Autism Spectrum Disorder and College Transition: Research Review
This paper reviews three peer-reviewed studies examining autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of higher education and transition planning. The first study by Matthews, Ly, and Goldberg (2014) investigates how college students perceive peers with ASD, finding that greater prior knowledge correlates with more positive attitudes. The second study by Elias and White (2017) uses a parental survey to identify challenges students with ASD face when moving from high school to college, with social interaction emerging as the primary concern. The third study by Wei, Wagner, Hudson, et al. (2015) examines whether participation in transition planning and explicit college-enrollment goal-setting increases actual enrollment rates among students with ASD. Together, these studies build a case for stronger institutional support services, inclusive classroom practices, and structured transition programs.
- Peer Perceptions of College Students with ASD: How familiarity with ASD shapes peer attitudes
- Parental Perspectives on College Transition Needs: Parents identify social challenges and support gaps
- Transition Planning, Goal-Setting, and College Enrollment: Goal-setting in IEPs linked to higher enrollment rates
- Conclusions and Implications for Special Education: Collective findings support stronger institutional supports
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What makes this paper effective
- Each article review follows a consistent structure — purpose, methodology, findings, and critique — making the paper easy to navigate and compare across studies.
- The writer explicitly evaluates methodological strengths and limitations in every section, demonstrating critical engagement rather than passive summary.
- Cross-citations between reviewed articles (e.g., Matthews informing Elias & White; Wei building on Creswell) show the student understands how the studies form a cumulative body of evidence.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates annotated bibliography / article critique technique at the graduate level: each study is summarized, contextualized within a broader research conversation, and evaluated for methodological quality. The student consistently connects each study's findings back to practical implications for special education policy and college support services, showing synthesis beyond mere description.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into three main sections, one per article reviewed, followed by implicit concluding remarks embedded in each section's critique. Each section opens with a rationale for why the study matters, then describes the sample and methods, then presents results, and closes with a balanced critique. The references section at the end follows APA style throughout.
Peer Perceptions of College Students with ASD
When considering best classroom instructional strategies and management techniques to use in special education, educators often need to know how neurotypical students perceive their peers with autism. Information related to peer perceptions of students with autism spectrum disorders can also help improve therapeutic interventions. Understanding these perceptions is essential for helping colleges and universities create the most effective support services, programs, and transition systems. In "College Students' Perceptions of Peers with Autism Spectrum Disorder," Matthews, Ly, and Goldberg (2014) aim to improve understanding of the needs of students transitioning to college who have autism spectrum disorders. The researchers also aim to assess general student knowledge about autism in relation to gender and affective attributes, using a vignette methodology. Based on prior research, the authors hypothesized that greater familiarity with or knowledge of autism spectrum disorders would be correlated with more positive attitudes toward peers with autism.
The researchers do not offer much detail about how they conducted the sampling procedure, but all subjects came from the same university in the southwestern United States. A total of 224 undergraduate students participated in the study, and the participants were surveyed for demographic data to yield as broad and diverse a sample as possible, making it more representative of the general population. After receiving approval from the university's ethical review board, the researchers informed students that the research was about social psychology, and the participants then completed a questionnaire. The questionnaire included a vignette component in which participants were asked questions about the main characters. There were three components to the questionnaire, including the vignette and a survey of knowledge related to autism spectrum disorders. The researchers randomly assigned students to one of three conditions: a high-functioning autism condition, a label condition, and a no-label condition. Each condition featured a different vignette describing interactions between people. After reading the vignette, participants completed the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) and the Autism Knowledge Questionnaire.
To analyze the raw data, the researchers used an analysis of variance (ANOVA), which revealed statistically significant differences between the three groups. Hierarchical regression models were also used to analyze all of the different data sets, and the authors provide visuals for the descriptive statistics. The authors found complex relationships between knowledge of autism and attitudes, but previous exposure to or knowledge of autism spectrum disorders was, as predicted, correlated with more positive perceptions of peers with autism. The research substantiates claims that generally support peer exposure to persons with disabilities and supports the overall tenets of inclusive classrooms and inclusivity as a principle in education (Creswell, 2013). The research also substantiates similar studies demonstrating how important it is for colleges and universities to create peer support systems or formal support services for students with autism (White, Elias, Capriola-Hall, et al., 2017). While this study is not without limitations — relying on artificial vignettes to simulate situational variables related to autism — it does provide groundwork for future research. The use of a convenience sample also reduces the generalizability of the results somewhat. However, the study's contribution to the body of evidence on special education best practices outweighs these minor methodological weaknesses.
