
Disclosing Your Autism to College Friends
Disclosing your autism to college friends can be a way to grow friendships and develop even better connections to people who share your interests.
12 articles

Disclosing your autism to college friends can be a way to grow friendships and develop even better connections to people who share your interests.

Should you disclose your autism in college? STEM graduate Justin Robbins shares the pros and cons based on his college experience.

Hear about one student's experience in an inclusive concurrent enrollment program, and what he's up to in college now.

Hear from an autistic STEM employee about the college transition and how he's succeeding in the workforce.

However, before you despair and conclude that facilitating a peer-support group is not for you, please remember that things usually sound more complicated written out on paper than they are in practice!

Your academic journey may take some time, maybe even lots more time. Do your best and enjoy the ride, and don’t judge your self-worth by the length of time it takes to complete a degree, the grades you earn, or the salary you make.

Don’t be discouraged if a first or second attempt at reaching out fails—just look for the next opportunity.

One thing to keep in mind no matter where you end up—be it a friend’s house, your family home, or a relative’s place—is that if you begin to feel overwhelmed by the new environment or sudden transition, you should look for a quiet place to gather your thoughts. Don’t worry about exiting a stressful situation and seeking a solitary spot to calm yourself.

Not only were there more people who shared a special interest with me, but the ones who didn’t thought no less of me for having them. In fact, they thought it was interesting, because they had interests of their own, and we had a shared experience that way, autism or not.

Laura Gilmour shares her journey from new student learning about college expectations to confident graduate student conducting her own STEM research.

Hello! It’s good to finally talk with you. I’ve wanted to do this for years now. How are you doing? You don’t have to say “good” or anything else like that unless you mean it. It’s kind of odd how we (society) ask that question but there’s only one acceptable answer.

Accommodations. Supports. Privacy Laws. These and other considerations can help autistic students decide whether to disclose their diagnosis in college.