Professors’ knowledge of Asperger’s syndrome and autism is crucial for the recognition and management of a student’s disorder, and to ensure the student’s success in and out of the classroom, according to Jacqueline Wood, academic services adviser for Kansas State University at Salina.
That inspired Wood; Jess Simpson, assistant director of student support services; and Jennifer Molidor, assistant professor of English, to host an educational workshop to discuss the detection and diagnosis of Asperger’s and autism. The workshop featured guest speaker Jeremy Morris, a licensed clinical psychologist at Veridian Behavioral Health at Salina Regional Health Center. Morris specifically works with children, teenagers and adults who deal with long-term behavioral health issues.
The workshop covered strategies for professors to use in the classroom as well as accommodations that might need to be made for diagnosed students.
“It’s important to ensure faculty know how to treat, interact with, help, and encourage students with a pervasive development disorder in order to enable students with the capacity to excel and accomplish their goals,” Simpson said. “Understanding either diagnosis can only help facilitate more appropriate teaching strategies for those individuals educating students with autism or Asperger’s syndrome.”
“It is important for everyone on our campus to be familiar with these disorders as they affect social interactions,” Wood said. “They mainly deal with the social functioning of a student, rather than their academic performance.”
Wood and Molidor said some students can be hesitant to reveal their disorder, prohibiting professors from teaching them effectively.
According to Molidor, students who display a social disorder are likely to seem antisocial, arrogant, and unpleasant because they lack social skills.
“These students aren’t unlikeable; they are just different to teach in a classroom setting,” she said. “They are likely to be intelligent and attracted to majors in technology and computer science, so many are drawn to a campus like K-State Salina. This increases the chance of faculty working with a student that has one of these disorders.”
For more information, including resources, handouts and help with questions, contact Wood at jqwood@k-state.edu.
Prepared by Natalie Blair