A Spectrum of Student Success Identifying Factors Affecting Access, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
www.CollegeAutismNetwork.org Dr. Bradley E. Cox Bailey Brogdon Amanda Roy ASHE 2016 Jeffery Edelstein Columbus, Ohio A Spectrum of Student Success Identifying Factors Affecting Access, Experiences, and Outcomes for Students on the Autism
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Identifying Factors Affecting Access, Experiences, and Outcomes for Students on the Autism Spectrum www.CollegeAutismNetwork.org
Bailey Brogdon Amanda Roy Jeffery Edelstein ASHE 2016 Columbus, Ohio
ASD Identity
Personal Connections
Standard Operating Procedures
Personalized Adaptation Formal Accommodations
convergence
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Recent Estimates: 16,0001 or 143,5002 or 389,5002 … but by 2020: up to 433,0003
1 From Wei, Wagner, Hudson,
Yu, & Javitz (2015) [n=920; 13-16 year-olds from 2000 using national NLTS-2 dataset]
2 Author extrapolations from
White, Ollendick, and Bray (2011) [n=667; enrolled college students at single 4-year institution]
3 Author extrapolations from
CDC data
Enrollment Growth Relative to 20103
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Individuals
Social Academic Independent Living “Co-Morbidities” Identification Coordination Individualization Resources/Efficiency Institutions
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Framework ○ Astin’s I-E-O Approach ○ Multiple Case Study ○ Grounded Theory Data ○ Semi-Structured Interviews ○ 9 Students with Autism ○ Wide-ranging ages, severity, experiences, and outcomes Analyses in 3 Phases
○ Constant Comparative
○ Transcript Coding (IEO a priori) ○ Multiple-Raters & Memos
○ 9-Step Proposition Refinement ○ Model-Building
ASD Identity
Personal Connections
Standard Operating Procedures
Personalized Adaptation Formal Accommodations
convergence
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ASD
Standard Operating Procedures
Problem Realization
○ Guidance/Support from advisors & instructors ○ Academic performance, group work
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“I’m a linear learner. I mean, I’m autistic. And if it’s not linear I can’t learn it.” - Brian “She doesn’t have time for me. That’s the problem. I need someone to work with me more. She doesn’t have time, she doesn't have time to help me. Not with all these other students.” - Brian
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Identity
the students responded to their problem(s) Formal Accommodations
○ e.g., extended time on test, note-taker
Problem (Re)Defining
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“We really had a heart-to-heart discussion with the disability resource center and some of the professors regarding the levels of calculus I’d have to take. I even got to look at some of their textbooks. I kind of had a bit of a panic attack... We talked it over and I just told my parents ‘I honestly don’t think I can do this. As much as I would love to be able to go here and study this realistically I don’t - I’m going to get lost.’ ... Given that I would be miles away from my parents, living on my own and taking these really difficult classes, I know that I have limits. I was very certain that that was it.” - Christopher
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Personal Connections
Personalized Adaptation
malleable and adaptable to the needs of the individual student (Re)Solving the Problem
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Predictable Problem ○ Overwhelming high-energy activities ○ Difficult to switch attention between topics and integrate various sources of information rapidly ○ Difficulties maintaining eye contact and small talk among peers Potential Solutions ○ Printed or digital presentations available before and after ○ Hourly “self-care” or “personal rejuvenation” breaks
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Predictable Problem ○ Difficulty recognizing, defining, and following ambiguous “social rules” or “informal policy” ○ “Social rules” of college are not explicitly laid out ■ e.g., living with a roommate, eating in a cafeteria, going to a party Potential Solution ○ Students with autism tend to recognize and implement rule-based frames ○ Adhere to clearly articulated policies ○ Explore peer-mentors to guide navigation through novel social contexts
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Disability Service Center ○ The “default” problem-solving starting place ○ Too often, the real or assumed ending place Potential Solutions:
○ Point of contact for neurodiverse students ○ Liaison between the departments and the neurodiverse students ■ e.g., help navigate a roommate agreement, find a proper tutor
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Autism-Related Characteristics in College STEM Students: Prevalence, Performance, and Mediation (1) determine the prevalence of autism-related characteristics among college students entering STEM fields; (2) assess the effect of autism-related characteristics on student performance in gateway STEM courses; and (3) evaluate the effect of formal disability accommodations on the classroom performance of STEM students with autism-related characteristics.
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Research Advocacy
brad.cox@fsu.edu We would like to thank the participants in this study, all contributors to the paper, and the College Autism Network! Full Paper Available at www.CollegeAutismNetwork.org