Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their First-Year College Experiences

Petcu, Stefania D.; Zhang, Dalun; Li, Yifan

doi:10.3390/ijerph182211822

Cited by 10 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Van Hees et al (2015), Thompson et al (2019), Cox et al (2021), Pectu et al (2021) found that neurodivergent students faced many challenges in their day-to-day experiences within a HEI. This study similarly found that disabled students faced many challenges within the environment, but the challenges were perceived as acting as barriers to engagement and as obstacles that needed to be overcome.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In line with other studies (Cox et al, 2021;Krieger et al, 2018;Thompson et al, 2019;Van Hees 2015) this study found that students faced many challenges within the environment that were not conducive to studying, learning or connecting socially with the college community. Van Hees et al (2015), Thompson et al (2019), Cox et al (2021), Pectu et al (2021) found that neurodivergent students faced many challenges in their day-to-day experiences within a HEI. This study similarly found that disabled students faced many challenges within the environment, but the challenges were perceived as acting as barriers to engagement and as obstacles that needed to be overcome.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cox et al (2021) found that students were able to resolve their difficulties if they received personalised adaptations; however, these were not uniformly offered across higher education institutions. Pectu et al (2021) maintained that students within their first year of entry into college did not use the supports as they did not find them to be specific to their needs.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disabled Students’ perception of the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments within one Higher Education Institution

Nolan

Doyle

Lewis

et al. 2022

British Journal of Occupational Therapy

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Introduction: The environment, both natural and man-made, can influence how we learn and socialise. For some, the environment can be a challenge to overcome. The purpose of this study was to establish a student’s perspective on the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments of a university. Methods: A survey design based upon Winnie Dunn’s Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile was developed specifically for this study; 150 disabled students responded to the survey, which was analysed using descriptive statistics and template analysis. Results: The final template analysis identified 3 main themes with 10 sub-themes, with each sub-theme relating to the research question as well as to the level of explanation: (a) Theme one: Barriers in the environment described noise, poor lighting, crowding and lack of visual cues that created difficulties for the respondents to this survey. The sub-themes were obstacles to learning in the library, obstacles to learning in lectures, obstacles to learning in exams and ventilation in learning spaces. (b) Theme two: Reactions to barriers, included how respondents react to sensory overload and uncertainty in the environment. The sub-themes encompassed problems when schedules change regularly, and reactions when overwhelmed in college. (c) Theme three: Improving the environment refers to suggestions that respondents made to improving the environment for all students to enable engagement and participation within college. The sub-themes compromised of developing a safe space for managing sensory needs, seeking natural elements across campus, seeking awareness, as well as adaptions and strategies for transitions. Conclusion: Respondents identified how individuals have varied responses to sensory stimuli thereby increasing our understanding. They pointed to a way forward for institutes of higher education to design spaces that are more inclusive by putting forward suggestions for greater use of green space, better furnishings and minimisation of distractions, thereby increasing the health and welfare for all.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disabled Students’ perception of the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments within one Higher Education Institution

Nolan

Doyle

Lewis

et al. 2022

British Journal of Occupational Therapy

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“…The first UDL principle is Provide multiple means of engagement 8. Affective networks located in the interior or central regions of the brain help process and regulate information 9.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accessible Technology Course Design Practices for Inclusivity in Nursing Education

Kotcherlakota,

Rejda,

Stamler

et al. 2023

Nurse Educ

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Background: Nursing students are diverse in culture, abilities, and challenges. Universal Design for Learning is a logical and social model to support diverse learning methods. Accessibility tools help measure the efficacy of faculty efforts to make nursing courses accessible to all. Purpose: The study examines using accessibility software to measure faculty improvements and student engagement in nursing courses over 2 academic semesters. Methods: One hundred courses were analyzed 1 year apart for accessibility improvements by nursing faculty. Results: Course accessibility scores significantly rose year after year in almost all courses. Student usage also increased significantly. Lessons learned are presented. Conclusion: Accessibility improvements are worthwhile for enhancing inclusion in nursing programs and student engagement.

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“…This lack of recognition may disadvantage autistic students academically (Clouder et al, 2020). In addition, autistic college students report that on-campus activities are not accessible (Davidson et al, 2021) and have low utilization of campus mental health and disability services, suggesting the need to increase campus accessibility (Petcu et al, 2021).…”

Section: The Role Of Autism and Neurodiversity Acceptance In Higher E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Brief research report: Investigating neurodiversity acceptance in the college classroom: an exploratory study

Hotez,

Rava,

Kuo

2023

Front. Educ.

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IntroductionHigher education represents a potential opportunity to address autism stigma and, in turn, prevent the negative health consequences of stigma as autistic college students transition into adulthood. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the general college student body and describe their (1) level of autism acceptance based on the neurodiversity framework utilizing the Autism Attitude Acceptance Scale (AAAS) and (2) self-reported knowledge and interests about neurodiversity.MethodsThe sample (n = 90, M age = 21.86, SD = 1.18) featured undergraduates enrolled in a large, diverse, public university in the U.S. Approximately 32% (n = 29) identified as neurodivergent, with 5 identifying as autistic. Separate groups of students completed the AAAS—administered via Qualtrics—in February and September of 2022. In addition, students were provided the opportunity to ask up to three questions each about neurodiversity. We utilized qualitative thematic coding to extract themes from the neurodiversity questions.ResultsWe derived frequency and descriptive statistics for each item and the two AAAS subscales: (1) the General Acceptance (GA) subscale (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89) and (2) the Attitudes toward Treating Autistic Behavior (ATAB) subscale (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.77). Responses reflected high general autism acceptance. Responses demonstrated greater variability, however, with respect to attitudes toward treating autistic behaviors. Qualitative findings revealed both a high degree of interest in the neurodiversity movement, as well as high variability in knowledge and familiarity with its tenets.ConclusionThis research can inform higher education’s efforts to address and prevent stigma towards autistic and other neurodivergent students.

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Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their First-Year College Experiences

Cited by 10 publications

References 44 publications

Disabled Students’ perception of the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments within one Higher Education Institution

Disabled Students’ perception of the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments within one Higher Education Institution

Accessible Technology Course Design Practices for Inclusivity in Nursing Education

Brief research report: Investigating neurodiversity acceptance in the college classroom: an exploratory study

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