‘I have more control over my life’: A qualitative exploration of challenges, opportunities, and support needs among autistic university students

Abstract

Background Autistic people are known to experience more mental health issues than non-autistic people, and the same is true among university students. These difficulties can have long-term consequences, such as dropping out of university and unemployment. Understanding the challenges autistic students face can help institutions to better support this group, while allowing celebration of the opportunities higher education offers. Methods 12 autistic university students took part in semi-structured interviews about their mental health, the impact of university on their mental health, and their experiences of support while in higher education. Interviews were subject to thematic analysis. Results Three key themes were identified from autistic student accounts: Relationships, Independence, and Support. While each of these encompassed positive and negative elements, Relationships were described as tying everything together – when these were supportive, things went well, but when they were characterized by stigmatizing attitudes, students experienced much greater difficulties at university. Conclusions Autistic students can and do thrive at university, as shown by many of our participants. However, all faced significant challenges with their mental health at times, and experienced varying levels of support. Improving autism knowledge among staff, with emphasis on enabling better relationships, would make a significant difference to the autistic student experience.

Burnt Out and Dropping Out: A Comparison of the Experiences of Autistic and Non-autistic Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This finding mirrors Pellicano et al’s (2021) research with Australian autistic people and goes against the stereotyped view that autistic people lack social interest and our findings support counter-arguments to the theoretical proposal that autistic people lack social motivation ( Jaswal and Akhtar, 2018 ). University can offer many social opportunities for autistic people, and while they may face challenges within social environments ( Scott and Sedgewick, 2021 ), we must find ways to enable autistic students to flourish socially in pandemic-adapted universities. Particularly, making the social environment fit for the autistic student, rather than the other way round, is vital ( Vincent et al, 2017 ).…”

“…For example, societies, clubs, and university events (e.g., “Welcome Week”) should consider how they can be accessible to autistic students. This accessibility might be achieved by providing clear information in advance about social events, making sure events are in well-designed sensory spaces or using peer mentoring programs ( Cage et al, 2020 ; Scott and Sedgewick, 2021 ). Indeed, peer support programs for autistic students have shown promise ( Duerksen et al, 2021 ).…”

Learning from the experts: Evaluating a participatory autism and universal design training for university educators

“…The importance of ensuring that autistic voices guide autism research and practice is increasingly recognized (Fletcher-Watson et al, 2019; Pellicano et al, 2018). Indeed, autistic students have suggested that autism trainings for university teaching staff should forefront the experiences of autistic people (Sarrett, 2018; Scott & Sedgewick, 2021). Fraser (2000) asserted that institutional inequalities in status, which situate some people as “normative” and others as “deficient,” can only be overcome through equal representation of those who have been disempowered (Vincent et al, 2022).…”

“…Even some disability support staff lack autism understanding (Kim & Crowley, 2021). Autistic people and academic staff, including professors and administrators, report that university disability accommodations, which focus primarily on academic progress, often fail to adequately support autistic students in domains such as social connectedness, daily living, and mental health (Accardo et al, 2019; Anderson et al, 2017, 2018; Cai & Richdale, 2016; Sarrett, 2018; Scott & Sedgewick, 2021; Zeedyk et al, 2019).…”

“…Therefore, training is needed to help university teaching staff effectively support autistic and otherwise diverse students regardless of whether they have and/or disclose a diagnosis. Indeed, autistic students, faculty, and administrators have called for training to educate university educators (Accardo et al, 2019; Austin & Peña, 2017; Brown & Coomes, 2016; Cage & Howes, 2020; Dymond et al, 2017; Kim & Crowley, 2021; Sarrett, 2018; Scott & Sedgewick, 2021; Vincent, 2015; Zeedyk et al, 2019). Trainings have been used to improve autism understanding among university students (Gillespie-Lynch et al, 2015; Jones et al, 2021) as well as teachers and teachers in training (Saade et al, 2021).…”