Just out of curiosity ...

[Anonymous]

Do kids on the autism spectrum fully (or even partially) disclose their autism in their college applications?

I have been curious about this as my kids' classmates truly do span the full spectrum. I imagine some could "pass" as neurotypical, some might need some modifications, and a couple won't go. I'm not trying to be rude.

[Anonymous]

It depends

[Anonymous]

Do not disclose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not disclose

Right. Because it’s so much better to get into a higher ranked college than one which can actually accommodate needs.

[Anonymous]

My neice's high functioning was disclosed.

She got into some amazing places.

Like PP said this helped with accommodations for sure.

[Anonymous]

A lot of times they can see it on your transcript anyway. But different people make different choices. The SALT center at Arizona has a completely separate application from the University because many people don’t want to disclose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of times they can see it on your transcript anyway. But different people make different choices. The SALT center at Arizona has a completely separate application from the University because many people don’t want to disclose.

What could a student possibly have legally on their transcript, unless it's a kid coming from a certificate program applying to a postsecondary certificate program, that would disclose autism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not disclose

Right. Because it’s so much better to get into a higher ranked college than one which can actually accommodate needs.

If a student discloses and gets in, that's no guarantee that the college can and will accommodate their needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of times they can see it on your transcript anyway. But different people make different choices. The SALT center at Arizona has a completely separate application from the University because many people don’t want to disclose.

What could a student possibly have legally on their transcript, unless it's a kid coming from a certificate program applying to a postsecondary certificate program, that would disclose autism?

Well, if you’re applying to a school like Arizona with a well-known support program, with four years of a support course on your transcript (or whatever your school system calls it), and four years of PLTW engineering, and AP math and science courses but general English and history, and your ECs are robotics, chess, and D&D, I’m not saying the AO can make a legal diagnosis but they’re not idiots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of times they can see it on your transcript anyway. But different people make different choices. The SALT center at Arizona has a completely separate application from the University because many people don’t want to disclose.

What could a student possibly have legally on their transcript, unless it's a kid coming from a certificate program applying to a postsecondary certificate program, that would disclose autism?

Well, if you’re applying to a school like Arizona with a well-known support program, with four years of a support course on your transcript (or whatever your school system calls it), and four years of PLTW engineering, and AP math and science courses but general English and history, and your ECs are robotics, chess, and D&D, I’m not saying the AO can make a legal diagnosis but they’re not idiots.

Do you have a kid on the spectrum? Because I do. And DC doesn't have pretty much anything in common with your stereotypes. This is not ok even as a joke.

[Anonymous]

Every school has an office that helps students with disabilities these days - your atudentbhas to reach out to them once accepted and advocate for what they need. Not a big deal.

I cannot imagine what on a transcript would reveal "autism." If your child has a resource class, it might reveal a leaning disability, but not specifically which one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do not disclose

Right. Because it’s so much better to get into a higher ranked college than one which can actually accommodate needs.

Admissions offices have absolutely nothing to do with disability services.

As we see on this thread, autistic students are still heavily stigmatized. Do the research about which schools have the types of services you think you'll need, and maybe even speak to the disability office, but why disclose to an admissions reader, who may have their own prejudices?

[Anonymous]

My child is autistic and we are thinking about this now. The general advice seems to be to disclose if it explains grades in a meaningful, helpful way (ie, got Cs freshman year, then got diagnosed with proper accommodations, and got As after that) or if the applicant wants to talk substantively about what autism means to them as an identity.

But that has nothing to do with the ability to get accommodations, which is done by a different office after getting admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is autistic and we are thinking about this now. The general advice seems to be to disclose if it explains grades in a meaningful, helpful way (ie, got Cs freshman year, then got diagnosed with proper accommodations, and got As after that) or if the applicant wants to talk substantively about what autism means to them as an identity.

But that has nothing to do with the ability to get accommodations, which is done by a different office after getting admitted.

This. Also, I know a couple of kids on the spectrum whose parents were really cautious about allowing them to take honors/AP course in 9th/10th grade, but once they saw how easily they were handling lower level classes they let them give it a try. Both handled it beautifully. Explaining to a college the sudden rise in the level of classes being taken can be helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do kids on the autism spectrum fully (or even partially) disclose their autism in their college applications?

I have been curious about this as my kids' classmates truly do span the full spectrum. I imagine some could "pass" as neurotypical, some might need some modifications, and a couple won't go. I'm not trying to be rude.

I would not disclose any disability on a college app. However, to credit one of the other posters, you should research colleges carefully for their services and have your child apply only to colleges that can meet their needs.