Parental Perspectives on College Transition Needs
Focusing on the needs of high school students with autism spectrum disorder helps them better plan for the future and prepare for college or university. Transition planning is one of the most important issues in special education, requiring further research into how administrators and teachers can better prepare students still in high school while also helping universities and colleges develop transition programs (Creswell, 2013). Research like that of Matthews, Ly, and Goldberg (2014) shows that understanding peer perceptions of autism can help program designers learn how to change attitudes and beliefs about autism spectrum disorders. In "Autism Goes to College: Understanding the Needs of a Student Population on the Rise," Elias and White (2017) use a survey method to identify the main challenges students with autism spectrum disorders face when transitioning from high school to college.
The aim of this research is to provide college and university administrators with evidence showing what types of programs or services would best help incoming or existing students with autism spectrum disorders. The results may similarly be used to help high school special education teachers, counselors, and administrators create effective transition planning services. The researchers focused on parents on the premise that "they are pivotal in assisting their offspring with the identity development, emotional, and educational/vocational transitions associated with developmental maturation" (Elias & White, 2017, p. 733). The authors also underscore the importance of the current study given that the proportion of college and university students with autism continues to climb. Taking into account parental perspectives is an area not frequently studied in the literature, and this research therefore aims to fill a gap in the knowledge base related to transition planning in special education. The goal was to clarify the needs and challenges faced by students with autism spectrum disorders as seen through the parents' eyes.
Participants self-selected through an anonymous online survey conducted over ten months using SurveyGizmo. Informed consent was obtained, and the researchers cleared the study with their ethical review board. Participants were parents of students with autism spectrum disorders who were either in high school or transitioning to college. The final sample size after exclusions was 99 individuals. After collecting the raw data and compiling descriptive statistics, the researchers used a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Although not a true mixed-methods study, the researchers also included an open-ended question to allow participants to provide any additional helpful information related to the research questions. As predicted, the number-one concern or challenge expressed by parents was the social interaction needs of the students. Parents also expressed a desire for more formal support services for their children.
This study is informative and provides both high schools and universities with information that can be used to design better transition planning programs and services. The research also substantiates similar studies such as White, Elias, Capriola-Hall, et al. (2017). However, the study does not contribute substantially in one respect: it is broadly established that all students transitioning from high school to college benefit from formal social support services and opportunities for integration into their new environment. Additionally, the researchers include students with ADHD in the population sample, which could potentially confound the results.
References
Brown, K. R., & Coomes, M. D. (2015). A spectrum of support: Current and best practices for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(6), 465–479. doi:10.1080/10668926.2015.1067171
Creswell, J. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Elias, R., & White, S. W. (2017). Autism goes to college: Understanding the needs of a student population on the rise. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 732–746. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3075-7
Matthews, N. L., Ly, A. R., & Goldberg, W. A. (2014). College students' perceptions of peers with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1), 90–99. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2195-6
Schindler, V., Cajiga, A., Aaronson, R., & Salas, L. (2015). The experience of transition to college for students diagnosed with Asperger's disorder. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 3(1), 2.
Wei, X., Wagner, M., Hudson, L., Yu, J. W., & Javitz, H. (2015). The effect of transition planning participation and goal-setting on college enrollment among youth with autism spectrum disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 37(1), 3–14. doi:10.1177/0741932515581495
White, S. W., Elias, R., Capriola-Hall, N. N., Smith, I. C., Conner, C. M., Asselin, S. B., … Mazefsky, C. A. (2017). Development of a college transition and support program for students with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(10), 3072–3078. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3236-8
White, S. W., Elias, R., Salinas, C. E., Capriola, N., Conner, C. M., Asselin, S. B., … Getzel, E. E. (2016). Students with autism spectrum disorder in college: Results from a preliminary mixed methods needs analysis. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 56, 29–40. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.05.010
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