The 'High Achievers' project: An assessment of the support for students with autism attending United Kingdom universities

Journal article


Chown, N., Baker-Rogers, J., Hughes, E., Cossburn, K. and Byrne, P. (2017). The 'High Achievers' project: An assessment of the support for students with autism attending United Kingdom universities. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 42 (6), pp. 837-854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1323191
AuthorsChown, N., Baker-Rogers, J., Hughes, E., Cossburn, K. and Byrne, P.
Abstract

In the UK autism is classed as a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, higher education institutions in the UK are legally required to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities who are placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to students without disabilities. Despite the social difficulties associated with autism, and autistic students being at a heightened risk of dropping out of university, high-functioning autistic students are often high achievers academically. The National Audit Office recognises university as a desirable option for academically gifted students with autism. As there have been few studies directly examining the needs of autistic students in post-secondary education by established researchers, we undertook an online questionnaire survey of all UK universities, other than those under foreign ownership, to ascertain current levels of support for students with autism in higher education. This was followed up with Freedom of Information Act requests to establishments that did not respond to the survey. We report our findings based on responses from 99 universities out of approximately 160 establishments in total. As autistic university graduates are at a disadvantage when compared to their non-autistic peers in obtaining employment after graduation, we propose that all higher education establishments follow the government recommendation for providers of services not covered by the Autism Act 2009, but who support people into employment, to adopt the Statutory Guidance issued in connection with the Adult Autism Strategy. Universities should consider seeking accreditation under the National Autistic Society’s accreditation scheme.

KeywordsAsperger syndrome; autism; Freedom of Information Act requests; higher education; support
Year2017
JournalJournal of Further and Higher Education
Journal citation42 (6), pp. 837-854
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1469-9486
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1323191
Web address (URL)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1323191
Publication dates
Print30 Sep 2016
Publication process dates
Accepted14 Jun 2017
Deposited20 Oct 2021
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Open
Permalink -

https://openresearch.lsbu.ac.uk/item/8y150

Download files


Accepted author manuscript
High Achievers version accepted by JFHE with VoR note.docx
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
File access level: Open

  • 112
    total views
  • 104
    total downloads
  • 3
    views this month
  • 2
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Barriers to healthcare and a ‘triple empathy problem’ may lead to adverse outcomes for autistic adults: A qualitative study
Shaw, S.C.K., Carravallah, L., Johnson, M., O’Sullivan, J., Chown, N., Neilson, S. and Doherty, M. (2023). Barriers to healthcare and a ‘triple empathy problem’ may lead to adverse outcomes for autistic adults: A qualitative study. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231205629
Accommodation through personalisation: ensuring the autistic student has an equal opportunity for success in the PhD viva voce
Sandland, B., MacLeod, A., Hall, N. and Chown, N. (2023). Accommodation through personalisation: ensuring the autistic student has an equal opportunity for success in the PhD viva voce. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 47 (10), pp. 1404-1419. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2023.2250740
Introducing critical autism studies (CAS) from the Anglophone research
Lefebvre, M-E., Chown, N. and Martin, N. (2023). Introducing critical autism studies (CAS) from the Anglophone research. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies. 12 (1).
General Practitioner Autism Training and Mandatory Medical Training: A Cross-Sectional Study of GPs’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices
Chown, N., Shaw, S.C.K., Doherty, M., Johnson, M., Krupa, J., Martin, N. and Brooker-Corcoran, M. (2023). General Practitioner Autism Training and Mandatory Medical Training: A Cross-Sectional Study of GPs’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices. Canadian Journal of Educational and Social Studies . 3 (1), pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v3i1.99
Healthcare Barriers, Health Outcomes, and Annual Health Checks for Autistic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study of General Practitioners’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices
Chown, N., Shaw, S.C.K., Doherty, M., Johnson, M., Krupa, J., Martin, N. and Brooker-Corcoran, M. (2022). Healthcare Barriers, Health Outcomes, and Annual Health Checks for Autistic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study of General Practitioners’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices . Canadian Journal of Educational and Social Studies . 2 (4), pp. 179-199. https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v2i4.57
Autistic Perspectives on the Future of Clinical Autism Research
Pukki, H., Bettin, J., Outlaw, A.G., Hennessy, J., Brook, K., Dekker, M., Doherty, M., Shaw, S.C.K., Bervoets, J., Rudolph, S., Corneloup, T., Derwent, K., Lee, O., Garcia Rojas, Y., Lawson, W., Vidal Gutierrez, M., Petek, K., Tsiakkirou, M., Suoninen, A., Minchin, J., Döhle, R., Lipinski, S., Natri, H., Reardon, E., Villarreal Estrada, G., Platon, O., Chown, N., Satsuki, A., Milton, D., Walker, N., Roldan, O., Herrán, B., Limón Cañedo, C., McCowan, S., Johnson, M., Turner, E.J., Lammers, J. and Yoon, w-h. (2022). Autistic Perspectives on the Future of Clinical Autism Research. Autism in Adulthood. 4 (2), pp. 93-101. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0017
England and Autism
Arnold, L., Milton, D., Beardon, L. and Chown, N. (2021). England and Autism. in: Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders Springer Nature.
Can a person be ‘a bit autistic’? A response to Francesca Happé and Uta Frith
Chown, N. and Leatherland, J. (2020). Can a person be ‘a bit autistic’? A response to Francesca Happé and Uta Frith. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 51 (2), pp. 749-751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04541-0
Are the "autistic traits" and "broader autism phenotype" concepts real or mythical?
Chown, N. (2019). Are the "autistic traits" and "broader autism phenotype" concepts real or mythical? Autism Policy and Practice. 2 (1), pp. 46-63.
What about the other side of double empathy? A response to Alkhaldi, Sheppard and Mitchell's article concerning mind-reading difficulties in autism
Chown, N., Hughes, L. and Baker-Rogers, J. (2019). What about the other side of double empathy? A response to Alkhaldi, Sheppard and Mitchell's article concerning mind-reading difficulties in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 50 (1), pp. 683-684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04263-y
First responders and autism
Chown, N., Beardon, L. and Cossburn, K. (2018). First responders and autism. in: Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders New York
The 'Achieving More in College' project: Support for autistic students attending further education colleges
Chown, N., Baker-Rogers, J., Cossburn, K., Hughes, E., Beardon, L. and Leatherland, J. (2018). The 'Achieving More in College' project: Support for autistic students attending further education colleges. Good Autism Practice. 19 (1), pp. 50-62.
Improving research about us, with us: A draft framework for inclusive autism research
Chown, N., Robinson, J., Beardon, L., Downing, J., Hughes, L., Leatherland, J., Fox, K., Hickman, L. and MacGregor, D. (2017). Improving research about us, with us: A draft framework for inclusive autism research. Disability & Society. 32 (5), pp. 720-734. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1320273