In this episode, host Michelle McAnaney of The College Spy speaks with Beth Felsen, founder of Spectrum Transition Coaching, about the challenges autistic students face when transitioning to college.

Beth Felsen is the founder of Spectrum Transition Coaching and an autism specialist with a Master’s in Psychology. Beth brings over twenty years of experience in the autism community to her coaching practice and as a parent of an autistic young adult, she understands the challenges of raising autistic adults firsthand. Beth is a graduate of the Autism Association of New England’s Intensive Autism Coach Training & Teens and College Students Executive Function Coach Training through JST Coaching and Training. She is also a certified provider of the UCLA PEERS for Young Adults Social Skills intervention and a trained counselor for the Greenwood Holistic Career Assessment. Beth is a member of WISER and the College Autism Network (CAN) and a frequent speaker at neurodivergent focused events.

We dive into why the college transition is hard for ALL students and how it can be specifically challenging for autistic students due to loss of familiar scaffolding, social challenges, executive function demands and self-advocacy requirements.

Today's episode includes practical strategies for parents to help prepare their children for this significant life change. Start with understanding the differences between high school and college and helping your student discuss their diagnosis. Michelle and Beth also encourage parents to allow their student to experience controlled failure while still at home so they build confidence, resilience and independence.

Also in this episode:

Admission Tip of the Day: Don't hesitate to share an autism diagnosis on college applications. This information can help with acceptance as colleges seek diversity, including neurodiversity, and it highlights the student's unique strengths.

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College Spotlight: Nova Southeastern University

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Key points in this episode

1:52 Meet Beth Felsen, Founder of Spectrum Transition Coaching

6:57 Why the transition to college can be difficult for all students

14:40 Deciding if college is the right next step after high school

23:32 How College 101 helps families prepare in high school

31:56 Tip of the Day

32:30 College Spotlight on Nova Southeastern University

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College 101: Preparing Your Autistic Student by Spectrum Transition Coaching: A comprehensive online course for parents. Use promo code "THECOLLEGESPY" to save $50.

Spectrum Transition Coaching

Learn more about our Countdown to College Package - our concierge package as your personal college counselor: https://thecollegespy.com/countdown-to-college-package

Learn more about The College Spy and the admissions advisory services offered by Michelle and her team -- Go to The College Spy Website

Contact Michelle McAnaney at Michelle@TheCollegeSpy.com

We all know that college admissions officers look at your student’s GPA, course rigor, extracurriculars and test results.

But would you be surprised to know that your intended major can also impact admissions decisions?

This conversation with Lisa Marker Robbins is a must-listen as your high school student plans for college applications. Thinking ahead to majors and career goals can have a significant impact on which universities your student wants to apply to as well as their admissions prospects at those schools. Lisa and her team completed in-depth research with the 50 flagship state universities to learn more about how majors play a role in their admissions decisions.

Lisa Marker Robbins has the heart of a teacher, coupled with a purpose and passion for supporting families, teens and young adults through her career coaching course, Launch Career Clarity. Since 1999, she has supported thousands of students as an independent college counselor.

In 2010, she doubled down specifically on college major and career coaching for students because she realized those two things were the cornerstone of post high school planning. Four thousand students have benefited from her proven three pillar framework, moving them from overwhelmed and confused to clear, confident and motivated about their future. In 2018, Forbes magazine cited her work as a crucial first step in improving the ROI of college.

Also in this episode:

Admission Tip of the Day: Start job shadow experiences and informational interviews in high school. Online resources are helpful but talking to a real person working in the field can bring a new perspective.

College Spotlight: Colorado College

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Key points in this episode

2:49 Meet Lisa Marker Robbins

5:28 Research on the impact of major & college selection

6:33 What do 90% of flagship colleges care about?

10:08 The busy phase of raising teenagers

12:07 Who owns the career exploration process?

15:40 How colleges try to balance their incoming class

20:01 Thoughts on transferring colleges

20:43 Recommended career resources

25:00 Flourish Coaching’s practice and data

29:05 Admissions Tip of the Day

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Additional Resources

BLS.gov - The Occupational Outlook Handbook

O-Net Online

Launch Career Clarity by Flourish Coaching

Lisa Marker Robbin's research for all 50 state flagship universities

Learn more about College Admissions 101

Learn more about The College Spy and the admissions advisory services offered by Michelle and her team -- Go to The College Spy Website

Contact Michelle McAnaney at Michelle@TheCollegeSpy.com

Join us for my interview with Ryan Palm, Executive Director of the Brad McGarry Center for Neurodiversity at Mercyhurst University. Not only will you learn about the AIM program at Mercyhurst and how it supports autistic students, but we also cover how to research and evaluate these kinds of fee-based programs, how college is different from high school for neurodivergent students and what you can do as a parent of an autistic student to help prepare them for college while they're in high school.

Ryan Palm is the executive director of the Brad McGarry Center for Neurodiversity at Mercyhurst University and is working to expand the mission of the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM) with a focus on increasing enrollment and building corporate relationships and employment opportunities. In this role, Ryan brings employment experience in three primary sectors, government, non profit, and corporate, and leverages those experiences and connections to help AIM students with their career aspirations. Ryan also identifies new partnership opportunities that will benefit both Mercyhurst students, as well as the external partner, creating a new or expanded pipeline of neurodivergent talent.

Also in this episode:

How Academic Coaching can help your neurodivegent student prepare for college.

Admission Tip of the Day: Make sure to be working on the following college ready skills while your student is in high school so they're most likely to have a successful transition to college.

• The ability to make decisions on their own.

• The ability to solve their own problems.

• Money management skills.

• Advocating for oneself

• Being able to complete work independently

Learn about Academic Coaching: https://thecollegespy.com/academic-coaching-package-high-school

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College Spotlight: Elon University

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Key points in this episode

1:52 Meet Ryan Palm

4:25 Introduction to AIM and how does the program support autistic students

6:00 Why autistic students struggle in college

6:45 Modifications vs Accommodations

8:44 Recommendations for researching fee-based college support programs

13:45 Admissions at AIM is not related to admissions at Mercyhurst

17:22 Academic Coaching to prepare students for college

18:20 Challenges for families as their students transition to college

19:53 FERPA waiver discussions

21:50 Fees and financial aid for a fee-based support program

24.35 CREATE program at Mercyhurst

30:28 Tip of the Day

31:15 College Spotlight: Elon University

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Learn more about Mercyhurst University’s AIM program: https://www.mercyhurst.edu/student-services/autism-initiative

Learn more about our Countdown to College Package - our concierge package as your personal college counselor: https://thecollegespy.com/countdown-to-college-package

Learn more about The College Spy and the admissions advisory services offered by Michelle and her team -- Go to The College Spy Website

Contact Michelle McAnaney at Michelle@TheCollegeSpy.com