A systematic literature review of the experiences and supports of students with autism spectrum disorder in post-secondary education

While prior research on post-secondary students with ASD is limited and geographically circumscribed, the current body of research suggests that students with ASD are often more concerned with non-academic issues than with their academic studies. Also, many post-secondary educational institutions were found proficient at providing traditional academic supports while non-academic supports and resources were often found inadequate. In addition, many students with ASD experienced anxiety or had poor advocacy skills and this impeded their ability to access available supports. Finally, students with ASD were found to be very diverse and to experience idiosyncratic responses to supports, suggesting that supports ideally needed to be individualized, ubiquitous, and continually monitored.