Is pricier student accommodation worth it for an autistic fresher?

[elliejjtiny]

Ds1 is in private halls of residence (dwell) at one university and ds2 is going to a different university. Ds1 pays £125 a week for his and most rooms are the same. At ds2's potential university they are all very different rooms with very different prices ranging from £99 per week to over £200 per week.

I don't know whether it's worth paying more for nicer accommodation or not. Also ds2 has autism and selective mutism so don't know if he would be better off in a smaller flat or even a studio or would that be worse. I can't imagine him living with other students tbh, he struggles living with his brothers.

Whatever suits his needs best ask his dr to write a letter to uni requesting this. It will not only help him get it but uni might give him some money back for his accomodation. My auadhd child needed an en-suite and uni refunded her about £1,800.

We’re a big family and some of my loved ones have various levels of Autism and co morbids of autism. My granddaughter is Dyslexic with CAPD and she’s more than likely to have ADHD as well. We put her in a studio apartment so she has her own front door and peace and quiet after a day at uni. Shes now in her second year and has moved from one building to another with friends but she’s still in a studio on her own, they all are.

Based on my experience with children and grandchildren who went to Uni I’d always start their journey off with their own front door and if they then feel sharing with others is something they fancy they can move.

Had she also applied for DSA, though? My understanding is that funding the difference between 'just any accommodation' and 'specific accommodation requirered due to a student's specific needs' normally comes via that route.

I would also love to hear about this myself - my daughter has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and will be looking towards an autism diagnosis too. She suffers from bad social anxiety with strangers, so I can’t imagine her trying to share a room with someone she doesn't know, and background noise makes it hard for her to concentrate (so easily distracted from work!).

Not to mention the price for single rooms are extortionate at some universities (such as Imperial, one of her choices).

How it is funded depends on the type of accommodation. If more expensive accommodation is needed for disability reasons, the additional cost above the price of comparable standard accommodation can be funded via DSA if it is private rental. If the accommodation is university accommodation or private accommodation managed on behalf of the university, the higher education provider is expected to meet the additional disability related cost. You can see more information here.

I would say the first question is what you/DS can afford and the second question is what sort of accommodation would best support his needs.

What supports is needs is not necessarily the most expensive. Does he need an ensuite or would he prefer a (likely) larger shared bathroom?
Does he want catered or not catered?
Would he prefer a flat sharing with fewer people?
Does he want a quiet flat (you can normally request this)?
for example

It's then worth requesting specific accommodation via whatever process the university has in place for satisfying medical/disability needs.

And also, if this type of accommodation is more, exploring whether DSA will fund the difference (as PPs have noted).

DS2 has dyslexia and most likely (undiagnosed) ADHD. He had DSA allowance but only for equipment/ stationery etc, nothing to do with accommodation.
Throughout his uni time we paid more to ensure he had an ensuite room (has OCD traits and sharing a bathroom would have been very stressful for him). He was in a normal shared student flat in first year(which he found noisy and stressful, but just about coped with) and then a shared house. He came home a couple of times each term to relax and decompress.
I would have been concerned that a studio apartment would have been to isolating, but only you know your own child.

It is a balance. The advantage of sharing a kitchen at least means it offers an opportunity for contact with others. I did encourage ds2 to go for an ensuite in his first year mainly to avoid clashes with others over bathroom habits which I think helped. He has coped with sharing a bathroom in subsequent years but had found a similar group of friends to share with by then. Catered was never going to work for him due to restricted diet and not liking noisy environments.

In our experience there’s nothing isolating about it. There are about 6 people on each floor and a common room for people to meet up in as well as pool tables and other things like a gym in the building plus well as a very busy reception area with a coffee hub and a place for people to hang out and make friends. My granddaughter is going into new accommodation with people she’s met along the way in the last 15 months in her current accommodation.

Dd was offered a quiet flat, still shared but all signed up asking for quieter space. She had an en-suite too

A quiet flat sounds ideal but his chosen university don't do them. He spends a lot of time in the bathroom as he is a runner so showers more than once a day. There are 3 halls of residence. One is more basic (and cheaper) than the others and has a shared bathroom and the kitchen is shared between 10 people. The other 2 halls are en suites, kitchen shared between 6 people. One of those 2 halls of residence is smaller, so less flats I the halls. All 3 halls have the option of a studio which has a bedroom, en suite and a tiny kitchenette.

Op, I think with his need to shower once a day it once a day, and especially if he lives by a routine, it would be better even for those in the accommodation with him if he had his own shower.

eta - never underestimate how noisy these student flats can be and how filthy some of the students in them can. Ten people sharing a kitchen is a lot and I think the pressure on him could be intense - just as it was for a young man who is autistic and ended up in accommodation with my daughter. He leaned on her very heavily and I think he’d been placed in the accommodation because she had answered a question on the application saying she had experience of autism ( her brother). Anyway she was happy to help him but it did become more than was reasonable and when she was leaving the halls after only 2 months in them due to the mess in the kitchen amongst other things the young man was very upset.

I would also think about location. ds2 is close enough to his department such that he can walk back between lectures if he wants. Ironically this means it is the cheaper accomodation. A requirement for him as he dislikes busy environments and especially public transport. The drawback is that he is further away from main campus activities but not a big factor for him because he never had much interest in joining societies. It all just depends on what difficulties your ds has and what would help him make the most of university.

I would also consider what he is going to do for years 2 and 3. The majority of students find friends to share houses with which rarely have en suites and you have to kitchen share. If he is looking to stay in halls for all 3 years (if your uni even does this as not all do) I would make sure whatever he picks for year 1 is affordable for the following years.

yes, it's worth it. Definitely an ensuite, if necessary a studio. The university or DSA should pay the difference between the standard room with shared bathroom/kitchen and the upgrade required. Doctor's supporting letter will be needed. Refusing to use the shared kitchen and not leaving their room if anyone is about, living off biscuits and crackers in a small room is a reality that you want to avoid.
The university will have to provide halls accommodation in subsequent years as well due to the evidenced medical needs.

my understanding is DSA is for private accommodation rather than uni halls. I don't know how uni does it maybe they apply themselves but it was definately the uni which reduced the accommodation fee.