Educational approach | Counseling students with autism – Viaa University of Applied Sciences

What started as extra help for one student grew into a successful and structural guidance approach for students with autism. Jaap Noppers (policy advisor inclusive education) and HBO-V teachers Lydie de Jong-Bakker and Irene Spoelstra of Viaa University of Applied Sciences share their experiences, successes and tips on the extra guidance of students with autism.

The trigger: extra guidance after a stalled internship

“We didn’t realize how many students with autism there actually were,” Lydie says. “When one student got stuck at her internship, we offered extra guidance. That was the starting point.” More applications soon followed through PPO teachers and deans. Several students now know the way to this facility every year.

Challenges in practice

Lydie describes how a student got stuck during the internship due to the attitude of the work supervisor. “In such situations, it is important to start the conversation with the work supervisor and be clear about everyone’s role in the assessment. With clarity about who is responsible for what, there is more peace and space for an honest assessment from different perspectives. That is ultimately better for the student.”

“The way a student is approached directly affects motivation, well-being and progress.” – Lydie

Translating complex assignments into practical actions also proved difficult. Irene: “After an interim evaluation in week ten, we saw that students needed more guidance. We needed to make our assignments more concrete.” This, she says, requires not only knowledge of autism, but also space and time to apply that knowledge.

“Teachers need space to really be able to make the translation to practice.” – Irene

Structure as a basis for peace and confidence

Regular conversations and clear structure appear to be essential to good tutoring. “It is important to have regular conversations with students about their progress. It helps to structure what works for the student and how they can apply this to their internship,” says Irene. The mere fact that additional counseling hours are possible gives peace of mind. “Students feel heard and often actually need fewer hours as a result,” adds Lydie.

Jaap explains how the guidance is now organized: “We now work according to a fixed structure with clear guidelines for applications, a fixed process and who is needed for this. Applications go through the dean and PPO teacher, and we have a handbook with clear steps. The approach is flexible and tailored to the student. Sometimes we extend an internship period, sometimes it is a short weekly meeting. Content and expertise need to be well matched, especially when it comes to fewer hours per week.

The knowledge of autism and what a student needs is important in this regard. It remains a challenge to discover what works.” Lydie adds, “We took the autism-friendly education course at OU. This helped us to ‘make sense’ of things. Students can apply through a separate facility, and the application is submitted through student deans. The assessment remains the same, so the examination board is not involved.”

Student development

Sometimes students go through impressive development. For example, Lydie tells of a student who was still stuck in her third-year internship, but completely blossomed during her retake and fourth-year internship. “I almost didn’t recognize her – that’s how confident she stood there. Meanwhile, this student shares her experiences with guest lectures. She is an inspiring example for others.”

It is stories like these that underscore the power of appropriate counseling. The impact extends beyond college credits: it contributes to professional and personal growth. Lydie follows former students through LinkedIn and is proud to see how they develop. “Students need to have compassion for themselves – just as we do as teachers,” she stresses. The numbers also show the effect.

“A student who failed the first year is now graduating. That says everything about the value of this approach.” – Jaap

Still, it doesn’t always work out. As Irene explains, “Sometimes we only notice during the internship that things are not going well. If a student does not achieve the required level, this is assessed as insufficient. The same content requirements also apply to a student with autism; no less is expected. The emphasis is on planning, concretization and organization, but the qualifications must meet the standard. In some cases, students then choose to drop out on their own. That remains difficult, but even then guidance and understanding is important.”

Support within the college

The working group around this approach continues to grow. “It’s manageable and we are working incrementally,” says Lydie. Management support is motivating, and the team is seeing more and more enthusiasm among colleagues. “In January we got expansion in terms of expertise. Possibly someone with knowledge of dyslexia will join us.”

There is still work to do, though: “In the coming year, we want to better promote the approach within the college. We also still need to dispel some doubts among colleagues, such as about maintaining test quality and students’ broader employability. We also want to have more conversations with work supervisors to better involve them in the process,” says Jaap. Irene adds: by far most of the colleagues are positive, especially the PPO teachers who are happy that it is being picked up.”

Irene explains what counseling looks like, “We have a meeting with the student every two weeks and keep an eye on the structure.” Lydie cites an example of a student who started later on Monday morning due to recovery after the weekend. “This was discussed with the work supervisor, who was flexible about it.”

“What works well is the ‘bottom-up’ principle: we start with a conversation with the student and think in terms of possibilities.” – Jaap

The approach is now a pilot within the HBO-V training, with plans to roll it out more widely. Within the LOOV network (Landelijk Opleidingen Overleg Verpleegkunde) there is coordination and mutual learning.