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Cited by 109Disability Education and EmploymentAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchInclusion and Disability in Education and Sport

‘I avoid pubs and the student union like the plague’: Students with Asperger Syndrome and their negotiation of university spaces

Open access
Madriaga, Manuel·2010·Children's Geographies
DOI 10.1080/14733280903500166
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Abstract

Research was conducted to gain insight into the lives of students with Asperger Syndrome (AS) during their transitions into higher education. Eight students were recruited from across the United Kingdom to partake in a year-long longitudinal study that incorporated life-history interviews. In their responses, the majority of interviewees identified spaces within their universities as being inaccessible. They found obstacles locating themselves in spaces where other students generally tend to congregate (e.g. student unions, pubs, libraries) due to their sensory impairments. As a result, a number of respondents experienced difficulty engaging socially in university life. This paper explores how students with AS and hypersensitivities negotiated these barriers. While some experienced a sense of ease, others were not as successful. This difference in experience, as argued here, reflects the diversity of individuals who have AS. Reflecting upon this diversity, it is hoped this paper will contribute to raising the profile of young adults with AS and wider questions about disabled student support provision in higher education.

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Crossref · 10.1080/14733280903500166

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49 of 49 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Aversive sensory cues act as spatial and social obstacles to independent living for individuals with hidden disabilities, impeding everyday activities.

    “These aversive sensory cues act as spatial and social obstacles to independent living (Madriaga, 2010), impeding them carrying out what most may consider as everyday activities.”

    From iSenseVR: bringing VR exposure therapy outside the laboratory (2019) · cites this paper as Madriaga, 2010

    The Findings and Concluding thoughts (page unavailable) describe sensory hypersensitivities making university spaces inaccessible and limiting students’ social participation and everyday university life. The paper studies students with Asperger syndrome in higher education; it does not establish the broader claim about independent living for individuals with hidden disabilities generally. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • Many individuals with hidden disabilities experience severe difficulties with heightened noises and/or crowded situations within environments.

    “experience severe difficulties with heightened noises and/or crowded situations within environments (Groden et al., 2001, Madriaga, 2010).”

    From iSenseVR: bringing VR exposure therapy outside the laboratory (2019) · cites this paper as Madriaga, 2010

    The paper’s ‘Spatial mobilities’ section describes hypersensitivity to sounds and crowds among students with Asperger syndrome. Its ‘Concluding thoughts’ section says some found university spaces so anxiety-provoking that they avoided them. The claim extends this finding to people with hidden disabilities generally, a broader population than the paper addresses. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

2 of the 51 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Bogdashina, O., 2001. A reconstruction of the sensory world of autism. Sheffield: Sheffield Hallam University Press.
  2. Howlin, P., 1998. Children with autism and Asperger Syndrome. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
  3. Martin, N., 2006. Strategies which increase the likelihood of success at university of students with Asperger Syndrome. Good Autism Practice, 7 (2), 51-60.

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Authors
Madriaga, M.
Affiliations
Sheffield Hallam University (GB)
Corresponding author
Madriaga, Manuel
ORCID
Madriaga, Manuel
Venue
Children's Geographies
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2010-01-25
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
39-50
ISSN
  • 1473-3277 (ISSN-L)
  • 1473-3285
DOI
10.1080/14733280903500166
OpenAlex
W1995382404
Cited by
109
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
FWCI
10.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Children s Geographies (publishedVersion)
  • Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion)
  • SHURA (Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive) (Sheffield Hallam University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Sheffield Hallam University
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
Asperger syndrome, university students, sensory hypersensitivity, university space, social exclusion, student union, public houses, transition to higher education, accessibility, diversity of experience, young adults with autism

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