Roughly 350 staff and instructors at New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) campuses across the province recently completed specialized training to better accommodate students on the autism spectrum.
“Transition for anybody going to post-secondary is difficult,” said Mandy Bellefleur, learning specialist at NBCC Moncton campus.
“And for a student with autism it can be sometimes debilitating in some areas. They might run into trouble knowing what their schedule is, knowing how to follow that schedule.”
Nelson is one week into his business administration course at the Moncton campus and says so far, he feels right at home in the classroom and welcomes the extra support.
Bellefleur and Nelson’s instructors are helping him with organization and lightening his workload until he settles in. Coming from Quispamsis, this is also Nelson’s first time away from home.
“I am not going to lie it was pretty nerve-racking at first,” Nelson said.
Autism diagnoses on the rise in New Brunswick
Lisa Hebert, an autism consultant, says the number of young people diagnosed with autism is on the rise in New Brunswick, so more support is needed so more young adults with autism move on to post-secondary studies.
“You might have different students who have tried to go through post secondary and have struggled and now with supports in place they will be more successful,” said Hebert.
This year there are roughly 40 students with autism enrolled in NBCC campuses across the province. Bellefleur is hoping those those numbers will increase in the coming years.
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