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Cited by 53Disability Education and EmploymentHigher Education and EmployabilityAutism Spectrum Disorder Research

Exploring the career motivations, strengths, and challenges of autistic and non-autistic university students: insights from a participatory study

Open access
Cheriyan, Chinnu, Shevchuk-Hill, Sergey, Riccio, Ariana, Vincent, Jonathan, Kapp, Steven K., Cage, Eilidh, Dwyer, Patrick, Kofner, Bella +2 more·2021·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719827PMC PMC8568013
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Abstract

Supports for the growing number of autistic university students often focus on helping them succeed in university. However, even educated autistic people experience discrimination and other challenges which can make it very difficult for them to obtain meaningful jobs. Little remains known about how universities can better support their autistic students and alumni in overcoming barriers to meaningful employment. In this participatory study, a team of autistic and non-autistic researchers asked autistic (n = 92) and non-autistic (n = 774) university students about their career aspirations, strengths they believe will help them succeed in their “dream jobs,” and obstacles they expect to encounter. Autistic participants’ top goal in attending college was to improve their career prospects. However, relatively few autistic students reported learning career-specific skills at university. Autistic students were more likely to seek an academic job and less likely to seek a career in healthcare than non-autistic students. Autistic students highlighted writing skills and detail orientation as strengths that could help them succeed in their dream jobs more often than non-autistic students. However, they were also more likely to expect discrimination, social, and psychological difficulties to stand in the way of their dream jobs. These findings suggest that universities should prioritize experiential learning opportunities to help autistic (and non-autistic) students develop employment-related skills while providing mental health supports. Universities should demonstrate their commitment to supporting diverse learners by seeking out and hiring autistic professionals and by teaching their own staff and employers how to appreciate and support autistic colleagues.

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  • Neurodivergent students' self-belief and ambitions for employment post-graduation are often challenged by negative experiences of academic discrimination.

    “Neurodivergent students’ self-belief and ambitions for employment post-graduation are often challenged by negative experiences of academic discrimination (Cheriyan et al., 2021).”

    From Compassionate pedagogy for neurodiversity in higher education: A conceptual analysis (2023) · cites this paper as Cheriyan et al., 2021

    The Results section (‘What Challenges Do Students Expect to Encounter Seeking and Keeping Dream Jobs?’; page unavailable) reports that autistic students were more likely to expect discrimination when seeking or keeping their dream jobs. It does not establish that negative experiences of academic discrimination undermined their self-belief or employment ambitions, and its findings concern autistic rather than neurodivergent students generally. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • A carry-forward of positive academic experiences in terms of student self-esteem, hopefulness and preparedness for the workplace is one of the many impactful outputs of accessible and compassionate pedagogic practice.

    “Before concluding, it is worth considering one of the many impactful outputs of accessible and compassionate pedagogic practice; that is, a carry-forward of positive academic experiences in terms of student self-esteem, hopefulness and preparedness for the workplace (Kuriyan et al., 2013; Cheriyan et al., 2021).”

    From Compassionate pedagogy for neurodiversity in higher education: A conceptual analysis (2023) · cites this paper as Cheriyan et al., 2021

    The Results section (“What Employment Skills Have Autistic Participants Learned at University?”; page unavailable) reports that most autistic participants learned employment-related skills at university and often highlighted personal development. The Discussion says these were mostly general skills rather than career-specific preparation. The paper does not establish that accessible and compassionate teaching produced lasting gains in self-esteem or hopefulness. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Singer J. (2016). Neurodiversity: The birth of an idea [Kindle Edition]. Washington,DC: Amazon Digital Services, LLC.

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Authors
Cheriyan, C., Shevchuk-Hill, S., Riccio, A., Vincent, J., Kapp, S. K., Cage, E., Dwyer, P., Kofner, B., Attwood, H., & Gillespie-Lynch, K.
Affiliations
  • College of Staten Island (US)
  • The Graduate Center, CUNY (US)
  • York St John University (GB)
  • University of Portsmouth (GB)
  • University of Stirling (GB)
  • University of California, Davis (US)
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2021-10-14
Volume
12
Pages
719827-719827
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719827
PMC
PMC8568013
OpenAlex
W3205898032
Cited by
53
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 2
FWCI
8.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research at York St John (York St John University) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Organization for Autism Research
  • City University of New York
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
  • Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education and Employability
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Keywords
autistic university students, career aspirations, barriers to employment, discrimination, career skills development, experiential learning, mental health support, academic careers, health professions, higher education support

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