Should Lecturers be willing to Teach High-functioning Autistic Students: What do They Need to Know?

Abstract

Academic institutions are currently developing special programs based on the belief that the overall success of universities relies on the integration of diverse population groups. This study investigates the role of the organizational support to lecturers to facilitate the integration of students with high-functioning autism (HFA). A questionnaire was developed and completed by 103 lecturers to examine their attitudes on the best methods for integrating students with HFA in higher education. Both regression and path analysis were performed. The findings show that the university’s support is the main factor that influences instructors’ beliefs on the best method of integration, either by creating a tolerant atmosphere in the institution or using specially developed teaching methods. Lecturers' positive emotional responses and desire to be familiar with and involved with HFA students influence lecturers’ ability to provide effective support to students with HFA.

A scoping review of supports on college and university campuses for autistic post-secondary students

“…Interpersonal • Positive relationships with instructors, peer mentors, peers, librarians, campus personnel (Rando et al, 2016;Accardo et al, 2019a;Bailey et al, 2020) • Use of a support person in class (Ashby and Causton-Theoharis, 2012) • One designated contact person on campus (Dwyer et al, 2022;Madaus et al, 2022) • The quality of Relationship quality was often key to success of the support. (Ponomaryova et al, 2018;Pionke et al, 2019) • Lack of relationships/support from faculty, peers, and campus personnel (Anderson et al, 2020b;Cox et al, 2021) • Need for one contact person on campus (Thompson et al, 2019) • Sometimes supports were ineffective due to the lack of relationship (Ness, 2013;Roberts and Birmingham, 2017) Individualized • Presence of supports specifically designed for autistic students (Barnhill, 2016;Thompson et al, 2018;Nachman et al, 2022) • Existence of personalized supports (especially tied to interpersonal relationships) (Ribu, 2018;Ncube et al, 2019;Cox et al, 2021) • Need for more individualized, personalized approach and service provision (Simmeborn Fleischer et al, 2013;Bottema-Beutel et al, 2019) • Lack of supports specifically designed for autistic students (Hu and Chandrasekhar, 2021;Ames et al, 2022;Nachman et al, 2022) Sensory environment…”