Understanding the factors that affect university completion for autistic people

Cage, Eilidh; Andres, Maria De; Mahoney, Paige

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101519

Cited by 27 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…However, our predictors focused on individual, psychological variables, rather than sociological ones ( Behr et al, 2020 ). We did not measure aspects such as academic skills, transition experiences or fitting in at university, or poor autism acceptance, which past research has indicated may link to dropping out for autistic students ( Cage et al, 2020 ; Cage and Howes, 2020 ). Further theoretical work is needed which considers the role of the wider ecosystem around the student when it comes to dropping out, as has been outlined for autistic students graduating from university ( Vincent and Fabri, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the actual number of autistic students at university could be much higher, as many choose not to disclose ( Knott and Taylor, 2014 ) or have experienced barriers to diagnosis ( Huang et al, 2020 ). One additional concern is that many autistic students appear to be more likely to drop out of university than their non-autistic peers ( Newman et al, 2011 ; Cage et al, 2020 ). It is therefore imperative we understand why autistic students might be more likely to drop out, and generally better understand how to improve autistic students’ experiences at university.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, previous research on university completion for autistic students is limited. Cage et al (2020) conducted a survey of 230 autistic people (mostly from the United Kingdom), of whom 45 had not completed their studies, 151 had graduated and 34 had graduated after several attempts. Those who did not complete reported a poorer academic experience, found the transition to university more challenging and felt less like they fitted in to their university.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Cage

McManemy

2022

Front. Psychol.

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Autistic students are more likely to drop out of university, while facing both challenges and opportunities within university environments. This study compared the experiences of autistic and non-autistic current United Kingdom students, in terms of thoughts about dropping out, burnout, mental health and coping, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Burnout was of particular interest as this is a relatively unexamined phenomenon for autistic students. Seventy autistic and 315 non-autistic students, completed a mixed methods questionnaire with standardized measures of burnout (personal and academic), mental health (depression, stress, and anxiety), and coping styles (adaptive and maladaptive). We also included qualitative questions about dropping out and COVID-19 experiences. We found autistic participants experienced higher rates of burnout and mental health symptoms and were more likely to have thought about dropping out. Reasons given for thinking about dropping out, for both groups, focused on poor mental well-being, doubts about university, and academic challenges. For autistic participants, further analyses did not identify specific predictors of thinking about dropping out, but for non-autistic participants, this was predicted by maladaptive coping styles and academic burnout. Academic and personal burnout predicted one another for autistic students, and age, maladaptive coping, autistic characteristics, stress, and anxiety additionally predicted burnout for non-autistic students. Similarities in experiences during the pandemic were noted, with both groups experiencing negative social implications, difficulties adjusting to emergency online learning, and poorer psychological well-being. Moving forward from COVID-19, universities must find ways to enhance both academic and social support, to enable equal opportunity within Higher Education for autistic students.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Cage

McManemy

2022

Front. Psychol.

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“…Semi-structured interview questions were developed following reviewing of the literature, a quantitative survey ( Cage et al, 2020 ) and one researcher drawing on lived experience as an autistic person who had dropped out of university. Topics included transitioning to university, social experiences, academic experiences and support, and reasons for dropping out.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Little research has looked at non-completion specifically for autistic people, although Gurbuz et al (2019) noted that current autistic students had more thoughts about withdrawing than their non-autistic peers. The current study follows a quantitative survey which examined factors that could contribute to non-completion for autistic people ( Cage et al, 2020 ). The study found difficulties with the transition to university, low social and organisational identification and poorer academic experiences were factors contributing to non-completion.…”

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confidence: 99%

Dropping out and moving on: A qualitative study of autistic people’s experiences of university

Cage

Howes²

2020

Autism

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Autistic people are at high risk of dropping out of university, but little research has examined this issue. Fourteen autistic people participated in semi-structured interviews examining their experiences at university and the reasons they had dropped out. Thematic analysis identified patterns in participants’ responses. Themes were categorised as systemic issues, challenges within university or life after dropping out. Systemic issues centred around accessing diagnosis, autism understanding, mental health and outsider status. Challenges at university included culture shock, becoming disengaged, lack of proactive support and perceived inevitability of dropping out. Finally, life after dropping out was characterised by processing of trauma and shame, and realisation of doing ‘what’s right for you’. Together, these themes suggest that many improvements could be made at universities, such as more proactive support and creating more accessible environments. Societal-level change is also needed to improve educational opportunities for autistic people. Lay abstract Many autistic people now go to university, but many of them also drop out of their studies. In fact, it is believed that autistic people are at higher risk of dropping out, but little research has been done to understand why this is happening. This research used interviews to take an in-depth look at 14 autistic people’s experiences of dropping out of university. All the things the participants talked about were examined closely by the researchers who identified common themes in what the participants discussed. The first set of themes captured some overarching issues faced by autistic people, such as difficulties with getting diagnosed, a lack of autism understanding, mental health challenges and feeling like an outsider. The next themes were organised within challenges faced at university, including a feeling of culture shock, becoming disengaged from one’s studies, a lack of proactive support from their university and a feeling that dropping out became inevitable. Finally, there were themes about life after dropping out, which involved a sense that the experience at university had been traumatic and shameful, but they believed people had to do what is right for them. All of these themes suggest that universities need to be better at supporting autistic people when they first come to university, and that they should actively offer clear support throughout and try and make the university environment more accessible for everyone, to ensure more autistic people have a positive university experience.

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Study progression and degree completion of autistic students in higher education: a longitudinal study

et al. 2022

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Individuals with autism increasingly enroll in universities, but researchers know little about how their study progresses over time towards degree completion. This exploratory population study uses structural equation modeling to examine patterns in study progression and degree completion of bachelor’s students with autism spectrum disorder (n = 101) in comparison to students with other recorded conditions (n = 2,465) and students with no recorded conditions (n = 25,077) at a major Dutch university. Propensity score weighting is applied to balance outcomes. The research shows that most outcomes (grade point average, dropout rates, resits, credits, and degree completion) were similar across the three groups. Students with autism had more no-shows in the second year than their peers, which affected degree completion after 3 years. The overall performance of autistic students appeared to be adequate and comparable to their peers. However, addressing participation and inclusivity is vital to improve academic support for students with autism. These insights can enable universities to develop appropriate and timely support for all talented students to progress in their studies and complete their degrees.

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Understanding the factors that affect university completion for autistic people

Cited by 27 publications

References 39 publications

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

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

Dropping out and moving on: A qualitative study of autistic people’s experiences of university

Study progression and degree completion of autistic students in higher education: a longitudinal study

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