EPISODE 36: Lindsey Heads Back to School at Appalachian State - Dean’s-list year, accommodations (single room), office hours, clubs—and finding fit

[Music] Now that I'm genuinely enjoying my social life at Hamilton, I'm more incentivized and actually be social. Having autism isn't something that should prevent people from having a successful college experience. It takes work. Join clubs, find groups, find your people, find ways to fit in, see a peer mentor, see somebody who can help you get involved on campus. There were a lot of black children on the spectrum who also did that. She's not the first one. I researched all of the majors and I eliminated the ones that sounded not interesting to me. So then I changed it to chemical engineering to work with chemistry. Then I took an environmental science class and I'm like, I think environmental issues are really important and I'm really passionate about sustainability and stuff. So then I changed it to finally environmental engineering. Especially in a college town like Don't Doordash, just go out and get the food. It's good exercise. [Music] Hey everyone! Thanks for joining us on this episode of Autism Goes to College. The podcast for students on the spectrum and for everyone who supports us. Navigating college is always a challenge. So here are the hacks, insights and great ideas you've been looking for to make college work for you. We're a small group of self advocates. We're all in college, we're recently graduated and you can do this too. Autism Goes to College began as a documentary film following five college students on the spectrum as they navigated college life. At the end of this episode, I'll give you some details about where you can see the film today. And it's all at our website, autismgoestocollege.org. Every month we drop a new episode. Here's what's also new. There's a resource center on our website with dozens of outtakes of important stuff that didn't quite make it into the film. All of the podcast episodes and blogs from experts and from student advisors from the film. Thanks for listening. We do hope to hear from you. [Music] Hello, I am Lindsay Washington and I'm just about to head back to school as a sophomore at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. I'm majoring in communication sciences and disorders with a minor in digital marketing. I had a lot of academic success in my freshman year. Even made the deans list twice, but I also had some challenges. Getting to classes could be confusing. There were ups and downs on the social side and with dorm life. So I'm going back for my second year with some experiences and strategies. I'm here with Kathanaugh Bryan, the host of the autism Goestocollege podcast. And I will hand it over to her. Hey everyone. We met our guest Lindsay on TikTok where autism Goestocollege had some fun this summer. Check out our TikTok and join the conversation when you have a minute. I'm your host, Kathanaugh Bryan, and I'm a student at UC Riverside where I'm pursuing my PhD in education, focusing on student teacher relationships between autistic students and their teachers, and also on the transition to adulthood for autistic young adults in college and understanding their experiences of relationships and identity. Our podcast is part of a whole bunch of resources that you can find at autism Goestocollege.org where you could also see clips from our documentary film, check out blogs and find the whole podcast series. At the end of this episode, you can also hear details on how to see the film. But for now, I'm happy to bring you this conversation with Lindsay Washington for our back to school episode. Welcome to the new season. So Lindsay, you are a social media sensation with TikTok and YouTube where you talk about college life from your perspective as a student on the spectrum. This summer you posted your recap. How did you decide to make and share social media content? I just want to have a platform where I can communicate and put my voice out there. I'm also very creative and I just love to put my work out there. So you are looking ahead to your sophomore year. How does it feel different this fall as compared to this time last year? So last year I was new to the school and I didn't know where I was going, where everything was. But compared to this year, I would know where everything is. And I will be more adjusted to the campus. So anxiety wise, it sounds like it might be a little better. Yeah, a lot better, not that much anxiety. That makes complete sense. Can you share some of the highs and lows of your first year of college? Of course. So some of the highs that I had were first of all having a successful freshman year. I made a Dean's list. And I also joined a couple of clubs. And the bonds were living with the stranger for the first time. I had a lot of anxiety because I've been an only chow and it was something that I had to get used to. And also living without my parents for the first time, even though I was close, it was still hard. So what happened with your situation and living away from home for the first time? You referenced that being kind of anxiety provoking, but how did it turn out? So initially when I first met my roommate during moving day, I thought that she was really nice. But as the year goes on, we weren't getting along, which created a lot of conflicts. What ended up happening? Did you find support for the conflict with your roommate? I did. So my roommate and I filled out a roommate agreement. I communicated to my RA. It didn't work out because it didn't work out. She