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Cited by 7Disability Education and EmploymentAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchInclusion and Disability in Education and Sport

“I Always Ended Up Getting Close to Other People Who are Autistic”: Autistic College Students’ Friendship Development

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Nachman, Brett Ranon, Isaacson, Karly B., Cox, Bradley E., McDermott, Catherine Tobin·2026·The Journal of Higher Education
DOI 10.1080/00221546.2025.2497184
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Abstract

Finding community is often a pivotal component of the college experience. With autistic students on the rise across higher education, an opportunity exists to discover how this marginalized community uniquely builds relationships, especially given the nuances associated with their communication and ways of finding like-minded individuals. This phenomenological study explores how autistic college students foster social connectedness with the goal of understanding how higher education may better support this unique student population. We conducted interviews with 43 autistic undergraduate college students, as part of a larger nationwide study on autistic college student success. Our findings illuminate three ways autistic college students foster social connectedness: engaging in autistic spaces, practicing autistic authenticity, and bonding over shared interests. We build on the theoretical model of belonging for college students with disabilities by showing the importance of modality, vulnerability, and niche outlets as helping foster connection among autistic college students. We encourage practitioners to build more clubs and affinity spaces for autistic students to connect, which may prompt researchers to explore how particular settings help autistic students in building bonds.

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  • Research on the transition from university to the labor market among individuals with ASD appears particularly valuable when it adopts a long-term perspective and combines quantitative data with qualitative insights from participants' narratives.

    “Research on the transition from university to the labor market among individuals with ASD appears particularly valuable when it adopts a long-term perspective and combines quantitative data with qualitative insights from participants' narratives [28, 29].”

    From The Entry of Autistic University Graduates into the Labor Market in the Era of Generative AI: Their Concerns and Strategies Regarding the Technology. Research in Progress: The Entry of Autistic Graduates into the Labor Market in the Era of GenAI (2026) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Implications for future research section recommends longitudinal approaches to studying autistic students’ friendships across their college years. The Data collection section describes a larger mixed-methods study that includes surveys and interviews. Neither section addresses the transition from university to the labor market or recommends that particular combination of methods for studying it. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Nachman, B. R., Isaacson, K. B., Cox, B. E., & McDermott, C. T.
Affiliations
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
  • Michigan State University (US)
  • McDermott International (United States) (US)
Corresponding author
Nachman, Brett Ranon
ORCID
Venue
The Journal of Higher Education
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2025-06-18
Volume
97
Issue
4
Pages
734-759
ISSN
  • 0022-1546 (ISSN-L)
  • 1538-4640
DOI
10.1080/00221546.2025.2497184
OpenAlex
W4411399017
Cited by
7
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 7
FWCI
5.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
The Journal of Higher Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Spencer Foundation
  • The FAR Fund
  • Frist Center for Autism and Innovation
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
Keywords
autistic college students, friendship development, social connectedness, sense of belonging, affinity spaces, niche communities, vulnerability, common interests

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