Are Universities Ready to Support Autistic Students? A Call to Increase Coordinated Campus Efforts.

Abstract

Over the past decade, universities have seen an increase in autistic student enrollment; however, many of these universities are not supporting autistic students to have a quality college experience. Although more autistic young adults are pursuing college, many do not persist to graduation due to a lack of individualized accommodations, siloed provision of support from universities, and overall hesitancy among faculty, staff, and administration to include autistic students in all campus spaces. In addition, autistic students struggle to build self-advocacy, self-determination, and functional life skills upon transition from high school. This Perspectives article was written by a team of inclusive postsecondary education professionals who have seen firsthand the challenges that autistic students experience in college. These authors advocate for increased coordination and collaboration among university units to promote greater inclusion and targeted support for autistic students on their campuses. These recommendations include employing a student-centered approach to understanding and supporting autistic students, training faculty on autism and Universal Design Learning practices, and intentionally embedding opportunities for autistic students to enhance their social-emotional learning and on-campus relationships. Our direct experiences in trialing these systems of support have cultivated more accepting and positive environments for autistic students. Neurodivergent students deserve the same access and opportunity to seek higher education as their neurotypical peers. This article presents actionable steps for how this can happen on college campuses.