Research
Fast Facts – Literature Reviews – Publications – Presentations – CANVAS
The College Autism Network supports research that informs evidence-backed insights that help facilitate college success for students with autism.
Fast Fact #12: University Life with ASD: Faculty Knowledge and Student Needs
Fast Fact #12 University Life with ASD: Faculty Knowledge and Student Needs Students with ASD are frustrated with trying to access support. Source: Zeedyk, S.M., Boulourian. Y., & Blacher, J. (2019). University life with ASD: Faculty knowledge and student...
Fast Fact #11: Narratives of the University Experience from Students with ASD and ADHD
Fast Fact #11 Narratives of the University Experience from Students with ASD or ADHD Some students felt it was constructive to disclose their diagnosis to professors. Other students described negative reactions to disclosure. This material is based, in part,...
Fast Fact #9 Mentoring can be more than academic.
Typical accommodations for students with autism in higher education focus on academic issues. But students with autism might also benefit from mentors focused on social and emotional needs. Such guidance would be especially important for students just beginning their college experience.
Fast Fact #8 Why don’t accommodations always work?
Formal accommodations may not adequately support students’ academic needs. One reason for this deficiency is that student accommodations are not always fulfilled by teachers, which can be very challenging for students.
Fast Fact #7: Accommodations and Support in Higher Education: Insights from the Autism Community
Formal accommodations may not adequately support students’ academic needs. One reason for this deficiency is that student accommodations are not always fulfilled by teachers, which can be very challenging for students.
Fast Fact #6 – Family Matters
Fast Fact #6 Family Matters... To Continuous Employment and Education! “There were no significant associations between group and any of the individual factors (i.e., IQ, adaptive behavior, autism severity, behavior problems, and stress reactivity). In terms of family...
Fast Fact #5 – Half of the youth with Autism did not experience any disruption in education or employment after high school.
Among the 36 youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)…
* 10 people remained in the same activity since high school.
* 8 people experienced upward mobility (either “becoming employed while maintaining enrollment in postsecondary education, taking a few classes to being a full time student, going from a sheltered pre-vocational setting to a supported joy or going from no activities to a supported job”) after high school.
![[Lit Review] Postsecondary work and educational disruptions for youth on the Autism spectrum](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_400,h_250/https://collegeautismnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Taylor-and-DaWalt-annotation-Picture-400x250.png)
[Lit Review] Postsecondary work and educational disruptions for youth on the Autism spectrum
This study examined vocational/educational disruption in the 2–3 years after high school for 36 youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Data were collected three times from parents: during youth’s last year of high school and two times after high school exit....
Fast Fact #4 – We all fall down
Fast Fact #4 We all fall down, but we get up again! In Taylor and DaWalt’s recent study, about half of the participants experienced some “disruption,” like being fired, or leaving a post-secondary education program. Out of those 8 participants who experienced some...
![[Lit Review] Student perceptions of the accommodation process in postsecondary education](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_400,h_250/https://collegeautismnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Kurth-Mellard-400x250.png)
[Lit Review] Student perceptions of the accommodation process in postsecondary education
ABSTRACT One cause of the underrepresentation of students with disabilities in postsecondary education may be a lack of appropriate and effective accommodations (e.g., West et al., 1993). This study hypothesized that ineffective and inappropriate accommodations result...
Fast Fact #3: Beyond the Label of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Fast Fact #3 Beyond the Label of Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) describes a set of behaviors associated with specific differences in how one’s brain perceives and processes environmental input. It is a “spectrum condition” that affects...
[Lit Review] Local Autism Policy Networks: Expertise and Intermediary Organizations
Parsons, B. M. (2016). Local autism policy networks: Expertise and intermediary organizations. Educational Policy, doi:10.1177/0895904816673743 Introduction: The increasing prevalence of diagnoses for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), now one in 68 children according to...
