Bringing autism awareness to Cleveland
Understanding the lives of college students with ASD
According to the Office of Disabilities, there are currently 35 students who attend Cleveland State University who have been diagnosed with autism — now formally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Students who are in grade-school or college affected with ASD usually get diagnosed early in their childhood.
The diagnosis can be one of three different forms of Autism, which are known as Autism Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder — Autism Disorder being the most crucial case and Pervasive being the least.
Jason Saintz, a CSU senior Film and Digital Media student, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 10.
He said the diagnosis seriously affected his social skills and friendships, especially in middle school.
“As a child I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of two and was also known to be very quiet,” he said. “Things only started getting worse and more serious for me when I was in middle school. At that age it was very hard for me to make friends and talk to people with my autism. I always felt uncomfortable and found it difficult to build up the confidence to speak to someone other than family or advisors in school.”
Many who are affected by ASD or any other disability are likely to face obstacles in their academic careers, but can utilize resources on and off campus to receive guidance and support to better work with — instead of against — their ASD.
ASD diagnosis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), any form of autism is a general term of complex disorders of brain development. Each type is characterized and measured based off one’s difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, leisure, play activities, intellect or in repetitive behaviors.
From birth to five years of age, children reach milestones in how they learn, play, speak and act. If there is a delay in any of these areas, that could be a sign of ASD or any other developmental disabilities.
Each of the three forms of autism are similar and all can be solely classified as ASD, but each has different symptoms and impacts. Most symptoms are usually found between the ages of two and three and are carried with a person throughout their life.
According to the newest data released by CDC in March 2014, one in 68 children are diagnosed with ASD. Boys have a one in 42 chance of diagnosis and girls with a one in 189 chance, meaning boys are 4.5 times more likely to have ASD.
Based off information from professionals on AutismSpeaks.org, in order to treat or properly care for children early on, it is recommended that the family of the child participates in an early behavioral intervention.
As a person with ASD gets older, treatment is still recommended inside or outside of their home in order to better improve social and learning skills. However, those who start treatment early are more likely to overcome childhood struggles and carry on independently with their life in adolescent stages.
The ability of a person with ASD to attend and succeed in college is case-by-case. No student with ASD learns or socializes at the same pace as any other ASD student.
Office of Disability Services
Director of Disability Services at CSU Linda Casalina said the office is a place where students on campus with ASD can find help and guidance.
“Our main goal for students with ASD is that they understand what they have, find a voice and [we] teach them about life before, during and after college,” she said. “We want to help the students organize their education and college life as well as [teach them] how to work well with other students.”
When working with students who are affected by ASD, specialists perform one-on-one role-playing in order for students to better understand how to work with others.
They act out moments such as making appointments, engaging in conversations, learning personal space, time management and success coaching.
Specialists encourage students to get involved in organizations they may be interested in on campus so they can engage themselves in student life and have more student interaction.
Students with disabilities also have the option to take tests from their courses in the Office of Disability instead of in the classroom.
To qualify for this, class instructors must know why the student has elected to take tests elsewhere, but it is ultimately the student’s choice to disclose their disability with a professor.
If the student does not wish to be separated from other students while testing and does not feel comfortable telling the professor about their disability, they don’t have to.
Legally, instructors are not required to know if a student in their class is affected by ASD. According to Autismspeaks.org, it is based on the student’s confidentiality and whether or not they want instructors to be informed.
Casalina said many students with ASD in general are at average intelligence or above average, depending on what form they have. Although some may be very intelligent, most take longer to graduate than others because it is important that they take the least amount of credit hours in the full-time range, in order to minimize frustration and maximize success.
“As long as students with [ASD] are getting the support they need throughout their early years of adolescents, they will continue to improve and move forward,” she said.
Living with ASD
Jason Saintz said dealing with ASD in his childhood made it difficult in creating new relationships and communicating with others, but once he hit high school, things started to change.
“It was hard as a child making friends and feeling comfortable around others, but with the support from my family and brothers especially, it made it much easier to gain more friends,” he said. “The work of advising during high school and middle school didn’t help much. Advisors only covered what I already knew and really didn’t push me to do anything.”
