Autism Support for Faculty/Staff

Students with ASD may struggle with typical "back-and-forth" conversations, have a hard time reading and understanding social cues (e.g., facial expressions, body language), or have different preferences for eye contact (e.g., holding intense eye contact, or avoiding eye contact altogether). These missed social cues are an expectation within the neurotypical community that can sometimes be misinterpreted in negative ways. This often leads to negative social interactions and avoidance of interactions with autistic students, which usually leaves them feeling ostracized and alone. ASD students can often be experienced, by those holding neurotypical social expectations, as “blunt” or “concrete” in their communications. They also frequently struggle with identifying and communicating their needs, especially when emotionally dysregulated or upset.

ASD students usually prefer, and even thrive, on highly predictable routines, and may become overwhelmed by sudden or unexpected changes. For students on the spectrum, knowing way in advance of any potential changes allows them to emotionally and logistically prepare beforehand. Thus, avoiding potentially emotionally overwhelming experiences. They often have intense, focused interests (e.g., anime; trains; childhood storybooks) and, if engaged in a conversation about that interest, will reveal a remarkable depth of knowledge and engagement with the topic. Some ASD students will engage in repetitive movements (e.g., pacing; finger tapping or hand-flapping). Additionally, their senses might be heightened or dulled, making them very sensitive to specific sounds, textures, or lighting, all of which might lead to distraction, irritation, and emotional upset.

One of the best ways to support a student with ASD is to make a concerted effort to identify and implement any academic accommodations they might have through OAE. Faculty have academic freedom to make accommodations without waiting for OAE documentation or consulting with OAE. ASD students are sometimes reluctant to assert their needs and often do not want others to know that they are on the spectrum, so approaching them in a way that protects their confidentiality is likely to be most effective. Given their preference for regular routines and predictability, students on the spectrum benefit greatly from organized and up-to-date syllabi that do not change suddenly or dramatically, and structured classroom routines. When change is unavoidable, letting an ASD student know as soon as possible will allow them to better prepare. Finally, students on the spectrum prefer very specific and concrete instructions regarding assignments, projects, and class activities. They can be very focused on doing the right thing, the right way, and being successful at task completion, but vagueness or ambiguity in instruction or direction can derail them and lead to emotional dysregulation. Clear, written instructions, checklists, and other printed or posted directions are useful for later reference by the students, helping them stay on track. It can also be very helpful to these students for a faculty member or staff person to check in with them personally and see that they clearly understand the instructions and expectations related to any project or assignment. This might take extra patience and compassion on your part, but ASD students are some of the most brilliant and talented of college students, and often end up being academic superstars!

Familiarity is important to students with ASD, and developing a more personal relationship with them helps them feel safer and more apt to communicate when they are struggling or have needs they can identify. While announcing office hours would be sufficient for many college students, students on the spectrum might not perceive the invitational nature of the announcement. Autistic students would be much more likely to attend office hours if they were individually invited, at least initially. Once they are comfortable with a faculty or staff member, they are much more likely to reach out in advance of having a problem. When meeting with ASD students, patience and compassion will go a long way, as will being clear, explicit, and concrete in your instructions and advice. It is important not to take personally some of the social communication deficits ASD students present with, and remember that they are not always reading the room in a way neurotypical individuals might expect.  

Advocacy is an important aspect of making SCU a better place for ASD students to grow and succeed, and, as faculty and staff, we are uniquely positioned to help them. Whenever you can, speak up for students with ASD. If you see environmental or systemic obstacles or impediments, please use your influence to contact those who can make reasonable changes that would assist these students in their college journey. Whether speaking up in a meeting, reaching out via phone or email, your authority as a frontline connection to our ASD students can influence positive change.

ASD students can become emotionally dysregulated during class, for myriad reasons that might not be clear to those around them, or to themselves. Given the enormous variation in ASD presentations, it can be difficult to ascertain if the situation is serious or not. However, it can be disruptive and scary, and sometimes context calls for intervention (e.g., sobbing during a lecture; making suicidal threats in reaction to an unsatisfactory grade). A student with ASD, in a dysregulated state, is going to be more receptive to an intervention offered by someone trustworthy and familiar, so having established a relationship earlier can make it easier for a staff or faculty member to intervene. Here are some tips for managing such a situation:

Involve as few people as possible. Social interactions can be difficult when ASD students are not upset; once they are emotionally dysregulated, they are likely to react poorly to having more people to whom they need to respond.

Reduce stimuli. Do not increase or add stimuli. It is often best, for both the student with ASD and the rest of the students in a class, for the ASD student to leave the classroom environment and be taken to someplace quieter, more private, and with fewer people. Sometimes this can be challenging because ASD students can fear that they will be penalized for leaving class (e.g., not finishing an exam means they will fail it), and can benefit from clear communication that they will be allowed to make up the class, assignment, or exam. It also helps to have a familiar or patient acquaintance to escort them to a more settling environment. If there is no place that immediately comes to mind for the ASD student or those trying to help, then have them escorted to CAPS.

Even if the student has a space in mind to help them self-regulate, we encourage you to refer the student to CAPS, noting that there are folks at CAPS specifically trained and willing to support them immediately and going forward.

If the student is behaving violently, or appears to be a threat to their own safety or the safety of those around them, then a call to Campus Security Services (CSS) is the necessary and appropriate response. CSS will bring the student to CAPS, or provide immediate connection to appropriate services.

If a student appears upset, but not to a degree that they are disruptive to the class, then check in with them and encourage them to seek support from a friend or parent, and always refer them to CAPS for support.

Consult with CAPS anytime you have questions or concerns about ASD students, in general, in your class, or on campus. Laws around confidentiality prevent us from sharing information related to specific students being seen at CAPS. We cannot intervene with a student who has not sought out treatment with us, due to laws related to informed consent. Regardless of whether a student has established care with CAPS, we encourage staff and faculty to share their concerns about the student with CAPS in the event that the student engages CAPS services in the future. We are always happy to provide guidance related to ASD students through consultation. Please do not hesitate to reach out to CAPS for consultation.

Bradley E. Cox, Kayden M. Stockwell, Cassandra R. Kepple, and Courtney B. Francis; The Prevalence of Autistic College Students in the United States. Autism Adulthood. Sage Publications – OnlineFirst : March 13, 2026: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/25739581251405705