University Students with Autism: The Social and Academic Experiences of University in the UK.
Emine Gurbuz, Mary Hanley, Deborah M Riby
PMID 30173311WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic university students in the UK reported more social and academic difficulties than non-autistic peers, including thoughts of withdrawal.
Many still described academic strengths and wanted friendships. These are self-reported experiences, not evidence that any support works.
Key findings
01Students with autism reported lower social and academic functioning than non-autistic students.
02Despite social difficulties, students with autism reported similar motivation to form friendships and described academic strengths.
0354% of students with autism and 17% of non-autistic students self-reported a mental health diagnosis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The autism group was small, with 26 students, and the non-autistic group was much larger. Diagnoses and mental health conditions were self-reported and not confirmed. The groups had uneven sex ratios, so reported needs could relate to sex differences rather than autism. The study was a one-time self-report questionnaire, so it cannot show why students reported these experiences or whether support changes them. Only students with autism answered the written questions, so the comparison group did not provide qualitative experiences.
Declared interests
The funding statement in the supplied text says the funder was the Durham Doctoral Scholarship.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as proof that autism causes university withdrawal or that any therapy will help. The study only asked students to report their experiences at one time, and it did not test support or treatment.