A congressional hearing Thursday will focus on the growing problem of autism among college students, and how schools are responding.
A four year old program at Mercyhurst University will be in the spotlight during that hearing. The coordinator of the school's Asperger Initiative will testify before the committee that includes area Congressman Mike Kelly.
Students with the syndrome are typically highly intelligent but need better social sklls. Mercyhurst offers on-on-one counseling and group sessions.
Asperger Initiative Coordinator Brad McGarry said, "Our goal is for them to blend directly into the student body and into the environment here at Mercyhurst. So we try to provide as much resources as we can without enabling the students to use their disability or diagnosis as an excuse not to succeed."
Mercyhurst hopes Congress will earmark more resources to help schools deal with the problem of autism.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WICU. All Rights Reserved.
