4 Supporting Students on the Autism Spectrum Positive Cognitive Traits Although there are cognitive difficulties and challenges, there are also many areas of strength. Other than high levels of intelligence, students have a strong attention to detail (Anderson, Stephenson, and Carter 2017), excel- lent technological skills (Van Hees, Moyson, and Roeyers 2015), and dem- onstrate persistence (Drake 2014). In fact, Anderson, Carter, and Stephenson (2018) found that the most common strength was attention to detail. This trait is going to play a very important role in Chapter 5 on employment. Students with ASD often experience an intense interest in the subject they are studying and will develop an expertise in a particular subject area (Anderson, Stephenson, and Carter 2017). They exhibit a strong love for learning and enjoy sharing their expertise with others (Kirchner, Ruch, and Dziobek 2016), a trait that will return in Chapter 4 on instruction. One of the highest intellectual or cognitive traits found is creativity, showing orig- inality and imagination when pursuing interests (Anderson, Carter, and Stephenson, 2018 Kirchner, Ruch, and Dziobek 2016). So while there may be difficulties with students with ASD initially transitioning to the college, many of them ultimately find the experience extremely rewarding. STUDENT VOICES I was excited and nervous at the same time! I was excited to not have to go to high school because that was torturous. I didn’t have a lot of friends and classes were back to back. I didn’t like the classes and what we had to learn. Romeo and Juliet amongst other Shakespearean works were not in ter esting to me. College was dif fer ent because I get to choose my classes, the times, the professor. Choosing the professor is fantastic they can make it or break it. Classes are much more in ter esting and many more options. I wish I knew [this] in high school[—it] isn’t that bad. I am much more successful in college and MUCH more happier.—Emma Billingsley SOCIAL SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION STYLES As defined in the DSM-5 (2013), social and communication impairments associated with ASD are pervasive and sustained, meaning they remain with the individual throughout their life. There are a wide range of deficits ranging from complete lack of speech, language delays, to overly literal lan- guage. Often, when language abilities are present, the reciprocal use of
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