An Interdisciplinary Approach to
Providing Support Services for Students
with Autism
2016 AHEAD Conference
Presented by:Western Michigan University
University of Cincinnati
Kourtney Bakalyar
Jayne Fraley- Burgett
Nicole Birri
Dr. Christina Carnahan
Dr. Matthew Sauer
Introductions
• Kourtney Bakalyar
– Coordinator of services for college students with ASD
at WMU
– Special education teacher for 6 years
• Jayne Fraley-Burgett
– Director of WMU’s Disability Services for Students
Unit name
Barriers for DS office when working with
ASD Students
• No additional staff to help with barriers
• Retention of students
• Difficulties interacting with peers and professional
• Keeping on campus jobs
• Organization
• Higher Executive Functioning
• Communication with all on-campus departments (e.g.,
ResLife, advising, academic departments, academic support)
• Parents not understanding the transition
• Parent support service
Unit name
Program Development
Grant
• A component of the Autism Center of Excellence
grant provided by the Michigan Department of
Health and Human Services
• Grant’s goal is to improve outcomes for individuals
with ASD across the lifespan.
• Developed the Autism Services Center to support
college students with ASD in their transition from
high school to college and from college to
workforce.
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Collaboration
• Collaborative process between
Psychology and DSS office
• Bringing someone into the DSS office
Autism Services Center
• Coordinator
• Two Graduate Students
Unit name
What is the Autism Services Center?
• Provides services and supports for:
• Social skills
• Academic skills
• Independent living
• Weekly check-in meetings
• Liaison between students and professors
• Collaboration among departments on campus
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Communication and collaboration with parents
Transition support from local community college to WMU
Social activities
Work with DSS’s peer mentor program
Practice with communication, interview, leadership, and collaboration skills
Unit name
Weekly Meetings
• Students meet with ASC coordinator or a doctoral
assistant weekly
• Meetings last 30 minutes to an hour
• Most freshmen, some sophomores, and juniors or seniors
who need extra support
• Meetings are focused on:
• Time management – planning what assignments need to be
complete, breaking large assignments into smaller tasks, clarifying
assignments, checking on the completion of assignments,
checking-in on mental health, finding activities/groups to join,
coaching appropriate social skills for working with professors,
discussing and problem solving issues with roommates and
professors…
Unit name
Liaison Between Students and Professors
• Emails are sent to professors at the beginning of
the semester
• Opens a line of communication between ASC and
professors
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Midterm progress reports
Attend meetings with professors, if needed
Help students draft emails to send to professors
Training for faculty, in progress
• Help “smooth-over” miscommunications
between students
Unit name
Collaboration Among Departments on Campus
Building a Team
• Disability Services for Students
• Residential Life (ResLife, Dorms)
• Training, communication, collaboration
• Advisors
• Training, picking good-fit course
• Counseling Services
• Orientation
• Admissions
Unit name
Communication and Collaboration with Parents
• Very active parents
• Students still rely on their parents
• Mitchell & Beresford, 2014
• FERPA Release
• Communication via email or phone
• Parents may call with concerns
• ASC corridnator call with concerns
• Work together to problem solve
• Can implement contingency plans
Unit name
Transition Support from Kalamazoo Valley
Community College
Work with Special Services Advocate
• KVCC student and advocate meet together
with ASC coordinator prior to transferring to
WMU
Unit name
Peer Mentor Program
Collaboration with DSS Office
• ASC coordinator works with DSS’s peer
mentoring program
• Meets with peer mentors
• Receives weekly progress reports from
mentor meetings
• Assist in the training of peer mentors
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Social Activities
• Social events are co-hosted monthly by the ASC
and other student group on campus
• Game nights twice a month
• Traditional or video game nights
• Partnering with Best Buddies
• Exercise Group
• Spring 2016 semester
• Peers and students with ASD
• Fitbits
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Coaching College Success: Tools for Doing Well
in College
• Michigan Autism Conference (MAC) in Kalamazoo
• Hosted a workshop for high school students with
ASD and peer mentors
• Students from local high school
• Focused on completing a college application,
differences between services in high school and
college, self-awareness of college readiness, selfadvocacy skills, and interview skills
• Planning has begun for MAC 2016
• September 16, 2016
Unit name
WMU/Michigan Rehabilitation Services
Summer Transition Program
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Summer II 2016
Replication of BSBP’s summer program
7 high school students with ASD
Live on campus, take a 3-credit general
education WMU course, paid on-campus
work experience, courses and workshops to
build skills
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Barriers
• Funding
• Buy in by university senior
leadership
• Space
Successes
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Retention
Programing
Educations to university community
Student outcomes
Increase collaborations with university
departments
Contact Information
Kourtney Bakalyar
[email protected]
Jayne Fraley-Burgett
(269) 387-4349
[email protected]
(269) 387-2120
www.wmich.edu/autism/asc
www.wmich.edu/disabilityservices
www.facebook.com/Autis
mServicesCenter
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