Choosing a College for the Autistic Young Adult; How Much do College Activities Matter?

It's not usually the first thing that comes to mind when your looking for a college. Activities for most college students are a bonus. College kids seek out at their schools; fun, pleasure activities and the chance to participate in something on track with their studies or that they enjoy. My son and I have been visiting some local colleges for him for next year. After visiting the last college I began to wonder how much the school activities also matter for him.

For the autistic young adult, who may not going looking for fun and social things to do, it becomes a question if the activities at the college are set up in a way that an autistic person can not only find them but will want to participate in them.

For example the last college we went to had an activity center that was open to all students. In it there were games like pool and ping pong tables, video games, vending machines and much more. They also have a full cafeteria, coffee lounge and a gym. The gym could be used by any student not just athletes. There were the usual clubs and scheduled activities too.

Clubs for my son, like many autistic kids, have always been a challenge in the past because many require a social get together and a lot of interaction between the kids. He is successfully participating in two clubs now but it was difficult to get him to want to do this.

So it makes me wonder in a college where the largest amount of activities for students are clubs, how much will he join and get into them. In the handbook of the college he is visiting next week they only mention clubs and activities, not activity centers, gyms and hang out places (They may have more they are not citing but I wonder why they wouldn't advertise it in their brochure).

The first college I mentioned above has places that he can go and participate with out the pressure of having to join the group. He will at the same time be hanging out with kids his own age and have a chance to meet them outside of class.

Both of these colleges seem to have the classes that my son would want but when you look outside the academic requirements I think the first college would be a better place for him to go.

From our experience I've concluded that when choosing a college the type and structure of activities at a college should also be an important concern for a young adult with autism. We -- parents and autistic teens -- have to remember and remind ourselves that life, when it's complicated by autism, is not all about the school work accomplished. We have too seek out the appropriate activities, even more than the average teen would do, that will inspire and encourage the autistic teen to keep being social and getting out of their shell.