Autism and Mental Well-being in Higher Education 2/e

Autism and Mental Well-being in Higher Education 2nd edition looks into the fact that, too often, autistic students and those with mental health needs struggle with higher education, often dropping out of courses because they do not receive the informed support that would help them to succeed. This much-needed manual addresses the provision of effective support via mentoring in order to build students' confidence and enable them to take control of their lives. Beautifully illustrated, this unique publication is written for those with a neurodivergent perspective, and brings together ideas and activities tried and tested among an array of students. It encourages students to take control of mentoring and study skills sessions by signposting them to topics which they wish to address, while also providing a useful framework and resources for mentors and tutors in higher education. It includes clear information about what constitutes mentoring, as well as coverage of academic study skills, highlighting key points for attention and discussion. In particular, the manual addresses specific issues raised by many autistic individuals and those with mental health needs, and through its activities and resources, it provides a toolkit of coping strategies that can be tailored to individuals. Finally, it covers elements of independent living with which many individuals struggle, and which have been raised in various forms by students with whom the author has worked. Following the success of the first edition of this book it was apparent that new chapters needed to be added to better reflect diversity and to acknowledge the prevalence of sexual violence on campus. With this in mind, Chapter 13 is on gender and explores such issues as identity, disclosure, pronouns, name change and transitioning. The second new chapter, Chapter 14, addresses issues experienced by many individuals from BAME communities, such as acceptance within their own culture, language barriers, obtaining a diagnosis, tokenism and inclusion of BAME voices within higher education. The third additional chapter (15) addresses sexual violence, whether it has happened prior to university or during studies and on or off campus. This chapter discusses processing and communicating what has happened and support options available.