Supporting Neurodivergent Students in Their Transition to College Housing

by Marie Saddlemire, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Professional Development, LCIRT

Disability Service (DS) providers are some of the first administrators with whom students interact, sometimes before they even commit to a college, and often before they participate in orientation programs and move onto campus. During the interactive process, DS providers learn about students’ concerns, some of which are disability-related barriers that require accommodation. Then there are concerns that appear to be rooted in feelings of discomfort that do not require accommodation but must be addressed by the campus community. As a former DS provider, the concerns that I heard most frequently from neurodivergent students centered around the transition to living on campus. They asked questions such as, “How much can I control what happens in my room?”, “How do I ask my roommate for what I need?”, and “Can I ask my roommate to leave the room so I can cry or decompress without an audience?” 

While neurodivergent students may voice their concerns aloud in the safety of DS providers’ offices, the questions themselves are front-of-mind for almost every new student. As a result, summer orientation programs often include sessions with residence life staff, who explain strategies for getting to know your roommate and establishing mutually agreed upon expectations for your shared space. Well-meaning peer orientation leaders may encourage students by saying, “Don’t worry. You’ll find your people.” Neurodivergent students, however, rarely find these tips and positivity to be helpful. What they hear is that the onus is on them to make this work, and self-advocacy and a willingness to be vulnerable—things that are difficult for them to begin with—are the only pathways to living comfortably in community. A follow-up question that I would hear in August was, “Can I get a single room if I can’t live with a roommate?”, an indicator that they did not see a support system that would work for them.

How might campuses smooth this transition for neurodivergent students? Student Affairs and housing staff members already serve many roles—advisor, confidante, protector, mediator, tutor, and the list goes on. They don’t have the time or energy to create entirely different support networks for certain populations of students. There are, however, ways to front-load and scaffold existing resources so all students have the support they require. This will allow staff to address concerns proactively, before they lead to larger issues, which makes for satisfied students and less staff burnout come mid-semester.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Use a roommate contract. A roommate contract is a process that begins with students answering a list of provided questions and ends with a written contract that details expectations for their shared space. These could be related to cleanliness, visitors, or bedtimes, for example. The most important part of the process is having an honest, positive, and respectful conversation. Assign a trained staff member to join each pair/set of roommates to role-model effective communication and problem-solving and ensure that each student is heard. Do not allow students to opt out of the roommate contract.
• Schedule check-ins with roommates to learn whether the roommate contract is working for them. Help students to know that they can make changes to the contract as they move through the semester because they “don’t know what they don’t know” in early September.
• Offer a variety of programs and events, within and outside of Residential settings, that assist students to engage with others. Students’ comfort levels will vary, and large social events don’t appeal to some. Consider offering “body-doubling” study sessions where students can be in the same space, working independently and making progress on their homework. Organize a game night, where students can do something that they enjoy, have a clear purpose for being there, and engage in as little or as much chit chat as they like.
• Engage other offices to bring resources into residential spaces. Counseling services can be a natural partner to offer sessions on creating healthy relationships. Academic support centers could provide drop-in sessions with peer coaches to assist students in building confidence in the classroom, which often leads to more overall confidence about navigating student life.
• Help students to know where on campus they can study outside of their rooms. Students can and should be particular about their study environments, but they cannot expect their roommates to maintain them. Some students may need background noise, and the option to move around the room periodically. Some may want to read aloud or practice a presentation. Some prefer absolute quiet.

 
When campuses understand and consider the neurodivergent perspective, they create services and programming that are inclusive, by design. Residence Life staff have many opportunities to be change agents on this front.