Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their First-Year College Experiences.

Stefania D Petcu,Dalun Zhang,Yi-Fan Li

doi:10.3390/ijerph182211822

Abstract

Using data from the 2019 CIRP Freshman Survey and the Your First College Year (YFCY) from the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, this study explores the differences between the characteristics and behaviors of the first-year students with autism spectrum disorders (17) and those of students with learning disabilities (102). The findings indicate that the characteristics of these two groups of first-year college students were similar except for gender, ethnicity, first college generation, and parents’ income. Compared with first-year college students with LD, students with ASD were less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors, use health services and the writing center.

Highlights

Many of the CIRP Freshman Survey items are pretest questions included in the CIRP follow-up surveys titled Your First College Year (YFCY), which provides a longitudinal examination of cognitive and affective growth during college
The characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are similar to those with LD, with few exceptions even though the LD sample was larger than that of students with ASD
This study had two aims: to identify the characteristics of first-year college students with autism spectrum disorders and the type of support services they are using; and an additional aim was to examine the differences in terms of characteristics and behaviors between them and their peers with learning disabilities

Summary

Introduction

Center on Disability and Development, Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, Abstract: Using data from the 2019 CIRP Freshman Survey and the Your First College Year (YFCY). From the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, this study explores the differences between the characteristics and behaviors of the first-year students with autism spectrum disorders (17) and those of students with learning disabilities (102). The findings indicate that the characteristics of these two groups of first-year college students were similar except for gender, ethnicity, first college generation, and parents’ income. Compared with first-year college students with LD, students with. ASD were less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors, use health services and the writing center. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion