{"id":104128,"date":"2024-12-10T14:02:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T19:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=104128"},"modified":"2024-12-10T14:02:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T19:02:54","slug":"umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW&#8217;s \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nicole Martin couldn\u2019t wait to begin her college experience at the University of Mary Washington. Yet, as an incoming first-year student, she felt overwhelmed by the thought of a packed schedule of activities, unfamiliar faces and new situations.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_104136\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-104136\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"104136\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/umw-11132017-132\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,729\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;FC6310&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1510398935&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;8.8&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This semester, UMW officially launched \u2018Soft Landings,\u2019 a pre-arrival program to help incoming students with autism spectrum disorder acclimate to the UMW campus. The program was funded through a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant, which helped purchase textbooks and pay stipends for mentors.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132-300x182.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132-1024x622.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-104136\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132-300x182.jpg\" alt=\"This semester, UMW officially launched \u2018Soft Landings,\u2019 a pre-arrival program to help incoming students with autism spectrum disorder acclimate to the UMW campus. The program was funded through a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant, which helped purchase textbooks and pay stipends for mentors.\" width=\"350\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132-300x182.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132-1024x622.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132-768x467.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/umw-11132017-132.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-104136\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This semester, UMW officially launched \u2018Soft Landings,\u2019 a pre-arrival program to help incoming students with autism spectrum disorder acclimate to the UMW campus. The program was funded through a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant, which helped purchase textbooks and pay stipends for mentors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThankfully, I learned about \u2018Soft Landings,\u2019 which provided support that I didn\u2019t even know I needed,\u201d Martin said of UMW\u2019s new pre-arrival program that helps students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) acclimate to Mary Washington. \u201cIt\u2019s made a huge difference in how I\u2019m adjusting to college life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin is one of 11 students enrolled this fall in the first cohort of \u201cSoft Landings,\u201d which provides activities and campus tours, as well as personal introductions to key staff members, to help ease the transition to UMW before other students arrive on campus. The program also helps neurodivergent students hone critical skills for college success, such as learning how to solve problems and adapt to new situations, practicing self-care, preparing for academic courses, socializing and learning to self-advocate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUMW has a sizeable population of students with ASD, in part because of our emphasis on small class sizes and individualized attention,\u201d said Assistant Dean of Students Chris \u201cCJ\u201d Porter, who oversees the program. More than 100 current students have disclosed an ASD diagnosis, with 85 seeking accommodations, said Director of Disability Resources Alex Ecklund.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_104135\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-104135\" style=\"width: 275px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"104135\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/processed-db00cb0a-6bd0-4706-8924-bbfa138057da89\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1816,2420\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Impact Grant for \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 covered the cost of a textbook, \u2018Going to College with Autism,\u2019 seen here with a collection of fidget toys to help students when they feel overstimulated. The book is filled with success stories of students with autism spectrum disorder. Photo courtesy of CJ Porter.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89-225x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89-768x1024.jpeg\" class=\"wp-image-104135\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"The Impact Grant for \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 covered the cost of a textbook, \u2018Going to College with Autism,\u2019 seen here with a collection of fidget toys to help students when they feel overstimulated. The book is filled with success stories of students with autism spectrum disorder. Photo courtesy of CJ Porter.\" width=\"275\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89-225x300.jpeg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89-768x1023.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89-1153x1536.jpeg 1153w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89-1537x2048.jpeg 1537w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/processed-DB00CB0A-6BD0-4706-8924-BBFA138057DA89.jpeg 1816w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-104135\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Impact Grant for \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 covered the cost of a textbook, \u2018Going to College with Autism,\u2019 seen here with a collection of fidget toys to help students when they feel overstimulated. The book is filled with success stories of students with autism spectrum disorder. Photo courtesy of CJ Porter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A staff member since 1999, Porter was already familiar with the kinds of challenges that neurodivergent students can face in college, like knowing when to speak up in class, staying on top of assignments and engaging in social interactions with peers and professors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the first time many of these students are navigating life on their own,\u201d said Porter, who spent a year researching how to get the program off the ground. \u201cBut it\u2019s very expensive to raise a child with special needs, so we needed to find a way to make it affordable for parents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last spring, she secured a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alumni.umw.edu\/s\/1588\/rd17\/interior.aspx?sid=1588&amp;gid=1&amp;pgid=3380\">Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant<\/a>\u00a0through a new program piloted by UMW\u2019s Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/giving.umw.edu\/blog\/2024\/05\/06\/umw-awards-inaugural-impact-grants-funding-innovation-across-campus\/?pk_vid=4de7cefd1a169f2a171528290249a987\">awarded<\/a> $25,000 in donor-funded grants to eight projects and initiatives sponsored by students, faculty and staff.