Autistic College Students Who Succeed at Competitive Colleges and Universities; What's the Secret?

Many autistic people are twice exceptional learners (2eASD).  This means they have an area of unique talent or intellectual strength along with an identifiable disability.

The rates of high school failure are elevated for this population, but some are able to not only attend, but to succeed at highly competitive colleges and universities.  

What is the secret to their success?  It probably won't come as a surprise that a lot of it depends on nurturing the special interest or interests that a large majority of 2eASD individuals have.  

Supports that are provided when the concentration is on an interest area help both the student and the adults in their life to be working in a more positive environment where the student is intrinsically motivated.

This extends to non-preferred classes and activities as the student knows the less interesting academic areas are needed to help meet their goal, college success.

Here is a link to the article used for this episode:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12189878/

Thanks to  soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Transcript

Transcript – Autistic College Students Who Succeed at Competitive Colleges and Universities; What's the Secret?

Many students with autism are able to successfully compete and succeed at competitive colleges and universities.  How does this happen?  What are the factors or strengths that allow an autistic student to do this?

I’ll be reading excerpts from a research article that reviewed previous research looking at twice exceptional students with autism.  This is shortened to 2eASD.  The name of the article is, “Research-Based, Strength-Based Teaching and Support Strategies for Twice-Exceptional High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder”. 

“Twice-exceptional learners are students who demonstrate the potential for high achievement or creative productivity in one or more domains such as math, science, technology, the social arts, the visual, spatial, or performing arts or other areas of human productivity AND who manifest one or more disabilities as defined by federal or state eligibility criteria.” From the article used for this podcast

As autism is mainly a language-based disorder, many of 2e learners have talents that lie outside of language-based disciplines.  If you notice the list above has all snon-language-based areas of study.

For more information on these learners, two previous podcast episodes, the first is The Gift or Dyslexic Thinking and second is High Functioning Autism and Special Interests. They explain the implications and importance of recognizing the talents of this population.

An anecdotal note; of the parents of students with high functioning autism that I work with, I estimate about 80-85% can be classified as 2eASD.  Parents are often surprised that their child has much in common with lots of other kids with autism, while each individual is unique, the commonality of these cases is quite striking.

Now let’s get to the article…

Students across the world are being identified with autism spectrum disorder in increasing numbers, and among this group are many young people who are identified as both academically talented and with autism (2eASD). In the last five years, a research team conducted several studies to investigate the ways in which some of these twice-exceptional, neurodiverse students have emerged as academically successful in both secondary school and highly competitive colleges. 

Of particular importance was the identification of strength-based practices, enrichment practices and strength-based pedagogy.

In this review of research, we present several pertinent recent research studies and their findings about challenges faced and successes achieved by this population of twice-exceptional students. A special focus is on the social and emotional development and support needed by these students to be academically and personally successful.

Academic strategies that contributed to success included interest-based opportunities often focused on interests as well as participation in enrichment opportunities such as advanced and honors courses, camps based on interests, and interest-based extra-curricular activities. In addition, various social emotional challenges faced by these young adults were also identified across this research, such as persistent and high levels of anxiety, isolation, and feelings of being different as the leading challenges requiring support.

Focusing on strengths can increase student engagement while also reducing problem behaviors by reinforcing positive social experiences. 

These opportunities enable twice-exceptional individuals to develop their interests, experience positive social connections, hone their executive functioning skills, and further explore their talents and interests.

All of the parents interviewed reported that their children experienced feelings of social isolation and loneliness at various times during elementary and high school years. The participants, according to their parents, also experienced challenges with emotional regulation and difficulties dealing with high levels of sensory sensitivities. social struggles and an absence of peer interactions, often due to different types of social challenge.

Participants reported not knowing how to make a joke, not being able to respond quickly to social situations, or not being able to participate in conversations. 

Some participants explained that they had been grouped with other students identified as needing special education who had also experienced emotional and behavioral difficulties, often severe, when they were in elementary and secondary school. 

When this occurred, the students identified as 2eASD often imitated inappropriate behaviors and struggled with negative peer influences, especially with not having models of other academically talented students without ASD, and accordingly, generally without behavioral challenges. 

Many of the participants explained that they had few friends in elementary school and middle school and were initially uncomfortable in most, if not all, social situations and settings. 

On the positive side, these highly academically successful students also discussed how their parents and teachers helped them gradually learn to develop healthy social and emotional habits of mind. For example, teachers and counselors often provided safe spaces for them in school and discussed how to handle missed social cues and overcome associated problems with other social situations.  Some of their teachers and counselors used role modeling to demonstrate ways to interact in new social settings. Proactive strategies for positive social and emotional development were consistently discussed across various research studies by these successful high school educators and college students identified as 2eASD.

Anxiety

The studies found a high prevalence of anxiety in all participants with 2eASD, contributing to challenges to their academic and personal success. These challenges usually focused on various risk factors contributing to anxiety in this population, such as the likelihood of dropping out of college or quitting an extra-curricular activity or honors or advanced class.

