Widening access to Higher Education for students on the autism spectrum

We present the findings from Autism&Uni, a multinational EU-funded project that aimed to widen access to higher education for autistic students. Young autistic people, like any young people, want to grow up and lead happy and... [ view full abstract ]

We present the findings from Autism&Uni, a multinational EU-funded project that aimed to widen access to higher education for autistic students. Young autistic people, like any young people, want to grow up and lead happy and independent lives. Although autism is not an indicator of academic ability, many find it difficult to enter and succeed at university.

Our research revealed many challenges, including: Lack of appropriate support; Unrealistic expectations of university study; Handling the change of environment and social isolation; Difficulty interpreting ambiguous instructions; Unfamiliarity with advocating effectively for oneself.

Arguably these are challenges for any new student. But while most can adapt reasonably quickly, for autistic students these challenges can rapidly lead to anxiety, isolation, depression and eventually drop out. This is clearly a great loss as many autistic people have particular strengths to offer, e.g. strong dedication, attention to detail, ability to maintain focus and to think rationally.

Autism&Uni adopted a dual approach to helping autistic students navigate the transition into higher education: Firstly, we identified current practice across Europe and collated our findings in three best practice guides targeting university management, Lecturers and Disability support services. Secondly we created an Online Toolkit that empowers students with strategies for overcoming challenges by covering, amongst other: Self-advocacy; Getting support; Sharing strengths and weaknesses; Reducing anxiety; Studying independently.

Both outputs draw from our in-depth research into the experiences of students and those who support them, using a participatory design approach that involved autistic students throughout the project.

All research undertaken for this project had ethical approval from a UK university ethics committee. The research leading up to this paper was funded by the European Lifelong Learning Programme. [ view full abstract ]

All research undertaken for this project had ethical approval from a UK university ethics committee. The research leading up to this paper was funded by the European Lifelong Learning Programme.