In this research, we have investigated how autistic university students responded to the COVID epidemic, and how it impacted their social and academic experiences at university.
We found that several inter-related factors (personal, interactional, and environmental) affected autistic students’ learning experiences, including their preferences for in person versus online learning. Although some commonalities were found among the students in their lived experiences, each student is unique and requires different supports. Further, more education and support for non-autistic instructors and peers is needed to effectively support autistic students’ equitable access to learning at university.
Pandemic Experiences: Presentations and Articles So Far
Presentations
- Identifying effects of COVID-19 pandemic-related changes on academic and social experiences of autistic university students. Presented at the III Conferencia Estatatal sobre educadion formacion y trastorno del espectro del autismo (TEA), Spain. Jacquie Ballantine, Natasha Artemeva. (2020). There are also recorded answers to questions.
- Identifying effects of COVID-19 pandemic-related changes on academic and social experiences of autistic university students. Hub for Good, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine, Natasha Artemeva. (2020).
- Identifying effects of COVID-19 pandemic-related changes on academic and social experiences of autistic university students. Presentation for the Accessibility and Wellness Series (Healthy Workplace and READ Initiative) at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine, Natasha Artemeva, Jasmin Marcarios. (2020). The live presentation can be viewed here.
- Identifying effects of COVID-19 pandemic-related changes on academic and social experiences of autistic university students. Poster presentation at the Geneva Autism Centre International Symposium, Toronto, Canada. Jacquie Ballantine, Natasha Artemeva, Kathryn Carreau. (2020).
Articles
- Ballantine, J., Rocheleau, J., Macarios, J., Ross, G., & Artemeva, N. (2023). ‘Change isn’t exactly easy’: The effects of COVID-19 on autistic university students’ experiences. Journal of Autism in Adulthood DOI: 10.1089/aut.2022.0032
Current and future activities include
- Interviews with autistic and non-autistic professors and instructors about their experiences teaching autistic students (both in person and online)
- Analysis of quantitative surveys about autistic students’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic