But I want to fit in…
For one neurodivergent young woman, avoiding risky behavior was proving to be very difficult for her while she was in college. Between the fear of missing out (FOMO) and not wanting people to think she wasn’t cool; the young woman was constantly putting herself in situations without thinking. Whether it was taking a drink from someone without knowing what it was or simply just saying yes to going out every night with her friends, the young woman was quickly falling into bad habits. She would often drink too much the night before an exam or important class, causing her to miss it, she would also go back to people’s dorm she didn’t know to hang out and party, and would often be unaware of her surroundings when out. Although nothing too bad had happened to the young woman yet besides failing a few tests and missing her classes, her inability to avoid risky behaviors worried her roommate who quickly contacted her friends’ parents.
After realizing their daughter was struggling to avoid dangerous behaviors while in college, her parents reached out to The College Life Skills Program for help. There, she met with a coach weekly so she could learn how to strengthen this life skill by learning and applying strategies such as weighting out the risks of going somewhere or making a pro/con list before acting on whatever it is she is planning on doing. As she received this coaching, with a level of accountability, her ability to handle independent life flourished, preventing her from getting hurt, failing classes, and dropping out of college due to her inability to avoid risky behavior.
In college, young adults will make mistakes. Its practically inevitable, however, they should be able to avoid putting themselves and others in compromising positions, when possible, because if not, it can lead to further issues down the line. If they are unable to avoid making impulsive decisions too much the night before work or class, say no to drugs offered to them, or stay away from parties that may be dangerous, then they can be at risk for developing an addiction, not being able to hold a job, failing classes, and so much more, especially as freshman. Having freedom for the first time can be overwhelming to college students, and they may go a little wild, and although it is common for all college students to struggle with avoiding risky behavior, it is said that “The prevalence of risk-taking behaviors increased during the freshman year.” (Marin et.al., 2019).
With independence is sure to come mistakes, but not having adult level life skills can make avoiding risky behavior especially hard for neurodivergent individuals, causing further issues and risks down the line, but at The College Life Skills Program, we can help young adults learn the proper life skills needed to be successful.
At the College Life Skills Program, our team of Doctoral and Master level professionals utilizes a series of highly individualized strategies, services, and techniques to help neurodivergent young adults who are college bound, in college, and even after college succeed in and after their transition into independent life. We help teach them life skills such how to avoid risky behaviors so they can be successful in the work world and in life as well as help them learn how to balance independent life on their own, and other executive functioning skills, social skills, and emotional maturity. If your young adult is struggling with life skills, such as avoiding risky behaviors on their own or the transition into college and adulthood, CollegeLSP has the tools to aid them in achieving and generalizing such skills.
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Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of college students and those high school students preparing for college. The CollegeLSP is a subsidiary program of the Support For Students Growth Center, located in Boca Raton, FL and providing services nationwide.
Marin, S., Allahverdipour, H., Hajizadeh, M., Fakhari, A., Ansari, H., & Mohammadpoorasl, A. (2019, October 21). Changes in risk-taking behaviors during the first year of college in the northwestern Iran: A latent transition analysis. Journal of research in health sciences. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7183566/
