Students with autism spectrum disorder in higher education: Difficulties and support practices
Published:
Jul 4, 2018
Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorder students higher education supportive practices and accommodations
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. The incidence of ASD is rising impressively during the last decades. Within the autism spectrum, there is a large number of students with “special abilities”, above average or high intelligence and good academic prospects. A large number of these students moves to higher education, in order to pursue their personal and academic goals. The purpose of this paper is to present the basic characteristics of university students with ASD, the difficulties and obstacles they encounter at university, as well as effective ways of supporting them in higher education. The literature review was conducted through the electronic databases ProQuest, Eric and Sage Journals where specific inclusion criteria had been set for articles, reports and theses. The main outcomes of the studies have several similarities irrespective of the country of origin of the studies. Students with ASD meet emotional, practical, social, communicative and sensory challenges in higher education. One key conclusion is that some of the traditional support methods used for students with special educational needs are not suitable for students with autism who needs personalized support based on their unique needs. Personnel of counselling or disability centres should offer appropriate accommodations to support academically and emotionally students on the autistic spectrum, taking into account the context of the institution and the large variability between students with ASD. Finally, universities have to benefit from the "special abilities" of these students and also enrich their knowledge of "diversity".
Article Details
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Σταμπολτζή Α., Καλούρη Ρ., & Τσίτσου Ε. (2018). Students with autism spectrum disorder in higher education: Difficulties and support practices. Hellenic Journal of Research in Education, 7(1), 28–43. https://doi.org/10.12681/hjre.17413
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- Vol. 7 No. 1 (2018)
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