The U.S. Dept of Ed recently updated their College Scorecard, and we think it's a tool for Autism families to keep in their arsenal when navigating the college application and decision process. For 8 years, I've seen:
Families and students setting standards too high or low
Students wanting to prove themselves by choosing an Ivy League school
Students thinking they need too many supports to ever be successful in college
Families spending thousands on specialty high schools, draining their college fund
Caregivers so exhausted in the guiding their child to earning a high school or equivalent diploma, there's no gas in the tank for looking at colleges
The College Scorecard offers ways to look at colleges as well as alternative pathways to a career. I particularly like the options other than a college-only mindset. The more I work with students on the Autism spectrum, the more I hear myself recommending students start at a community college or college with support systems for ADHD and Autism learners (see one of our book reviews offering tips at https://www.autismlife.com/post/book-review-the-k-w-guide-to-colleges-for-students-with-learning-differences).
What tipped us off to this recent change was a program on National Public Radio. Listen to the program here: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/15/1080773523/student-loans-financial-aid-tool-college-scorecard