Conduct
Case Study: Jacob
Jacob was at an off-campus party where alcohol was consumed. He met a girl at the party and the girl spent the night with him. A few days later the girl filed a report of non-consensual sex, leading to a Title IX investigation. This became a "he-said-she-said" situation. The Title IX investigator wrote that Jacob had "deceptive behavior" during the interview and "was very nervous, did not make eye contact, fidgeted, and sometimes took deep breaths." Jacob says that he felt like he could not defend himself and felt very uncomfortable answering questions about sexual contact in the interview. Jacob did not reach out for help or notify his parents about the situation until he was expelled. Jacob does not believe that he is guilty of any misconduct.
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*Case study based on Jane Thierfeld Brown's virtual presentation "Student Conduct and Students on the Autism Spectrum," showed at the 2014 AHEAD conference (Thierfeld Brown, 2014).
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Most common forms of behavioral misconduct occur in residence halls and social situations on campus.
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Stalking is the most common conduct issue that arises with college students with autism who do not necessarily fully comprehend the implications of social inappropriateness. College students with autism may struggle to know what is and is not socially appropriate and often have trouble “taking a hint” as a result of challenges with non literal language and nonverbal communication. If someone does not explicitly say something along the lines of “you are making me feel uncomfortable by being around me all the time and I need you to go away and give me some space” the student with autism may not even realize they are doing anything wrong.
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Many students with ASD come to college very naïve with regard to sexual interaction. Sexual interaction is hard enough for neurotypical people to understand, and is incredibly difficult for residents with ASD who may struggle with social interaction and understanding how to act appropriately in a relationship manner or what to if someone acts inappropriately. When we add to that someone of the opposite sex asking you questions about sexual contact that can make you uncomfortable, this can form such extreme anxiety that may overtake the student and interfere with their ability to respond.
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As can be seen in the case, symptoms associated with ASD can be interpreted as symptoms of guilt.
(Thierfeld Brown, 2014)
What Can R.A.s Do?
Click on the following link to R.A. Best Practices By Topic: Conduct
If Using This Site as a Training Module:
to go to the next section: Knowledge for R.A.s- R.A. Best Practices by Topic