The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1 - 206

Laurie Ackles • Harold Fields • Rona Skinner

solutions with a peer mentor. Peer mentors
may also provide support to students by role
playing, allowing students to practice and
prepare for difficult roommate conversations.
In contrast to a mentor, a coach is someone
who knows the student’s strengths and challenges and uses that information to provide
individualized support (Hart, Grigal, & Weir,
2010). A coach may provide cues about expected behavior in social and academic situations,
teach the student to communicate their needs
to college personnel, and help them navigate
the vast array of campus-wide activities (Hart et
al., 2010). One student with ASD working with
a formal peer coach noted, “My peer [coach] is
really easy to talk to, I think it is because she
is close to my age. It was really nice to have
someone to sit down with and talk to each week”
(Rochester Institute of Technology student, personal communication, May 6, 2011).
Adequate training is essential when considering the creation of a peer mentoring or
coaching program for students on the autism
spectrum. Mentors and coaches should have
specific knowledge about ASD and a bank of
strategies that work best with this population.
A number of college and university programs
have developed models specific to serving students with ASD. For example, York University
in Toronto, Canada, with support from the
Counselling Foundation of Canada, has developed and made available a resource guide
detailing their program (Bebco, Schroeder, &
Ames, 2011).

EARLY ARRIVAL PROGRAMS
The unknown is a particular area of difficulty
for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, many of whom crave predictability and
206

Adequate training is essential when
considering the creation of a peer
mentoring or coaching program for
students on the autism spectrum.
Mentors and coaches should have
specific knowledge about ASD and
a bank of strategies that work best
with this population.

routine (Glennon, 2001). Therefore, intentional efforts to allow, encourage, and enable these
students to move into their housing assignments prior to the arrival of other classmates is
extremely valuable in preparing them for academic and cocurricular success. Early arrival
gives students with ASD an opportunity to
adjust to and prepare for some of the challenges they may experience as they transition to a
new environment (Pancer, Hunsberger, Pratt,
& Alisat, 2000). Residence life and housing
staff collaborating with disability services personnel, or peers trained to work with students
on the autism spectrum, can help these students become familiar with a new living space
and assist them in acclimating to both social
and academic environments. Students with
ASD can also benefit from the opportunity for
a walk-through of their class schedule in order
to familiarize themselves with classrooms and
buildings. This is especially helpful during
early arrival when facilities are quieter and frequently unoccupied.
Many students on the autism spectrum
are hypersensitive to distraction, noise, and

The JourNal of College aNd uNiVersiTy sTudeNT housiNg

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1