Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Jennifer Ma

Reader 2

Stacey Wood

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© 2024 Adeline E. P. Rogers

Abstract

College is notoriously challenging, with many student concerns associated with adapting to the new expectations for lifestyle, workload, and socializing that come with transitioning to college and/or university (Gelbar et al., 2015). For college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the impact of these changes can be far more challenging, as their needs can be different from their neurotypical peers. This study implemented an online survey to gather data on autistic students’ feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, university connectedness, experiences with university autism support programs, and basic demographics. Unfortunately, the results found from this study were contaminated by a large number of bot responses. As such, the results cannot provide fully accurate representations of current attitudes among autistic students, but do speak to a larger question of the growing issues associated with online studies. Results are discussed in light of these limitations and can nevertheless suggest promising areas for future inquiry. This research is significant for the field because the ideas explore current attitudes of an under-researched population and address shortcomings of institutional support services.

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