What R.A.s Can Do

R.A.s can take a preventative approach to roommate conflicts. It is recommended that R.A.s take such a preventative approach with all of their residents to prevent roommate conflicts with all of their residents. This includes residents with ASD who have disclosed, residents with ASD who have not disclosed, and all other residents. R.A.s can provide each room with a list of talking points related to sleeping/studying, room cleanliness, visitors/ guests, borrowing, and other relevant areas. Click on the following link to view a sample talking points handout, adapted from a handout given to freshmen at Marist College. R.A.s can also go a step further and develop roommate contracts with their residents. Click on the following link to view a sample roommate contract.

 

Research has found that knowledge of a diagnosis improves college students' attitudes towards their peers with ASD (Mathews, Ly, & Goldberg, 2015). R.A.s may encourage residents with ASD to disclose their disability to their roommates and work to create a culture of acceptance that encourages disclosure; however, many college students with autism do not want others to know about their disability for fear of being stigmatized. R.A.s must respect and honor a resident with ASD's right to privacy, and cannot inform roommates about the resident's disability (see more on page: Disclosure).