaning that only his ability to pay is considered (and not yours) he should get a lot of financial aid already, unless he is working a job which makes enough money that he is not eligible, or has so much in savings that he is expected to use that.

Plus, if the eventual goal is to get a 4-year college degree, taking several classes at a local community college is an easy and usually very cheap way to get college credit. You can usually start slow (say 1 or 2 classes if necessary to get used to it) and community college classes typically transfer to any state university in the same state.

For the core subjects community colleges are usually better than universities since the classes are smaller and more often taught by PhD's rather than a TA.

how much support he'll get would depend upon where he goes. some colleges have great resource depts, others not so much. you'd have to really look at local schools to find out what's out there