ENHANCE Gives Students an Added Boost

Entering college can be a challenge for most students. But for those who are on the spectrum, a college environment can often present a unique set of hurdles.

Ramapo College’s new ENHANCE Program is designed to help students with ASD to transition successfully from high school to college. Another goal is to keep current students academically and socially engaged so that they can fully enjoy their college experience.

“ENHANCE was created because the number of Ramapo students who identified as having ASD has increased by more than 800 percent over the past seven years,” says Suzanne Calgi, a psychological counselor and coordinator for ENHANCE. “And while many of these students excel academically, they often have a deficit in social communication.”

A therapeutic support program, ENHANCE’s holistic approach focuses on social, emotional, and organizational growth to assist students on the spectrum to adapt and flourish in college and beyond.

“We individualize the program to meet each student’s needs,” explains Calgi. “I am a therapist. It is through talking to students and getting
their stories that I begin to understand if they are suffering from anxiety, or having difficulty communicating with people. I also discover what has kept them from achieving in the past and what keeps them from making friends. Then I hone in on those issues and help to resolve them.”

Each student has a weekly appointment with Calgi to discuss their needs and to work on individualized goals. If needed, a student may request additional weekly sessions.

“Parent contact is a part of our program,” she adds. “I encourage my students to sign a release that will allow me to speak to their parents and most students do sign the release.”

Calgi also facilitates group meetings for students with the College’s Office of Specialized Services. “At those meetings we ask students for topics they are interested in discussing and that are relevant to them, such as friendships, dating, social media, texting, college stress, life stress, effective communication with college personal, life skills and independence,” she says. “Through these meetings the students get support not only from us, but also from each other.”

Another unique component of the program is its peer mentors, undergraduates who volunteer to work with ENHANCE students.

“The goal of the peer mentors is to help ENHANCE students to integrate into the campus,” says Calgi.

She trains peer mentors on the basics of the autism spectrum, what things to look for, what issues might come up, and she makes sure they understand that each student is unique. “The peer mentors receive four hours of training before they meet their peers, and then we have a weekly meeting where we discuss what is happening with the students. If an issue arises, mentors know that they can call me anytime.”

A peer mentor will then meet with their ENHANCE student several times each week to eat lunch or just relax at one of the student gathering spots.

“We’ve noticed that our students tend to be very good academically, but the social aspects of campus life might be more difficult for them, so they often isolate themselves,” says Calgi. “A peer mentor can often ease a student entry into the larger student community.”

Peer mentors also introduce ENHANCE students to the various student organizations and if necessary will accompany them to a meeting. They create a bridge to campus activities and help the students to connect with other club members. Peers also help plan and lead weekend social events. In addition, they review the campus events lists, select the ones that might appeal to ENHANCE students, and offer to accompany them to those events.

“ENHANCE is in line with Ramapo’s strategic goal of creating a supportive environment for all, with particular consideration for underrepresented groups and we do consider students with disabilities to be underrepresented,” says Calgi.

“I see ENHANCE expanding in the coming years.”