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P3: Parents, Peers, and Professionals

P3 is a transition program designed to assist Autistic and neurodivergent students entering college for the first time. There are three main components of this program:

Parents

The Parent Partnership portion of this program is designed to help parents and caregivers support their Autistic students in a developmentally appropriate way. The idea of a Parent Partnership Program hatched from a few incidents that occurred on my campus. Some Autistic students are completely prepared for college, are well-versed in self-advocacy, and rarely need assistance. Others are still relying heavily on their parents to give them the same type of support that they received in high school. Studies have found that college students of over-controlling parents report feeling less satisfied with family life and have lower levels of psychological well-being.

An initial Parent/Guardian meeting will take place in August, prior to the start of the semester. With a signed FERPA release, parents and guardians will be contacted twice throughout the semester (week 3 and week 7) for check-ins, with additional meetings if needed.

Peers

An important aspect of a residential college is meeting and interacting with peers. However, Autistic students could have difficulty making meaningful connections with their peers. The advantage of peer mentoring is that students are supported by those close in age and there is potential to customize the support to the preferences and needs of the student. Connecting Autistic students to a designated peer mentor establishes a relationship early in the students’ academic career. A student is more likely to succeed if systems are put into place prior to the student arriving at college.

Each participant in P3 will have a designated Peer Mentor. The Peer Mentor will help provide some social “cushion” in new environments and can be a great resource for advice about campus activities! Students can look forward to Game Nights and movie nights!

Professionals

The students in the P3 program will have professional staff to assist and guide them through their college career. This is already happening on campus – SUNY Canton values staff/student relationships, and they often happen organically. This program will be more intentional but will hopefully give a sense of belonging and support. Weekly meetings with a professional staff member will help ensure that academic progress is being maintained. These meetings will also help with the other tedious yet important parts of college: course registration, housing lotteries, financial aid paperwork completion, and other tasks that are difficult to manage.

Participants in P3 will be expected to arrive on campus by August 15, 2024 for a program orientation. Fully online students can participate via Teams. For inquiries about the program, please contact Megan Riedl, riedlm@canton.edu, or call 315-386-7392.

P3 Program Application

Student Accessibility Services

 

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