It was after graduating high school and meeting his best friend — who he said made a large impact on his life — that he felt more comfortable with people.
He now takes advantage of his free time hanging out with friends, staying active and playing sports. He also works two jobs related to film and camera work for TimeWarner sports and CSU’s Athletic Department.
Coming to CSU, Saintz said he received a lot of support and guidance from advisors, but over time, he has felt the need to meet up with advisors a lot less.
“I’ve come a long way from where I was earlier on as a person and student,” he said. “I still deal with trying to stay balanced, focused and prioritized in school, but I do it all on my own. As time goes on I need less help.”
For any naysayers, Saintz is proof students with ASD can enjoy a successful campus life. And he is not an isolated case.
David Petrovic, a 22-year-old Notre Dame of Ohio graduate also has a form of ASD. He has teamed up with his mother, Sandy Petrovic, in order to share their journey with ASD from each viewpoint and help people — with or without the disability — to understand ASD.
“David was diagnosed before the age of three and began receiving speech therapy immediately,” Sandy said. “He had challenges with communication and social skills, and he later needed occupational therapy for writing and other fine motor tasks. I believe that his early intervention made a huge difference in his growth, development, and outcome.”
According to David, as a child he struggled with all things involving socialization, including forming friendships. He learned differently and required extra tutoring to understand certain concepts.
But thanks to many years of social skills therapy and the support of family and teachers, he’s gone above and beyond even that which he thought was possible.
David has been involved in musical theater from the age of six, which he said helped him make friends and progress socially. It has helped his communication, empathy and confidence, and it made him comfortable in his own skin. Choreography also helped improve his coordination.
Above all, David says he does not get discouraged and has worked hard to get where he is today.
“Organization is the foundation for my success,” he said. “I always prepare for change and I never procrastinate. With hard work and guidance, I graduated cum laude from Notre Dame College with a B.A. in Middle Childhood Education.”
He plans to become a teacher so he can act as a positive role model in the lives of his students.
David and his mother also used their journey to coauthor a book called “Expect a Miracle: A Mother/Son Asperger Journey of Determination and Triumph.” The book is available online at barnesandnoble.com, buybooksontheweb.com and in print or eBook from amazon.com.
Spreading awareness
In order to educate those interested in autism education, CSU offers an ASD introduction course (ESE 423).
The course teaches students about the characteristics children or adults with ASD hold and the training that is needed to help improvement. Prerequisite courses in special education are required to enroll and upon completion students will receive a graduate certificate in ASD.
Events from the College of Education and Human Services are also held at CSU in order to provide workshops that teach others how work with all ages and levels of ASD.
The Office of Disability also holds presentations every February during Disabilities Week in order to share on the emerging population.
Not only do universities try to educate students and adults on ASD, but organizations like the Autism Society of Greater Cleveland (ASGC) strive to bring a community together in order to inform all citizens.
According to the president/CEO of the non-profit local affiliate Eileen Hawkins, ASGC educates the city of Cleveland and many surrounding communities on how to fully understand ASD and the young children and adults it affects.
ASGC offers Autism 101 courses to anyone who wishes to be educated on what ASD is, how someone can be affected and how to work with the individuals who have it.
“We have had a variety of people take this course from teachers, police force [and] firemen to your everyday individual,” said Hawkins.
ASGC also holds events like the annual S.T.A.R Summer Camp which brings individuals affected by ASD from ages three to 22 together with others who are not affected by the disability ― in order to educate them and become role models to ones affected by ASD.
The summer camp is a three week event and takes place this year throughout the month of July.
Another event that is hosted by ASGC every year is the annual Chili Cook-off for Autism, which has been running for 11 year. The event takes place every year during the month of April (Autism Awareness Month).
Although Autism Awareness Month was just this past April, the fight around the world to keep all aware, raise funds and advocate for the needs of autism is still important everyday, especially for Hawkins.
“We not only strive to keep the community aware of ASD and bring many together, but mainly to educate people on anyone who is affected with a form of ASD is no different than any of us,” added Hawkins.