Adolescents with ASD have higher levels of anxiety than their peers without ASD, and higher functioning individuals with ASD have been found to experience a higher rate of anxiety disorders than those with other types of disabilities and students without ASD

 Peers

Another critical factor influencing the success of students identified as 2eASD in school is their relationships with peers. For these students, relationships are extremely important and can enhance or, in some cases, negatively affect their school experience. Students with ASD report the importance of positive peer experiences in building relationships both during and after high school. Conversely, negative school experiences are also related to social relationships with others, with students with ASD confronted with bullying, loneliness, and feelings of being different  These challenging social experiences have led students with ASD to isolate themselves, creating a vacuum of social support and even higher levels of anxiety. 

The teachers and counselors that were interviewed, however, were aware of these challenges and discussed the importance of working to build peer relationships and helping students with 2eASD to establish relationships with students who share their interests and talents. They also worked diligently to help the participants minimize their feelings of isolation by encouraging them to participate in honors classes, clubs, sports, and other extra-curricular activities in areas of high interest.   

Participants discussed their acquisition of skills helping them learn to interact appropriately with adults and other peers, usually due to experiences of varied enrichment opportunities and building relationships in high school through advanced classes, projects, and extracurricular activities. When they were able to build relationships and participate in activities that address their social anxiety, these young adults with 2eASD were able to understand the importance of these relationships over time.

The participants learned from previous negative mistakes as well as positive experiences, and eventually, most learned to understand when it was time to be alone and recharge their social batteries, as well as when they needed to pursue social interactions, avoiding what is sometimes referred to as autistic overwhelm. Developing appropriate cues and higher levels of social awareness required them to learn how to create and maintain appropriate social connections in both high school and college and to help non-ASD peers understand that normal social teen interactions are generally not enjoyable for individuals with Autism.

In summary, most of the participants in the study were able to develop an emotionally safe community, in and out of the classroom, that was important for their social and academic development both in high school and college.

Reflecting on high school, they understood that their positive social experiences helped to prepare them for a successful academic future in competitive colleges. The negative experiences and social challenges they experienced earlier in school, including bullying, loneliness, periods of isolation, and feeling different, initially resulted in anxiety about college and a tendency to isolate themselves socially, but they all found ways to focus on more positive experiences, such as friends that they made, social experiences that were enjoyable, and challenging content classes in which they made acquaintances and friends. Interestingly, some 2eASD students reported having a few friends but deciding not to spend a great deal of time with them due to their limited ability to socialize. 

Self-Determination

Self-determination is the ability to make life decisions independently, and educators often focus on developing self-determination in their students, particularly those with disabilities, as it helps to improve outcomes in life When students identified as 2eASD increase their self-determination, they display more choice in selecting education and career paths that align with their interests and strengths. They can also strive to create positive academic and social environments in high school and college. 

In research with 40 successful 2eASD college students, the majority experienced both academic and personal barriers to success in college. The academic barriers included challenges with specific content skills in areas such as writing and oral discussions. Their non-academic barriers included mental health concerns, anxiety, organizational and time management skills, motivation or interest in a subject, and social and emotional development. 

Several opportunities positively contributed to increased self-determination including summer programs and residential camps. According to the participants, involvement in one or more extracurricular activities in high school contributed to their self-determination. The findings also support time spent engaging with neurotypical peers in their preferred interest areas, often time either in competitive advanced classes or interest-based extra-curricular activities  Most of the sample found friends and developed self-determination through sports, gaming clubs, and other extra-curricular activities.

Post-Secondary Institutions, Areas of Study, and Important Experiences

Participants also discussed the colleges and universities they attended, or hoped to attend, as well as their intended areas of study. Some students purposefully applied to or planned to attend a college or university close to home, as they believed living at and commuting from home would be helpful for their successful college transition.

An important finding from this study was that students believed they were prepared for their transition to college because of their advanced learning opportunities in high school but also demonstrated a strong understanding of their dual exceptionalities. This self-knowledge suggests that students with 2eASD understand their unique needs, including opportunities to develop their talents and interests but also ways to accommodate their special education needs.

In addition to an understanding of 2e, another finding of this study that emerged as important for college transition and preparation is related to the need for appropriate adult support. All successful students in the research could identify one or two adults they felt connected to in high school, such as a teacher, counselor, or parent. They sought support from their counselors, teachers, and parents in their college-transition process.  

Although participants in the studies believed they were supported in their interest and strength areas in high school, they also expressed concerns related to managing their anxieties, time, social lives, and workload. They also often experienced frustrations with task completion and communication and often reported feeling overwhelmed with writing tasks.

Most participants described a driving passion for learning. Half of the participants were motivated to succeed academically by the independence college offers, as well as the flexibility to take advantage of a range of opportunities, and the development of their personal autonomy. Many craved the independence of college and university life but also needed some support from their families. 

Most participants believed that current college and university faculty members’ instructional practices were barriers to learning, describing long lectures and a lack of engaging active learning opportunities. They also lamented not being provided with lecture notes and power point slides, which would have made their learning more efficient. However, despite these challenges, they were succeeding at competitive universities and colleges.

That’s the end of the article summary.  In my own practice, I have seen how life transforming a concentration on strength-based interventions.  Many of these students have enormous talent in their areas of interest, it is up to the adults in the lives to bring it out and encourage it.