Realizing the College Dream with Autism or Asperger Syndrome

Ann Palmer is married with three children, one of whom, Eric, was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old. He is now 24. She has 13 years' experience working with families of individuals with autism at Division TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children). Ann coordinated a volunteer parent mentor program that provided support to over 800 families in North Carolina. In her current role as Director of Chapter Relations for the Autism Society of NC, she coordinates over 40 parent support groups throughout the state. She is also the co-author of Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum: Unexpected Lessons We Have Learned, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was the 2007 Autism Society of America's Outstanding Literary Work of the Year.

• Preface. Introduction.1. Starting Out: Diagnosis and the Early Years. 2. Strategies for the High School Years. 3. Making the Decision about College. 4. Everything You Need to Know about Life: A Summer of Lessons. 5. Moving Out: The Transition to the Dorm. 6. Supports and Strategies at College. 7. Self-Awareness and the Issue of Self-Disclosure. 8. Positives of the College Experience. 9. What Comes Next? Useful Books and Websites. Sample Self-Disclosure Form. References. Index.

This is a very comprehensive guide to college preparation, selection and success. The real-life, personal accounts of Ann Palmer and her son concerning his own path toward and through college life are a key and unique component to this work. I would buy this book if only for the excellent appendices!... Our international organization will use this book as a reference for years to come.