Dreaming of College Versus Going to College: Expectations and Enrollment Among Autistic Students

Abstract

This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Study 2 to examine relationships between expectations about college education and enrollment patterns among students on the autism spectrum. Results reveal that although more than half of the students reported that they were likely to attend college, among their individualized education programs, only 44% listed postsecondary education as a primary transition goal, and just a third of parents reported expecting that their children would pursue a college education. Furthermore, parental expectations were predicted by cognitive ability, home language, access to the general education curriculum, psychological services, and occupational therapy, while actual enrollment patterns were predicted by a different set of variables: cognitive ability, self-care skills, household responsibilities, conversational skills, access to the general education curriculum, occupational therapy, assistive technology, parent-teacher meetings for postsecondary goal planning, and proportion of White students in school. The predictive patterns suggest practical implications for college-bound students on the spectrum.