Autism and the University Experience: Narratives from Students with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Abstract
Relatively limited research has been devoted to understanding the postsecondary experience from the students' perspectives. In the current study, individual interviews were conducted with university students with autism spectrum disorder (n = 13) and students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (n = 18) to investigate likely factors impeding meaningful postsecondary experiences. Through an iterative coding process, nine themes were identified, and direct narratives exemplifying each are included. Overall, both diagnostic groups reported significant social, emotional, and academic challenges within the university setting, although there were distinctions. Findings have direct applications to higher education initiatives, such as the development of programs to increase faculty awareness and to target the efforts of university disability centers in meeting the needs of students with neurodevelopmental disorders.
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The gap investigated by this work lies at the intersection of HCI work that actively involves neurodivergent subjects and literature investigating neurodivergent individuals in higher education and broad accessibility of universities and their systems.
“The gap investigated by this work lies at the intersection of the mentioned HCI work which actively involves its neurodivergent subjects [21, 29, 39, 64, 64, 93], and the body of literature which investigates the experience of these neurodivergent individuals in higher education [4, 14, 15, 51, 57, 70], as well as work investigatigating the broad accessibility of universities and their systems [3,”
From Burnout by Design: How Digital Systems Overburden Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education (2025) · cites this paper as [14]
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Neurodiversity in higher education: a narrative synthesis
Clouder, L., Karakus, M., Cinotti, A., Ferreyra, M. V., Fierros, G. A., & Rojo, P. (2020) · Higher Education · doi:10.1007/s10734-020-00513-6 · Cited by 385 · see citing works
Burnout by Design: How Digital Systems Overburden Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education
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“…students, allow them to disclose their diagnosis safely, understand their difficulties with neurodivergence and co-morbidities, be non-judgemental of their choice whether or not to medicate, and encourage or facilitate peer interactions with other neurodivergent students [4, 14, 24, 25].”
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“This stigmafollowsstudentsthroughtohighereducationiftheyarenot pushedoutbyburnoutbeforereachingit[4,12,17,19,60].”
- Authors
- Bolourian, Y., Zeedyk, S. M., & Blacher, J.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- California State University, Fullerton (US)
- Corresponding author
- Blacher, Jan
- Venue
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Published
- 2018-05-09
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 3330-3343
- ISSN
- 0162-3257 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3432
- OpenAlex
- W2803095671
- Cited by
- 98
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7
- FWCI
- 10.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- American Psychiatric Association Foundation
- American College Health Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders, university students, postsecondary education, student experience, social challenges, emotional challenges, academic difficulties, faculty awareness, higher education accommodations
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescent, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Education, Special, Emotions, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Students, Universities, Narration
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