Autism Studies is proud to participate in the following autism-related community programs.
Mentoring Initiative for Neurodivergent Students (MINDS)
We are currently piloting a peer mentoring program for undergraduate students on the spectrum. Each undergraduate in the program is paired with a graduate student from the Master of Autism Studies and/or Dual Degree Program in Autism Studies and Speech Language Pathology. The graduate student provides approximately two hours per week of mentoring to the undergraduate, working on things like how to get involved on campus, how to develop a study schedule, how to interact with professors and classmates, how to get along with roommates, how to navigate the dining hall, etc. If you are an undergraduate on the spectrum or the parent of an undergraduate on the spectrum who would like to discuss or participate in this program, please contact Dr. Michael Waddell (Program Director, Master of Autism Studies).
Social Skills Programs
The graduate programs in autism studies and speech language pathology collaborate to run social skills programs based on the PEERS® social skills curricula. Groups are run by graduate students from the Dual Master's Program in Autism Studies and Speech Language Pathology working under the supervision of a master clinician. Participants should be self-motivated to learn new ways of making and keeping friends. Parent and/or caregiver participation is usually required. For more information, please contact Dr. Michael Waddell (Program Director, Master of Autism Studies).
Autistic Mentors
Are you a person on the spectrum who would like to help others learn about autism? Or perhaps just to have someone to hang out with? Are you a parent or a caregiver of a person on the spectrum who would like for your son or daughter to be able to spend time with one of our graduate students? Students in our "Gateway to Autistic Experience" course are paired with a person on the spectrum from the community to learn about that person and their life with autism; in other words, the person on the spectrum mentors our students about life with autism. The Autistic Mentors program runs during the summer term (approximately 10 weeks), and mentors and mentees spend approximately 1-1.5 hours together each week. We also host social events during the academic year so mentors and mentees have opportunities to reconnect, and so mentors and their guests---families, friends, etc.---have opportunities to meet one another. If you are interested in more information, please contact Dr. Michael Waddell (Program Director, Master of Autism Studies).