NPR follows 18-year-old Roger Diehl as he starts his freshman year at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Roger was an A-student throughout high school, but the prospect of leaving his Nashville home to go to college has been especially challenging for him and his family. Roger has ADHD and autism, and has had recurrent bouts of clinical depression.

He and his family have made college plans that build in supports for him, and have obtained legal documents that will allow a family member to make medical and financial decisions on Roger’s behalf if he becomes incapacitated. “I actually feel that it’s adding to my independence, because I feel they’ll be more responsive to my wishes than someone I don’t know,” he said.

Also on NPR: Why my autistic son misbehaves — commentary by Jennifer Hendrick

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 at 6:34 am and is filed under ADHD, NOT2BEMISSED, autism, college/secondary education, commentary, depression, law, personal finances, personal stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post