Experiences of Autistic Students in Postsecondary Education: A Review of Reviews

Abstract

Background:

The number of autistic students enrolling in postsecondary education is rising, accompanied by an increase in research and subsequent reviews (i.e., meta-analyses, systematic and scoping reviews) describing the experiences of autistic postsecondary students. We summarize the current state of the literature by describing the characteristics (e.g., publication year, language use), evaluating the quality, and mapping the domains and findings of reviews examining autistic postsecondary students to inform future directions of this research.

Methods:

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses were followed. Reviews were included if they were (1) published between January 2000 and December 2023; (2) focused on postsecondary students who had a diagnosis of autism or self-identify as autistic; and (3) focused on experiences of autistic students in postsecondary settings. Consistent with other reviews of reviews, articles were coded for quality, including publication bias. Thematic analysis was used to extract themes from reviews.

Results:

Out of 1575 articles, 26 published reviews were included. Over half the reviews were published within the past 5 years (i.e., 2019 onward; k = 14; 54%) and were systematic or scoping reviews (k = 20; 77%), while half were conducted by researchers from the United States. The quality of systematic or scoping reviews (k = 20) was mostly acceptable; however, only three assessed publication bias and eight appraised study quality. Six themes were constructed from coded information identifying gaps, main findings, and review strengths as follows: (1) the need for methodological rigor; (2) the need for evidence-based, individualized supports; (3) the need to consider autistic students as a heterogenous population with diverse academic experiences; (4) the need to understand nonacademic factors impacting academic experiences; (5) research addressing or highlighting relevant gaps; and (6) research guided by lived experience and frameworks.

Conclusions:

We summarize key findings from the current literature and make relevant recommendations to move the research on autism in postsecondary forward.

Community Brief

Why is this an important issue?

The number of autistic people attending higher education (i.e., college, university) is on the rise, and so is the number of studies on autistic student’s experiences in postsecondary settings. To promote autistic student’s success in higher education, we need to have a good understanding of the current state of the research to identify gaps in our knowledge that can help inform future directions.

What was the purpose of this study? 

To systematically summarize the current existing research to determine where there are gaps in knowledge and what future research should focus on. Specifically, this is a review of systematic reviews (i.e., systematic summaries of scientific studies) examining the experiences of autistic postsecondary students.

What did the researchers do? 

The researchers conducted a search for all review articles on the postsecondary experiences of autistic students since 2000, evaluated the quality of the research, and summarized key themes that arose from these reviews. 

What were the results of the study? 

We included 26 reviews in our analyses. Most reviews were conducted within the past 5 years and focused on the challenges and needs of autistic students in postsecondary schools, the availability or effectiveness of supports for these students, and the transition period into postsecondary. Our results suggest that there are few evidence-based approaches to meet the unique support needs of autistic students. The highly varied experiences of autistic people require further research to inform wrap-around, effective, individualized supports that emphasize both academic and nonacademic aspects, and promote validating and safe environments to support autistic students’ success.

What do these findings add to what was already known? 

To our knowledge, this is the first review of reviews on autistic students' experiences in higher education. This article revealed that most systematic reviews on this topic do not examine gray (i.e., unpublished) literature, nor do many evaluate the quality of primary research. Furthermore, most existing reviews continue to be conducted in Western countries, use identity-first language (i.e., students with autism), and do not include autistic voices in their methodology. These gaps suggest that future reviews need to (1) better account for unpublished research, (2) critically evaluate the quality of the primary literature, (3) be also conducted by researchers outside of Western countries, (4) use person-first language that is preferred by the autistic community (i.e., autistic students), and (5) empower autistic people by involving them in the development of these reviews.

How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? 

Our findings point to specific ways to strengthen the research being conducted in this field to encourage the inclusion of autistic voice and researchers, promote validating and safe campuses, and conduct research that reduces inequities faced by autistic students.