“I Found My Place”: Unraveling Autistic Community College Students’ Experiences in a College Autism Transition Program

Authors

Abstract

The emergence of college autism transition programs, aimed to support students' needs and leverage their strengths, is illuminating the rise of autistic students in academia. Raising acceptance of autistic college students, and truly understanding their experiences in navigating higher education, has been minimally addressed. Even more, few empirical studies haveexamined a community college autism transition program, lest been authored by an autistic individual. This qualitative case study unpacks how autistic community college students enrolled in a college autism transition program navigate higher education. The project began with a systematic literature review of autism in higher education that informed the study's theory (Neurodiversity), varied participant groups, (e.g., autistic students, college administrators) and methods (e.g., interviews, written reflections). The findings offer context on the priorities and issues facing the college at the heart of this study before explaining the specific autism program's evolution. Shedding light on each of the 13 autistic college student participants' life journeys via vignettes enables understanding of their successes and struggles en route to college. Findings are then presented to showcase how autistic students: process their identities; traverse through college (including handling academics and weighing parental involvement); navigate the autism program; handle their health and emotions; and figure out the future. The discussion demonstrates how the findings contextualize, challenge, and extend current understandings of Neurodiversity Theory. Implications for policy and practice are targeted to offer tangible and accessible measures for educators, program staff, and institutional leaders in serving autistic community college students, whereas implications for researchers and directions for future research lend clarity on how to enhance scholarship.

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