Autistic Identity Development and Postsecondary Education

Gobbo, Ken; Shmulsky, Solvegi

doi:10.18061/dsq.v36i3.5053

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…For example, instructors could highlight strengths related to diagnosis characteristics that are relevant for the discipline. Research has found that postsecondary faculty recognize strengths such as "ability to focus for extended periods, adherence to rules and protocols, and outside-the-box thinking" among college students who have autism [71]. Other examples include hosting speakers with marginalized identities [71] or otherwise engaging students in learning about the backgrounds of physicists.…”

Section: Challenging Diagnosis Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disabling barriers experienced by students with disabilities in postsecondary introductory physics

James

Bustamante

Lamons

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

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Educators and education researchers in postsecondary physics have rarely centered (i.e., intentionally directed attention to) the experiences of students with disabilities, leading to an instructional environment that is not designed to support students with disabilities. In this study, we interviewed five students who identified with the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and were enrolled in introductory physics courses at a public four-year institution. We framed our investigation with a social relational perspective of disability, which posits that an individual's impairments (referred to as diagnosis characteristics in this paper) interact with social structures to result in disabling barriers (i.e., characteristics of social structures which prevent equal access for individuals with disabilities). We analyzed interview transcripts with interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We found that the participating students discussed diagnosis characteristics including difficulties with focus, being prone to distractions, difficulties with keeping mental track of tasks and structures, and thinking often about abstract concepts. Diagnosis characteristics identified as challenges could result in negative selfperceptions, possibly as a result of internalized ableism. However, students also expressed that understanding their diagnosis led to benefits such as making more informed choices about their study strategies (e.g., using a planner or chunking their studying time). In alignment with our social relational perspective of disability, we found that course design could support or hinder participants' ability to use their preferred planning or studying strategies. We also found that students experienced increased barriers in their physics courses compared to other courses, specifically due to the increased time needed to process information and a lack of guidance for how to effectively study content for conceptual understanding. SCALE-UP courses introduced supports due to increased student autonomy but could also introduce barriers due to increased distractions. We present recommendations that instructors can implement to increase course supports. Researchers need to continue to center the experiences of students with disabilities in STEM courses so that researchers and practitioners can identify disciplinarily specific strategies to support student engagement and learning.

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Section: Challenging Diagnosis Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disabling barriers experienced by students with disabilities in postsecondary introductory physics

James

Bustamante

Lamons

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

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“…These different modalities of expression provide important clues to systems of meaning on which inferences regarding autistic culture can be made. Autistic culture parallels the emergence of deaf culture (Halpern 1996), with both being supportive communities focused on the distinctive issues and experiences related to being autistic or deaf (Gobbo & Shmulsky 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Who Am I?’: An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Cresswell

Cage

2019

J Autism Dev Disord

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Autistic adolescents are at increased risk of mental health difficulties. One potential factor contributing to this is identity development, although this hypothesis has been little explored. These adolescents also have to consider how autism forms their identity, a process called acculturation. This exploratory study examined the relationships between identity, acculturation and mental health in autistic adolescents. Twenty-four participants completed measures investigating identity, acculturation and mental health. Findings suggested mental health was not related to personal identity. Mental health scores did not differ between acculturation groups, however those aligned to non-autistic culture tended to generate more positive self-statements than those aligned to neither culture. These findings suggest autistic adolescents should be encouraged to explore autistic culture and supported in constructing their identity.

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“…Faculties admitting students with ASD can make their curricula and teaching styles friendlier to students with ASD. Explain expectations clearly and specifically, provide explicit consistent structure to classes (Gobbo & Shmulsky, 2016).…”

Section: Practical Implications Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Transition to Higher Education for Students with Autism: Challenges and Support Needs

Sefotho¹,

Onyishi

2020

IJHE

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Increasing pieces evidence suggest that learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families experience limiting challenges in their transition at different developmental and academic levels in life. It is not clear, however, what the specific challenges that limit their successful transition are, despite parents' and teachers' efforts to support them. The current study sought to investigate the factors challenging students with ASD in transitioning to higher education. The study adopted a phenomenological qualitative research design with a total of 10first-year students with ASD in higher education institutions in Nigeria. The one-on-one interview was conducted, guided by a semi-structured interview schedule. Data collected were analyzed using content analysis, through the inductive thematic procedure. The results revealed five main themes, which include: academic functioning difficulties, social difficulties, structural issues, mental health problems, and lack of resources and supports. Each major theme was discussed based on the emerging subthemes. The findings of the study suggest an increased need for academic, social, materials, and environmental supports for students with ASD who transition to higher education institutions. More supports should be put in place to help learners with autism develop personal resources that will encourage their success in higher education institutions.

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Autistic Identity Development and Postsecondary Education

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

Disabling barriers experienced by students with disabilities in postsecondary introductory physics

Disabling barriers experienced by students with disabilities in postsecondary introductory physics

‘Who Am I?’: An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Transition to Higher Education for Students with Autism: Challenges and Support Needs

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