In this research, we investigate the lived experiences of autistic university students as they learn to write at university, an ability which is critical for academic success for all students.
Although autistic students share many common experiences with non-autistic students learning to write academically, they also report some distinct experiences especially related to environmental sensory experiences, different processing styles, and different ways of socializing, including in their interactions with instructors and peers.
Academic Writing: Presentations and Articles So Far
Presentations
- (Re)connecting Autistic Students and their Instructors: A Study of the Lived Interactional Experiences of Autistic Students in Higher Education. Presented at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Ottawa, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine, Natasha Artemeva. (2022).
- Mixed Methods Research. Guest Presentation, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine. (2022).
- Autistic University Students and the Double Empathy Problem. Presented at the Three Minute Thesis Competition, Ottawa, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine. (2022).
- Social and Academic Interactions between Autistic University Students and their Non-autistic Lecturers and Colleagues: A Rhetorical Genre Studies Investigation. Presented at the ARCAP (Australian Autism Spectrum) Conference, Sydney, Australia. Jacquie Ballantine, Natasha Artemeva. (2021).
- Towards a Socio-Cultural, Non-Deficit Perspective on Academic Writing by Autistic University Students. Panel presentation at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Jacquie Ballantine. (2021).
- Towards a Socio-Cultural, Non-Deficit Perspective on Academic Writing by Autistic University Students. Presented at SIGET X, Cordoba, Argentina. Jacquie Ballantine. (2019). There is also a handout.
- Autism and Academic Writing Genres: A Pilot Mixed Methods Study. Presented at the Canadian Association of Studies in Discourse and Writing, Congress 2018, Regina, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine. (2019).
- Autism and Academic Writing Genres: A Pilot Mixed Methods Study. Poster Presentation at Geneva Centre for Autism International Conference, Toronto, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine, Natasha Artemeva. (2018).
Articles
- Ballantine, J., & Artemeva, N. (2020). Autistic university students’ accounts of interaction with nonautistic and autistic individuals: A rhetorical genre studies perspective. Revista Da Anpoll, 51(2), 29–43.
- Ballantine, J., Artemeva, N., Rocheleau, J., Macarios, J., Ross, G. (2023). A Distinct Rhetoric: Autistic University Students’ Lived Experiences of Academic Acculturation and Writing Development. College English, 86(2), 136-161.
Links to academic writing research journals
- Discourse and Writing
- College English
- Applied Linguistics
- Journal of Academic Writing
- College Composition and Communication
- Written Communication
Current and future activities include
- Quantitative surveys on autistic students’ academic writing experiences and online versus face-to-face learning experiences
- Using Personal Construct Theory and repertory grid techniques to further investigate autistic students constructions of ideal professors
- Analysis of data collected from autistic and non-autistic instructors.