Clinical and Educational Profiles of College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study describes the development of descriptive clinical and educational profiles of college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in order to give insight for future research on factors impacting success in college and needs of students with ASD that universities should consider. Participants included 3 students with a diagnosis of ASD who were enrolled at a tier 1 university. Participation involved one visit to a speech language pathology clinic to obtain information regarding demographics, expressive and receptive language skills, pragmatic language skills, and executive function skills through the administration of questionnaires and assessments. Using the information collected, descriptive profiles were developed and compared to assess for similarities and differences. Results did not reveal a consistent profile of a college student with ASD, but consistencies in the exhibition of some deficits directly related to having a diagnosis of ASD were found. Potential implications for understanding how to foster successful college experience for students who have ASD are discussed.