Peer Mentorship and Support for College Students with Autism
This paper compares and contrasts six empirical studies examining peer mentorship and support services for college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The analysis explores how peer mentoring affects mentees' social and academic outcomes, how different study designs and interventions were employed, and what gaps in university accommodations remain. Studies by Lucas and James (2018), Ashbaugh et al. (2017), Colclough (2018), Sarrett (2018), Beltman et al. (2019), and Rando et al. (2016) are reviewed, revealing a consistent finding: peer mentoring provides meaningful social, academic, and emotional benefits for autistic college students, while universities continue to fall short in meeting this population's sensory and psychiatric needs.
- Overview of Peer Mentorship and Autism in Higher Education: Lucas and James study on specialist mentoring outcomes
- Social Planning Interventions and Peer Mentoring: Ashbaugh et al. social planning and campus engagement
- Exploring Student Diversity and Socialization: Colclough on diversity and socialization among autistic students
- University Accommodations and Unmet Needs: Sarrett on disability services and student satisfaction gaps
- The Mentor Perspective and Transition Programs: Beltman and Rando on mentor benefits and transition programs
- Synthesis and Conclusions: Cross-study consensus on mentoring and campus support
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper systematically compares six studies, consistently noting each study's methodology, focus, and key findings before drawing meaningful contrasts with the others.
- It maintains a clear through-line — the role of peer mentorship in supporting autistic college students — even when individual studies diverge in scope or design.
- The concluding synthesis draws together all six studies into a coherent overall argument without overstating what any single study proved.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper models disciplined compare-and-contrast writing at the source level. Rather than summarizing each study in isolation, it evaluates each one relative to the others — noting whether methodologies were qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods, and whether findings corroborated or diverged from neighboring studies. This relational analysis gives the essay its scholarly cohesion.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with the most directly relevant study (Lucas & James, 2018) and then introduces each subsequent study in a way that builds the comparative frame. Methodological differences are flagged early in each section, followed by thematic connections. The final paragraph synthesizes all six studies, identifying areas of consensus and remaining open questions about university policy for autistic students.
Overview of Peer Mentorship and Autism in Higher Education
Lucas and James (2018) evaluate the effect of specialist mentoring on college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other mental health conditions, finding that mentees receive academic, social, and emotional support from their mentors. The researchers also observed group differences between students with autism and those with other mental health issues. According to their findings, the mentor-mentee relationship works best when it is customized to fit the needs of the mentee. Tailored relationships that focus on developing a personal connection, empowering the mentee, and constructing a "bridge" that enables the mentee to become more involved in the university experience were all identified as significant and powerful ways for mentees to benefit from peer mentoring. The researchers also concluded that mentors themselves benefited from the relationship in terms of gaining a greater sense of satisfaction and community engagement.
Social Planning Interventions and Peer Mentoring
The study by Ashbaugh, Koegel, and Koegel (2017) reported a similarly beneficial effect on students with autism when those students were paired with a mentor. Their study differed, however, in terms of the intervention utilized. Whereas Lucas and James (2018) examined the direct impact of peer mentorship on students with autism and other mental health challenges, Ashbaugh et al. (2017) examined a social planning intervention and its effect on autistic students' ability to become more engaged socially on campus. Part of the intervention included the use of peer mentors who provided social and academic support for the autistic participants.
Ashbaugh et al. (2017) reported that the intervention helped students become more socially engaged on campus and also improved their academic performance in the classroom. There was a combined effect between the social support intervention and peer mentoring that helped students reach their potential as fully engaged campus members, capable of overcoming the challenges posed by their autism. Their study was more qualitative than quantitative, whereas the study by Lucas and James (2018) used a mixed-methods approach, but both essentially arrived at the same conclusion: peer mentorship has a positive and beneficial effect on college students with autism.
Exploring Student Diversity and Socialization
The study by Colclough (2018) focuses on recognizing the diversity among students with autism at the university level. The researcher begins by noting that there is a gap in understanding the diverse experiences and range of ability among students with autism embarking on their undergraduate education. One important point raised is that 80% of students with autism at the college level attend a community college. This is significant because it differs substantially from statistics for non-autistic students and implies that autistic students are much less likely to attend residential or away-from-home institutions.
The study was qualitative in design and used semi-structured interviews to gather data on autistic students' feelings toward their level of social engagement. It was more exploratory than the studies by Ashbaugh et al. (2017) or Lucas and James (2018), both of which were more evaluative. Unlike those two studies, which focused directly or at least indirectly on peer mentoring and its impact on autistic students, the study by Colclough (2018) did not examine peer mentoring's specific impact on socialization. The researcher mentioned peer mentoring as one factor in the broader socialization process, but the aim of the research was to understand more deeply the experiences of autistic students at the collegiate level. The researchers concluded nonetheless that there is an opportunity to assist this population by offering more support groups and interventions — similar to what peer mentoring provides. Thus, the study implicitly supported the findings of Lucas and James (2018) and Ashbaugh et al. (2017), even though it proceeded through an entirely different methodology and focus.
References
Ashbaugh, K., Koegel, R. L., & Koegel, L. K. (2017). Increasing social integration for college students with autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 22(1), 183.
Beltman, S., Helker, K., & Fischer, S. (2019). 'I really enjoy it': emotional engagement of university peer mentors. International Journal of Emotional Education, 11(2), 50–70.
Colclough, M. N. (2018). Exploring student diversity: College students who have autism spectrum disorders. Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, 21(1), 5.
Lucas, R., & James, A. I. (2018). An evaluation of specialist mentoring for university students with autism spectrum disorders and mental health conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 694–707.
Rando, H., Huber, M. J., & Oswald, G. R. (2016). An academic coaching model intervention for college students on the autism spectrum. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 29(3), 257–262.
Sarrett, J. C. (2018). Autism and accommodations in higher education: Insights from the autism community. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 679–693.
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