2026-10-14T13:58:40Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33806113 2026-09-15T16:26:26Z category_129 portal_316 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Table 1_Evaluating autism support programs in higher education through the perspectives of students, parents, counselors and staff.docx Michael West (658340) Katie Kostin (24945235) Matt Tincani (15121558) Donald Hantula (24945238) Eduard Dragut (24945241) Education autism support programs education accessibility higher education post-secondary transition young adults Introduction<p>Some postsecondary institutions have established Autism Support Programs (ASP) that provide specialized support for autistic college students.</p>Methods<p>This work investigates the structure and experience of these programs through thirty-four semi-structured interviews with participants from four stakeholder groups: ASP staff, autistic college students, parents of autistic college students, and high school staff who have worked with college-bound autistic students.</p>Results<p>Participants reported ASPs offering an array of academic, social and environmental support. Parents and students indicated that participating in an ASP was helpful in multiple facets of the college experience, including academic planning, social integration, and independent living. All groups reported high levels of satisfaction with ASP offerings; however, ASP staff reported little to no use of quantitative measures of academic or post-graduation outcomes.</p>Discussion<p>Significant barriers to access remain. Students, parents and high school staff report difficulty finding information about ASPs, leading to a reliance on informal communication networks. Finally, program cost and limited enrollment capacity may result in diminished access to resources for students who may benefit from an ASP. Specific recommendations for secondary education professionals, ASP staff and state agencies to improve access to ASPs are provided.</p> 2026-09-15T16:26:26Z Dataset Dataset 10.3389/feduc.2026.1921007.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Table_1_Evaluating_autism_support_programs_in_higher_education_through_the_perspectives_of_students_parents_counselors_and_staff_docx/33806113 CC BY 4.0