An Assessment of the Needs of Tertiary Education Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Background: Few people with an ASD achieve a post-school qualification, with many having poor outcomes. There are resulting negative financial and personal costs for people with ASD and their families, and a significant cost-burden for communities.  To date there is no research on the needs of people with ASD in tertiary education settings, nor of the needs of staff who teach and support them.  No framework or plan exists specifically for the support of these students whose needs may not be well understood due to their particular difficulties and behaviours associated with ASD.

Objectives: The aim in this project was to understand the needs of, and the supports required by and for people with ASD undertaking tertiary studies in either Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges or Universities in Victoria, Australia. 

Methods: Twenty-three (16 male, 7 female) tertiary students with ASD and 15 (14 parents, 1 sister) family members participated in semi-structured focus groups conducted at 6 tertiary institutions (2 Universities, 4 TAFE colleges). Students also completed brief demographic form and the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), while family participants completed a brief demographic form and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). Three in-depth interviews were conducted with two male, first year university students throughout 2011 in order to understand their experiences during their first year of university.  Data were analysed using NVivo 9.

Results: Students’ average age was 25 years (Range 17-59 years), with 4 in their first year of study. With one exception (self-report), all students had AQ (M = 30.1) and/or SCQ (M = 23.8) scores consistent with their ASD diagnosis. The key traits and characteristics of students with ASD as identified in this project were deficits in communication and social skills, preference for structure and routine, high anxiety and proneness to depression, poor organisation and time management skills, and difficulties processing information. The results indicated that the current supports provided to students are inadequate and inconsistent across tertiary institutions. During transition to tertiary education current processes for student disclosure of their ASD diagnosis are ineffective, with families unaware of the potential benefits of such disclosure.  Students are often unprepared for tertiary study.  On-time support provided by disability units is critical and, in particular, it is important for disability coordinators to connect students with other relevant support services. Although students still live at home (64%), privacy issues exclude parents from providing support for their child’s tertiary education.

Conclusions: The traits and characteristics associated with ASD hinder students learning in tertiary education settings, and their support needs are great. Existing support for students should be uniform and consistent, taking account of their ASD characteristics and associated needs, thereby providing an environment in which they can achieve successful outcomes.