ended up moving out of the room and did online classes. While I ended up with a single room for the rest of the year. Oh, I see. So your roommate left the dorm? She did. She did. Oh, well, was college how you were expecting or were there surprises along the way? I think it was pretty much mostly what I expected. Maybe with little changes, with making my own decisions. For instance, what I have to eat every day and just making my own schedule between my whole day, like what I'm going to do in between classes and so on. Yeah, there's a lot of autonomy. Have you found strategies that help give your day more structure? So I have a big calendar up in my room to where I write important due dates for my homework assignments and important tests when it comes to exams and tests. I also keep my planner up today by making sure I write down all the assignments for each of my classes and color coding. I also developed a relationship with my professors early on before school started. And I would advise this for anyone who goes to college to make sure that your professors get to know you. So that way my professors know who I am and what my accommodations are and work around it. Yeah, that personal connection really can make a difference when you need help in the moment. So how did you choose Appalachian State? What other schools were on your holistic colleges? Okay, so initially I went to high school in Pennsylvania. So initially I was looking at two schools in Pennsylvania. And as I was researching, my parents were considering a move to North Carolina. Then ultimately we did move to North Carolina, which led me to two schools there, which one was a small and private university while the other one was midsize, which was Appalachian State. And from there I decided based on accommodations and Appstead won because they offered the resources for those on the spectrum. Excellent. So Appstead's midsize and it has resources. Can you tell me just a little bit more about the resources you found. I think people will be curious to hear what's offered. So my school offers a program called Hand and it stands for Help for Altizum and Nora Diversity and is a support network for students in the community. And my school was also listed as one of the top 30 colleges for those on the spectrum. According to the applied behavior analysis program guide. Oh fantastic. And how did you go about disclosing and asking for accommodations? Was that something you did during the application process? It was definitely something that I did during the application process. And I also was able to mention it to my professors when I requested my accommodations. Did you have any second thoughts about being open or was that natural for you? It was natural for me, very natural. And what accommodations are you using? Are they helping? Yes, they are very helpful and they help me to be successful. So some of the accommodations that I use are no taking assistance. So I use a specific app called "Autor" where transcribes exactly what my professors say. And since the college lectures are very fast-paced, I tend to miss stuff. So whenever I go back and redo my notes, I would listen to the lecture again, and then write down whatever I miss. I also have an "A Time Extension" for its his/her in exams. So are there parts of the hand program that go beyond your accommodations? Tell me a little more about that. For right now, I am working with the Office of Disability Resources for my accommodations. But I am looking into working with hands to help with job opportunities. Oh, that makes sense. So it's more of a thing as you progress in your college career. Correct. And continue to offer support to the future. Well, it's great to be looking ahead. So you share on social media that you study communication sciences and disorders, which is an area that you've received support in the path. Can you talk about the journey from being maybe a client of somebody who does communication sciences to being an expert? Of course. So as a person with autism who undergone speech therapy at a very young age, I've always been passionate about speech therapy. And my speech therapy experience in the past has really helped me. And it was really good to develop comprehension, analytic, and social skills that I need to utilize in my daily life. And I want to be, and I want to be helpful to others because I'm a very helpful person, regardless of the disability. Absolutely. How have you found the classes in your major? Are they meeting your expectations? Oh, absolutely. A lot of the information said so far from each of the classes that I took were really interesting and fascinated me that I was even researching a lot of the information outside of class. And what about the professors, particularly the professors in your major? How have your interactions been with them? Most of my classes are general ed requirements. But so far, I had a really good experience with my professors there, friendly, and they're very helpful. And they're very understanding of my accommodations. And they're also welcome to have additional office hours with me to make sure I understand the material. Fantastic. And you said it's important that you met your professors early on so they got to know you. Do you have any other tips and tricks for students who want to have good interactions with professors? I would say utilize all the resources that they have, like for participation, et cetera, to help you be successful. So you mentioned your dorm situation. Let's talk a little bit more about the overall social experiences in