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

Abstract

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.

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

“…• Challenges with group work and/or oral presentations (Knott and Taylor, 2014;Thompson et al, 2018;Sefotho and Onyishi, 2021) • Some noted difficulties with lack of structure and unplanned changes in schedule (Fabri et al, 2020) • Some reported difficulties with study skills (e.g., organization and time management skills) (Gelbar et al, 2015;Dijkhuis et al, 2020;Anderson et al, 2020b) (Trammell and College, 2013;Thompson et al, 2020) • Librarians teaching research, writing, and interpretation skills (Cho, 2018) • Communication improved through online learning in some ways (Adams et al, 2019) • Struggles with self-advocacy and self-determination (White et al, 2016;Dymond et al, 2017;Ward and Webster, 2018) • Lack of self-advocacy supports or lack of awareness of those available (McMorris et al, 2019;Anderson et al, 2020a;Vincent et al, 2022) and of communication supports (Barnhill, 2016;Cox et al, 2021) • Challenges in bi-directional communication with faculty and peers (Ashbaugh et al,…”

“…• Presence of supports with developing daily living skills, executive functioning skills, and organizational skills (often through peer mentor programs) (Retherford and Schreiber, 2015;Ames et al, 2016;Gustin et al, 2020) • Presence of housing accommodations (Barnhill, 2016;Anderson et al, 2018;Accardo et al, 2019b) and independent living supports (Scheef et al, 2019;Viezel et al, 2020;Ames et al, 2022) • Assistance navigating campus or transportation to and from campus (Retherford and Schreiber, 2015;Scheef et al, 2019; • Financial coaching/management (Retherford and Schreiber, 2015;Siew et al, 2017) • Assistance navigating other supports Scheef et al, 2019) • Increased self-confidence, independence, and self-determinism (Retherford and Schreiber, 2015;Thompson et al, 2018;Trevisan et al, 2021) • Lack of support with executive functioning skills, time management, organizational skills, and daily living skills (navigating transportation, food, chores, hygiene, etc.) (Accardo et al, 2019a;Lei and Russell, 2021;Sefotho and Onyishi, 2021) • Lack of housing accommodations and independent living supports (Simmeborn Fleischer et al, 2013;Cullen, 2015; • Struggles with lack of routine and lack of structure (Lei and Russell, 2021) • Stressors from living situation (Cullen, 2015;Bolourian et al, 2018) Vocational • Employment and career support from peer mentors, tutors, coaches, faculty, DSO, and mental health staff (Gunn et al, 2017;Cheriyan et al, 2021;Pesonen H. V. et al, 2021;Ames et al, 2022) • Career services and career centers (Briel and Getzel, 2014;Barnhill, 2016;…”