Cal State Long Beach has seen a 300 percent increase in the number of enrolled students diagnosed with autism and Asperger’s syndrome in the past three years.
Director of Disabled Student Services (DSS) David Sanfilippo, who has worked in the program for 35 years, said the increase comes as the ability to detect disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, has gotten better.
According to Sanfilippo, five years ago one in every 2,500 people was diagnosed with autism. That ratio has since increased to one in 88.
“I think it’s because we’ve gotten better at assessment,” he said.
DSS Autism Specialist Nicole Smith runs the Learning Independence for Empowerment (LIFE) Project, a group that hosts weekly gatherings to help students with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, social anxiety and other social-cognitive deficits to build independence and improve social skills through workshops, presentations and projects.