<\/p>\n<p>The $3,500 grant she received covered the cost of purchasing a textbook,\u00a0<em>Going to College with Autism<\/em>, for each student, as well as stipends for five UMW student mentors, all of whom identify as having ASD. Families whose students participate in the program are charged a small fee for meals.<\/p>\n<h3>Read more at <a href=\"https:\/\/giving.umw.edu\/blog\/2024\/10\/09\/umws-soft-landings-program-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/\">Giving.umw.edu<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicole Martin couldn\u2019t wait to begin her college experience at the University of Mary Washington. Yet, as an incoming first-year student, she felt overwhelmed by the thought of a packed schedule of activities, unfamiliar faces and new situations. \u201cThankfully, I learned about \u2018Soft Landings,\u2019 which provided support that I didn\u2019t even know I needed,\u201d Martin [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1236,"featured_media":104133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[15471,15466,15468],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-104128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-cporter","9":"tag-fund-for-mary-washington-impact-grant","10":"tag-office-of-advancement-and-alumni-engagement","11":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UMW&#039;s \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW&#039;s \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nicole Martin couldn\u2019t wait to begin her college experience at the University of Mary Washington. Yet, as an incoming first-year student, she felt overwhelmed by the thought of a packed schedule of activities, unfamiliar faces and new situations. \u201cThankfully, I learned about \u2018Soft Landings,\u2019 which provided support that I didn\u2019t even know I needed,\u201d Martin [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-10T19:02:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jill Laiacona\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jill Laiacona\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jill Laiacona\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81cd90fbc8c9a45401477e39ce19ef4b\"},\"headline\":\"UMW&#8217;s \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-10T19:02:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":532,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"cporter\",\"Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant\",\"Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/\",\"name\":\"UMW's \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students - News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-10T19:02:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":413},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/10\\\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UMW&#8217;s \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"News\",\"description\":\"University of Mary Washington\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University of Mary Washington\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png\",\"width\":2255,\"height\":580,\"caption\":\"University of Mary Washington\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/UniversityofMaryWashington\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/UMaryWash\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81cd90fbc8c9a45401477e39ce19ef4b\",\"name\":\"Jill Laiacona\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e90d188164a077b82e87432426af894f63e0df9845498c0dc984982f0d0ee890?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e90d188164a077b82e87432426af894f63e0df9845498c0dc984982f0d0ee890?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e90d188164a077b82e87432426af894f63e0df9845498c0dc984982f0d0ee890?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jill Laiacona\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UMW's \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students - News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UMW's \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students","og_description":"Nicole Martin couldn\u2019t wait to begin her college experience at the University of Mary Washington. Yet, as an incoming first-year student, she felt overwhelmed by the thought of a packed schedule of activities, unfamiliar faces and new situations. \u201cThankfully, I learned about \u2018Soft Landings,\u2019 which provided support that I didn\u2019t even know I needed,\u201d Martin [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/","og_site_name":"News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/","article_published_time":"2024-12-10T19:02:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":413,"url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jill Laiacona","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UMaryWash","twitter_site":"@UMaryWash","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jill Laiacona","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/"},"author":{"name":"Jill Laiacona","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/81cd90fbc8c9a45401477e39ce19ef4b"},"headline":"UMW&#8217;s \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students","datePublished":"2024-12-10T19:02:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/"},"wordCount":532,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg","keywords":["cporter","Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant","Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement"],"articleSection":["Top Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/","name":"UMW's \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students - News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-10T19:02:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg","width":1024,"height":413},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/umws-soft-landings-smooths-college-transition-for-neurodivergent-students\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UMW&#8217;s \u2018Soft Landings\u2019 Smooths College Transition for Neurodivergent Students"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/","name":"News","description":"University of Mary Washington","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization","name":"University of Mary Washington","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/10\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/10\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png","width":2255,"height":580,"caption":"University of Mary Washington"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/","https:\/\/x.com\/UMaryWash"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/81cd90fbc8c9a45401477e39ce19ef4b","name":"Jill Laiacona","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e90d188164a077b82e87432426af894f63e0df9845498c0dc984982f0d0ee890?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e90d188164a077b82e87432426af894f63e0df9845498c0dc984982f0d0ee890?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e90d188164a077b82e87432426af894f63e0df9845498c0dc984982f0d0ee890?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jill Laiacona"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/10\/NewRelease_CRUC.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-30 14:39:36","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1236"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104128"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=104128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}