Prospective Students with Autistic Spectrum Conditions

AccessAbility has supported students with ASC many years. It has an experienced specialist Study Adviser for students with ASC who can support students and their families during the transition from school to university.

Some students worry about telling the University they have ASC and reject support because they think that it will be the same as when they were at school. We want to reassure prospective students that any information about students is kept confidential and other people are only told if the student gives their permission.

We advise students to let us know if they have ASC so that support can be made available and so that everybody – the student, AccessAbility staff, the student’s Personal Tutor, the AccessAbility Tutor for the department and their parents/carers can keep in touch with each other and solve minor problems before they become major issues.

It is better to tell us than it is to muddle along being misunderstood and misjudged.

Making the right choices is perhaps more important for students with ASC than for many others. We can help you by:

• Arranging visits to academic departments at quiet times of the term or in the holidays
• Helping you choose a course and type of accommodation that matches your strengths
• Organising transition visits
• Explaining about the type of support you can have at university
• Provide training to those who will be working with you.

We can also help with your application for the Disabled Students’ Allowance and explain about the different ways you can be supported at the University.