Brief Report: Self-Reported Academic, Social, and Mental Health Experiences of Post-Secondary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder – S. L. J. Jackson, L. Hart, J. T. Brown, & F. R. Volkmar (2018)
Background
An increasing number of individuals with ASD are enrolling in college. Individuals with ASD report difficulty transitioning to this new environment and are at an increased risk for dropout. College students with ASD experience greater mental health concerns compared to typically developing peers. This study was conducted to obtain information directly from students with ASD regarding their college experience and mental health.
Who was involved?
The researchers surveyed adults with ASD currently enrolled in college. They inquired about students’ academic experiences, social experiences, and mental health. Students were recruited from a wide range of universities and colleges in the United States as well as ASD advocacy and support groups in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
What was the outcome?
The majority of students surveyed reported they felt comfortable with their academic workload. Students with ASD reported using between 2-3 support services at school and 30% stated a desire for additional or improved services. Requested services were in the areas of social support/peer mentoring programs, career planning, housing options that better accommodated their needs, and psychological services.
Students with ASD also reported a number of challenges related to non-academic aspects of college. These students reported more difficulty integrating with the campus community and increased feelings of isolation. The majority of the sample reported having at least one psychiatric diagnosis in addition to ASD. Students with ASD also reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression than has been previously reported by other college students. One particular concern was that thoughts of suicide and reported likelihood that the individual would attempt suicide in his or her future were noted as being experienced by about 75% of the sample.
What are the strengths and limitations of the study?
This study directly surveyed individuals with ASD, which creates confidence that the views that were gathered are similar to the needs of other individuals with parallel backgrounds. In addition to obtaining information about personal experiences, the study also was able to gather perspectives on psychological functioning, generally, and suicidal behavior, specifically. Suicidal behavior is an understudied area for those with ASD and an important area of concern for college disability support offices to be aware of given the potentially severe consequences related to such behavior.
This study was limited to a relatively small number of college students with ASD and did not include a comparison group of college students without ASD. This means that we cannot tell if some of the increased difficulties are related to global problems in college students or unique to ASD.
What are the implications?
These results suggest that students with ASD may feel comfortable with their academics, but have difficulty navigating the social aspects of college and managing stress and negative emotions. The academic supports and accommodations students with ASD receive in college often do not cover these areas of difficulty. However, the mental health of students is related to their ability to succeed academically. This study highlights the need to develop support programs focused on building social networks and providing appropriate psychological services to college students with ASD.
