Increasing the Persistence of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Higher Education Settings

Abstract

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who transition to higher education environments vary in their level of skills when engaging in social activities. Current research is limited about supporting college students with ASD socially in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of faculty regarding the social skills support needs of students with ASD in classroom settings that can influence the level of achievement of academic goals in postsecondary environments. Seven faculty members from a comprehensive public university in the west participated in a qualitative interview. The results of this study showed that participants had varying perceptions about the characteristics of ASD, the strategies used by the participants were often based on neurotypical assumptions about behavior when there was a reduced knowledge base about ASD, and participants felt limited in their ability to address the social skills support needs of students with ASD directly. The outcomes of this study contribute to the paucity of research regarding the perspectives of faculty who have a wide range of knowledge, skills, and experience related to ASD, and the perceptions of faculty regarding how to support the social skills needs of this population of students in classroom environments specifically. Implications for institutional policy and practice and suggestions for further research conclude the study. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis is dedicated to my family for their consistent support throughout my academic journey. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my thesis chair, Dr. Jason Laker, for the time and effort he has invested in me throughout the entire process of this project. I am truly thankful to Dr. Lorri Capizzi and Dr. Wei-Chien Lee for their dedication and support of my growth as a researcher through serving on the committee. Also, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Ms. Jimma Cortes-Smith and Dr. Kell Fujimoto for their encouragement and guidance in the beginning stages of my thesis. This experience has helped me grow significantly both personally and professionally. I am glad that I had this opportunity as part of my graduate school experience. vi

Utterance Structure of Autistic Children From the Age of 3 to 6 Years: A Comparative Study in Vietnam

“…Currently, several studies on the utterance of children with autism revealed that the language development of autistic children is much slower than that of normal children of the same age. Regarding the receptive ability as well as the expressive utterance of autistic children, there is a remarkable delay compared to normal children of the same age (Eaves, Ho, 2004;Luyster, Lopez, Lord, 2007;Jessica Rodriguez, 2019). The ability to receive and express autistic children is diverse.…”

“…Regarding the phonological characteristics of autistic children's utterances, autistic children develop their utterances slower than normal children, and autistic children have monotonous, high-pitched utterances accompanied by echolalia (Charman et al, 1997;Scott, 2012;Jessica Rodriguez, 2019). Autistic children often have unclear pronunciation, high timbre, and even intonation (Hanh, 2007).…”