Autism

Our support for students with Autism is based on each individual's needs. We try to organise the support you may require in advance of you beginning your studies, so it is vital that you contact the Disability Service as soon as possible. You can make an appointment to see us and bring someone with you to the meeting if you prefer.

Examples of support available

• Two-day Transition Programme to help you with the move from school/college into university (based at the Edinburgh campus - more information below)
• An invitation to our three-day Get Ready for Success Programme (based at the Edinburgh campus)
• Exam and coursework adjustments
• Communications support
• Specialist input from Autism Initiatives' University Support Team. This is a team of support workers who are based at the University to help with study skills, campus life skills and support in other areas that may affect a student's studies.
• Assistive software and training
• Arranging Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)

Examination and coursework adjustment details

Your coursework and exam adjustments will be discussed in full at your appointment with an Advisor. Any adjustment recommended is based on the needs of the individual. Examples follow, but the list is not exhaustive:

• Extra time in exams and timed class tests
• Use of a PC
• Quieter exam room to minimise distraction and aid concentration
• Provision of a scribe, reader or a prompter to help the student stay focussed
• Lecture notes and slides provided in advance of the lecture
• Ability to record lectures
• Support finding other students to work with, e.g. paired work in labs or group work
• Agreed guidelines for working in groups, such as everyone having a clearly defined role
• Guidelines for presentations such as presenting one-to-one, or to a smaller group

Where your needs are complex, we will agree a Learning Profile with you that will be available to teaching staff.

Transition event

We run a two-day event on Monday and Tuesday of the week before Welcome Week at the Edinburgh Campus. This event is an opportunity to come onto campus and meet key members of staff across the university as well as visit some of the different areas where you will be studying. The event involves the following:

• Tour of the library
• Visit to the Chaplaincy
• Walkthrough of the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) & HWU Portal overview
• Information about wellbeing support available
• Visit to Oriam
• Talk from our Assistive Technology Advisor
• Information on the Maths Gym Support and Careers Service
• Plus, more!

We also have a visit to the Students Union and usually have a social event in the evening of the first day of the event where we have pizza and a quiz night. If you have disclosed a diagnosis of Autism to the university, we will send out invites for the Transition Event and your advisor will also discuss this with you during your initial appointment.

DSA

Available to UK-domiciled students only.

Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is additional funding which may be available to meet any additional study-related costs that a student may incur because of their disability. If you require any funded support, we will arrange another appointment to have your needs assessed for funding through DSA.

Assistive technology

Assistive technology is any device or software that can help you overcome barriers caused by your disability or learning difficulty.

There is additional information regarding assistive software on our website, including links to videos, guides and downloadable demos, as well as self-training material that you may wish to look at.