The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 3 - 35

Different is Not Deficient

used as a guideline for best practices (Kaplin &
lee, 2015). Complications arise when students'
disability-related behaviors or expressions lead
to violations of the student code of conduct
and/or residence hall policies.

AUTIsM sPecTRUM DIsORDeR
(AsD)
asD first appeared in medical journals during
the mid-1940s (newschaffer, et. al, 2007), and
comprehensive descriptions of asD, its symptoms, and recommended therapies can be
located elsewhere. resources include the fifth
edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders known as Dsm-5 (american psychiatric association, 2013), federal
health and medical resources, and educational
or advocacy websites such as autism speaks
(www.autismspeaks.org). By definition, asD
symptoms appear during early childhood years
even if the diagnosis is made later. following is
a brief overview of a range of indicators widely
associated with asD in the literature base; we
focus principally on social characteristics and
social behaviors.

Social Engagement, Interpersonal,
and/or Nonverbal Communication Styles
these characteristics are most commonly
identified with asD, but are not asD's sole
indicators (american psychiatric association,
2013). making and maintaining social connections and developing interpersonal relationships are often challenging (pinder-amaker,
2014; VanBergeijk, Klin, & Volkmar, 2008)
due to difficulties perceiving and responding
to oral, non-verbal, or environmental social
cues. While people without asD can easily and
even subconsciously pick up on social cues and

While people without ASD can
easily and even subconsciously
pick up on social cues and
switch communication styles
to fit particular contexts and
environments, people with ASD
may not have developed a range of
communication styles appropriate
to particular social contexts, such as
the college classroom as opposed to
casual peer interactions .

switch communication styles to fit particular
contexts and environments, people with asD
may not have developed a range of communication styles appropriate to particular social contexts, such as the college classroom as opposed
to casual peer interactions. these characteristics can result in difficulties with making
friends or even being avoided, ostracized, or
laughed at by peers, leading to potential loneliness or social isolation (White, ollendick,
& Bray, 2011). for example, efforts to make
a friend may include following the prospective friend within the residence hall or across
campus, or staying in close physical proximity.
efforts by students with asD to engage a peer
in conversation may include posing personal
questions or broaching topics that ordinarily
would be inappropriate to the context, stage, or
nature of the peer relationship.

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http://www.autismspeaks.org

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 3

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