Autism Spectrum Disorders in the College Composition Classroom

Growing numbers of Americans with diagnoses of high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are enrolling at universities across the country. This is great news for the diversity of higher education. Nonetheless, students with ASD frequently encounter challenges when they sign up for their required composition courses. Group work, empathizing with audiences, using metaphors in writing, these are just a few of the standard curricular situations that have alerted students, instructors, and administrators to the need for better strategies for accommodating the unique perspectives of ASD in composition instruction. This volume represents a start toward finding those strategies. The contributors bring decades of classroom experience to bear on questions such as How do we design assignments that encourage students with ASD to play to their strengths as they work to improve their writing? How can administrators support students with ASD in writing classes? and How should composition instructors interpret reports of research on ASD and writing? The overarching theme of the essays presented here is that ASD extends an invitation to college composition instructors to craft a learning environment that better serves all students.