college. How would you describe the social side of your first year? It's definitely very a little bit difficult because especially with living with someone that's different from me, it was hard to get adjusted. And also in general, it was just hard for me to make friends. I would be the one usually to introduce myself and be friendly. However, people don't reciprocate, which leaves me to a lot of loneliness and isolation. And because I dealt with a lot of that in high school, I was afraid that I was going to experience it in college as well. Yeah. So do you have any places where you found you could try to meet people or is it just still just kind of tough? I'm trying to meet people through the clubs and also at the Dying Hall whenever I eat lunch and dinner throughout the day. I also try to meet people in my classes. So you mentioned clubs and you mentioned connecting socially in them. How are the clubs going? The clubs so far are going really well. I like the University Christian Club that I'm doing right now and I'm looking into continuing to do it this year. But I'm also looking into doing the Black Student Association at my school along with one creative club. What is one creative club? I've never heard of something like that. They do media and they do social media. I don't agree. Were there any clubs that you joined that you found didn't suit you? The neurodivergent student and allies club definitely wasn't fit. And the reason being was because it was male dominated and they weren't doing a lot of activities. I've seen a lot of informational stuff. So talking about autism and ADHD for example, information about each of those areas and resources that you can utilize to learn more. Okay. So they were kind of doing advocacy, basic knowledge sharing. I also mentioned that there were just a lot of guys in the club. Have you found it more challenging to be a woman on the spectrum in college or have you noticed that being a different experience? You know what? It definitely has been a hard experience to just find other women that are related to me. And like and talk about the same issues that we are dealing with. And that's why it's been easy. Okay. That makes sense. Yeah. Aside from your academic accommodations. Did you access any social supports or counseling on campus? You know what? I am aware of the counseling services that they have around campus. And I think it's really important to be able to help you to get into it this year. So it sounds like not yet. Were there things that you did instead of that that helped you feel supported and coping with the loneliness? Yes. So I would utilize my YouTube channel to because it's a great outlet for me to communicate and to be creative whenever I feel lonely. I would pray. I also like to listen to music because it's very therapeutic and relaxing, along with taking photos and online shopping. Yeah. I think the Internet can be such a healing way to connect with other neurodivergent people who maybe aren't close to us or on our campus, but really understand what we're going through. Absolutely. You mentioned your support system. Who who is part of your support system? Can you say a little bit about that? Of course. So my mom, my dad, my grandma, and with that also a couple friends that I made in high school. Oh, have you stayed in touch with your high school friends? I have. I have. I have tips for students that are going to college that want to continue those friendships from high school. The biggest thing that I have is to be yourself. It is so easy whenever you are in an unfamiliar environment with a lot of strangers around you to lose your identity. So make sure that you be your authentic self. So looking ahead to this fall, do you know where you'll be living and what courses you're taking? Can you give us like a preview of what you're most looking forward to? Absolutely. So I'm looking forward to continuing to get involved in clubs, meeting new people, and taking classes within my major. I'm also going to be in a single room this year. And some of the classes that I'm going to be taking is world civilization. Another major class for it's like anatomy and physiology of communication disorders. I'm also taking another writing class as part of my gen ed requirements. And also a survey of social psychology class and an oral of interpretation, which is basically theater. It sounds like there's just so much to look forward to. Thank you so much for sharing Lindsay. This has been a great, great little chat. I think particularly other female college students like us will relate to it. Thank you. And there's one more thing that I would like to say. My YouTube channel is Lindsey_Washington So be sure to stay tuned! And now, as promised, here are ways to see the documentary. The documentary film "Ontjes & Ghosts to College" is currently available through many channels, but the easiest way to see it today is to rent it on Vimeo on Demand, which you can access from your Apple TV or most smart TVs by going on the Vimeo on Demand app. You can also find a direct link on our website at www.authorsandghostecollege.org. The film is also available for educational use and live and hybrid screening events. All the relevant info and links can be found on our website. Thank you so much for listening, following us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and especially for adding your reviews on Apple podcasts. Our show is specifically for students on the spectrum navigating college, and we really appreciate your support for "Ontjes & Ghosts to College." Thanks for listening!