Note:

Please note that Banner/TitanWeb and course registration will be unavailable from Noon, Mon., June 30 through Noon, Tue., July 1 due to end of academic and fiscal year maintenance. Canvas will remain available through myEFSC. This alert and the calendar event will be updated if the scheduled downtime changes due to unforeseen issues.

Navigators to Success text with map background and sailing ship

Navigators to Success Program

Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The Navigators to Success program at Eastern Florida State College is uniquely designed to fit the needs of students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their transition to college life. Eighty percent of students with ASD have a GPA of 3.0 or higher (with 3.7 being the average), yet research suggests that only 39% of college students with ASD graduate. Students with ASD have so much potential, but often find it difficult to navigate the college atmosphere.

Summer 2025 Navigators to Success Program

The deadline to apply was Thursday, June 12, 2025. Decisions on acceptance will be emailed by June 19, 2025. We look forward to this summer's program starting July 7th.

This is a transition program that is held each summer to support new, incoming, dual-enrolled, and first-time college students on the Autism Spectrum. The free program takes place over four weeks and focuses on specific areas such as social excellence, adaptation and regulation, time management and goal setting, career planning, and classroom and campus exploration. Information about future opportunities will be shared here when available.

Students will engage in a variety of activities, including workshops, guest speakers, practical application of presented topics, and weekly gaming tournaments — plus explore college orientation materials, participate in social exercises and skills training, as well as academic pathway exploration and more. Through this program, students will not only learn but also have fun and build a sense of community as they get ready to start College classes.

When: Mondays - Thursdays, July 7 - 31, 2025, 9 AM to 12 PM
Where: Melbourne Campus

Sample Weekly Schedule:

  • Mondays: Workshop and Presentation
  • Tuesdays: Skills practice
  • Wednesdays: EFSC Guest Speaker and a fun activity
  • Thursdays: Gaming tournament, snacks, and one-on-one coaching

Topics Covered:

  • Social Excellence: Explore student life and campus community engagement.
  • Adaptation & Regulation: Gain skills for support-seeking and coping in college.
  • Time Management & Goal Setting: Learn strategies for successful college planning and structure.
  • Career Planning: Discover and expand on career interests through academic pathway exploration.
  • Classroom & Campus Exploration: Navigate the waves of EFSC with expert guidance.

For questions about the program, contact Lisa Casillas at casillasl@easternflorida.edu or 321-433-5939.

Putting Research into Action

This program was developed based on the University of Florida doctoral dissertation of Dr. Barbara Kennedy, EFSC's Dean of Students, who still supervises Navigators to Success and helps plan the summer session.

View more photos in the EFSC Flickr Album.

A group of diverse Navigators students pose for a picture with Dr. Phil Simpson at EFSC near the front of a classroom projector screen.
A faculty member at EFSC sits with a Navigators student who is wearing headphones writing on a piece of paper on the table in the classroom.
A Navigators student playing chess with an EFSC staff member on a round table near an open window.
Five Navigators students pose happily around a themed cake with the Navigators to Success logo and ship icon.
Two Navigators students sit in a booth either side of a table and play a card game with a staff member.
Two Navigators students play pool together with one student preparing to hit the ball with a pool cue while other students play a card game on the table in the background.
Three Navigators students play monopoly together as one student reaches across the table to claim a property; One student is wearing headphones.
A Navigators student sits with an EFSC staff member playing a Mario video game on two flat-screen TVs.
Navigators students bend over a classroom desk cluttered with papers and documents working on a classroom writing exercise.
A group of Navigators students sit at a u-shaped desk working on a classroom assignment while an EFSC staff member facilitates.
Three students sitting in the classroom at tables looking curious and attentive at the speaker with classroom materials in front of them.
Six Navigators students of different demographics stand with two EFSC faculty/staff members at the front of a classroom for a group photo.

Autism Support Resources

Use the links below to access local and national resource options.