Self-Determination and Students with Autism: Strategies of Faculty and Disability Resource Professionals

Students with autism are enrolling in college more frequently, yet graduation rates for these students remain low. One reason posited is a lack of self-determination (SD) skills, which help students communicate with faculty and staff and act on goals. This study investigated how faculty at a community college support students in developing these skills, the nature of their communication with disability resource professionals and site directors, and the experiences of faculty and disability resource professionals with accommodations. The study employed basic qualitative methods, specifically semi-structured interviews with 31 faculty, disability resource professionals, and site directors. Findings show that faculty use specific strategies to communicate with students yet struggle with helping them to regulate behaviors and giving them autonomy. Faculty, disability resource professionals, and site directors indicate that rapport and trust are important in communications between all three groups about how to help students with autism. Yet when these qualities are not present, faculty find safe spaces to access the help they need through informal supports. All groups of participants indicated that while accommodation letters are a good place to start when supporting students with autism, they provide little help in reinforcing SD skills. Thus, accommodations are supplemented by faculty being willing to work with students beyond the accommodation letter.