Best university for student with aspergers?

[Gertygypsey]

I have a 17 year old dd who needs to make a choice about university shortly. We are in a geographically isolated part of the UK so any open days / visits would have to be carefully planned. Dd has high functioning autism, is extremely intelligent and driven but suffers badly with anxiety. She can be quite social (to a point) , and most people don't actually realise she has asd (she does not like anyone knowing this). She is capable of getting the top grades in all her a levels and living independently. A smaller university / campus with good pastoral care / inclusive ethos but with a great reputation for psychology would be perfect. Could anyone recommend a university that might be a good fit?

Can I ask those of you who’s child has applied, how long did it take for DSA to come through. My DD has applied for a student loan back in March and had acknowledgement of it. She applied for DSA at the same time. She says shes not heard anything back. I’m not sure of the process and it’s something I have on my list to do but I don’t want to hassle her about it at the mo with exams approaching. I know she needs a letter from her GP then will be seen in an assessment centre but am not sure when we have to submit letter and how long to wait til an assessment centre.

I think you can send in the GP’s letter straight away - we scanned in DS’s EP report (done post 16) and got a letter back asking him to book an assessment centre. We plan to do that once he’s finished his exams next week (IB)

St Andrews is great, you have your own academic family who look out for you

Reading is a nice campus uni with good psychology dept. Not sure about support for asd but one to investigate maybe

Scrunch thank you. I think I’m going to have to sit down with DD and look at what she’s done so far. I have her ASD assessment report done post 16 as she was diagnosed late. She might need a GP report too detailing other stuff.

It's a pity about Central London being ruled out as I was about to suggest Birkbeck. Very unconventional choice for a young undergraduate but they were brilliant with support for my daughter (not Psychology, but I think the support would be good across all courses). She liked the fact that most students were older and really keen on the course, not just there for three years of socialising. As she is a night owl she wasn't phased by having to go in for evening lectures and classes, and it enabled her to work part-time around her course very easily. She did live at home, though, and already knew London very well, having grown up here.

Birkbeck has an excellent Psychology department.

Does anybody know what information needs to be provided for DSA.
Both my DC are going to university in September, one has ASD DX the other Dyslexia. They were both DX quite young aged 6 and 8 so I don’t have current reports.
Will student finance accept the old DX letters or do I need to get new ones? Or can I go to a GP and ask them to provide information?
Any help would be useful. Thanks

Asd should be ok with a Consultants diagnosis letter but dyslexia will need a
Post 16 Assessment with Ed Psych or qualified Senco - if dc has had exam adjustments then that might be equivalent.

Have consultant letter for ASD DX for DS2 but it’s from age 6.
DS1 had adjustment at school (extra time and computer use) but that was GCSE he’s 22 now so may be too long ago? He went to a specialist dyslexia school for 2 years so I have plenty of evidence but non of it current. Don’t really want to pay for another private assessment.

Universities often refer students for ed psych or similar assessment, which I believe is usually free, although I don't know how long the wait is. Best to get this going asap, so I'd tell your son to make enquiries now.

If you know where he is going you can contact their student support department for advice. They may do in house assessments or have a visiting assessor. Don't wait until September if possible as by then there will be a longer wait and once term gets going tutors add referrals to the list. We did pay for ds post 16 assessment by Ed psych in the July, which cost about £300 , but it meant the process to get the appropriate support in place was handled early in the term.

Thank you for all the information, that’s teally helpful. I will get the both to contact student support.

A pity she will rule out Lancaster. Has everything you're looking for with regards to campus and supportive feel. They also do unconditional offers for some excellent candidates with high predicted grades, which I know has allayed the fears of a couple of my high functioning ASD students who get very anxious about exams yet are academically very bright. They also invite students with ASD down for a few days in September (called their SmartStart scheme) to get used to the campus and follow this up with a Peer Mentor system. It is also very accessible from Manchester Airport, having a direct train which takes an hour.

Good luck to your DD whatever she chooses though!

As far as dx letters, the university accepted the consultant letter (8 years old) and the exam adaptations from sixth form (it's actually next door to the university as dd didn't want to move away so the accessibility centre lady popped over to fetch the paperwork). Didn't request dsa last year because of being at home but university gave encouraged her to apply and have helped her complete the paperwork

The most severely autistic kid i have taught in recent A level classes has gone to Keele and has successfully managed the whole of the first year.

My daughter has a place at Murray Edwards College Cambridge to study HSPS. It is an all girls college on the edge of Cambridge which has on campus accommodation for the three years and very lovely gardens. They have been very accommodating at all stages in respect of her DCD and anxiety and, as long as she gets the grades, I am sure she will be happy and supported there.

@Mum2eim - If you have not heard - phone university or SFE - they are helpful

@BasiliskStare thank you. During a calm moment I asked her to show me what she had done on the student finance page and how she had applied for DSA. All went well and then I said "so what about the submit button?" At that point it submitted and she has since had communication from them! Also Durham student disability services have been in contact asking for more information. They seem to be very proactive which is reassuring. Just need to get through the A levels now!