[Lit Review] College Students on the Autism Spectrum: Prevalence and Associated Problems
White, S. W., Ollendrick, T. H., Bray, B. C. (2011). College students on the autism spectrum: Prevalence and associated problems. Sage Publications and the National Autistic Society, 15(6), 683-701. Introduction: As more young people are identified with autism...
[Lit Review] Loneliness, social relationships, and a broader Autism phenotype in college students
Job, L. E., & White, S. W. (2007). Loneliness, social relationships, and a broader autism phenotype in college students. Personality and Individual Differences, 42(8), p. 1479-1489. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2006.10.021 Introduction: Impaired social functioning is a...
[Lit Review] The Stress of the University Experience for Students with Asperger’s Syndrome
Glennon, T. J. (2001). The stress of the university experience for students with Asperger's syndrome. Work, 17(3), 183-190. Introduction: College students, with or without disabilities, are faced with numerous stressful situations within the university environment....
[Lit Review] Accommodations and support services for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A national survey of disability resource providers
Brown, K. R. (In Press). Accommodations and support services for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A national survey of disability resource providers. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability. Introduction: Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder...
[Lit Review] A spectrum of support: Current and best practices for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at community colleges
Brown K. R., Coomes M. D. (2016). A spectrum of support: Current and best practices for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40:6, 465-479, DOI: 10.1080/10668926.2015.1067171...
[Lit Review] Supporting students with Asperger’s Syndrome on college campuses: Current practices
Barnhill, G. (2016). Supporting students with asperger syndrome on college campuses: Current practices. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 31(1), p.3-15. Introduction: With the increasing number of students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and High...
[Lit Review] Effects of video modeling on communicative social skills of college students with Asperger’s Syndrome
Mason, R. A., Rispoli, M., Ganz, J. B., Boles, M. B., & Orr, K. (2012). Effects of video modeling on communicative social skills of college students with asperger syndrome. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 15(6), 425-434. Introduction: Empirical support...
[Lit Review] The experience of anxiety in young adults with autism spectrum disorders.
Anxiety is known to be common among young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), yet little is known about the nature of their experiences or the strategies they use to live and cope with their reported anxiety. In this qualitative study, we began to address...
[Lit Review] Indicators of Postsecondary Employment and Education for Youth With Disabilities in Relation to GPA and General Education
Taking required courses for postsecondary education and receiving high grades are important, but alone do not give a clear picture of whether students with disabilities will be successful in post-school academic or employment settings. Assessing non-academic skills related to employment and further education can complete this picture of skills students with disabilities will need after leaving high school. Click here to read more!
[Lit Review] A Report on Using General-Case Programming to Teach Collateral Academic Skills to a Student in a Postsecondary Setting
To be successful in university courses, students with intellectual disabilities must have a set of collateral academic skills. Collateral academic skills refer to effective strategies that enable students to access course information and to meet the class requirements outside of course content. Overall students with intellectual disabilities have a hard time learning and generalizing new skills. Systematic instruction and inclusion can help. Click this link to read the full annotation.
[Lit Review] The Impact of Labels and Behaviors on the Stigmatization of Adults with Asperger’s Disorder
In this study, the average participant rated their knowledge of AD “none to moderate,” and 2/3 indicated that they had to exposure to an individual with AD. Behavior among AD individuals elicited more stigmatization according to the Social Distance Scale than labeling. Additionally, no prior knowledge of behavior leads to stigmatization (not just behavior alone). Click here to read more.
[Lit Review] Autism after adolescence: Population-based 13- to 22- year follow-up study of 120 individuals with autism diagnosed in childhood
Out of 120 participants, the outcome was poor in 78% of the cases. In this very emotional and educational study, six of the participants had died at the time of follow-up, and six declined participation. Click this link to read more about the unbelievable statistics.
[Lit Review] Transition from School to Adulthood for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: What we Know and what we Need to Know
Parents and teachers may observe depressed mood, anxiety, heightened levels of inappropriate behavior, and victimization by peers in adolescents who have ASD… Overall, youth with ASD reported lower rates of self-determination and satisfaction than other youth with disabilities. Click this link to read the full annotation.