I have regretfully not been able to update my blog, as my attention has been diverted to complete my project for my MA Education.

This is my project title above, for my MA Education;Educational Technology Specialism at The University of Greenwich. I have now completed and submitted this, as a draft for feedback from my supervisor, before final submission.

I am pleased with my primary research, data collation and visual representation, of my tool, as proof of concept shows that in principal my study assessment tool works. It is proposed to use the tool to help Autism Spectrum (AS) Students, initially, to support them in balancing their study, wellbeing, socialising, time management and internet use optimally, for best progression and course completion at university (Jackson et al 2018, Anderson et al 2019, Gurbuz et al 2019).

What is Autism

Autism spectrum (AS) disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability  that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others as stated by the Clinical Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2019). Statistics suggest that the prevalence affects 1 in 68 people world wide.

Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to other people. If you are autistic, you are autistic for life; autism is not an illness or disease and cannot be ‘cured‘. Often people feel being autistic is a fundamental aspect of their identity.

Autism is a spectrum condition. All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways. Some autistic people also have learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels of support. All people on the autism spectrum learn and develop. With the right sort of support, all can be helped to live a more fulfilling life of their own choosing as described by the National Autistic Society (2019). It should be noted that ASD is not gender, ethnic or socioeconomically specific and is world wide as noted by the United Nations (2019) and World Autism Day to increase awareness.

Therefore, reasoning behind the support tool is that AS students population is an increasing demographic, at university because they have significant potential and have progressed from further education to higher education (Hillier et al 2018; Nuske et al 2019). Notwithstanding, the differences they face in being neurodiverse (Milton 2012), as well as being young individuals finding their personal identity (Gobbo et al 2016). Therefore, they should be offered the chance to succeed by reducing the barriers to their progression and hence widening participation and creating an inclusive, best practice, teaching environment (Fabri et al 2016).

Once this has been accepted marked and approved I will update my blog with my study tool invention for AS students.

It is then my intention to improve the tool with further research into the survey questions that inform the tool. Hence, to provide a computer program to analyse the questionnaire and produce the tool. Then once improved and completed to role this out to all students neurotypical or neurodiverse.

Update to follow by 24 October 2019.

References

Anderson, A. H., Carter, M., & Stephenson, J. (2018). Perspectives of University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 651–665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3257-3

CDC (2019) Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). [Online] Available at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html Accessed 21-6-19

Fabri, M., Andrews, P., and Pukki, H., (2016) Best practice for professionals supporting autistic students within or outside HE Institutions. Autism & Uni, [Online] at http://www.autism-uni.org/bestpractice/ Accessed 24-6-19

Gobbo, K., & Shmulsky, S. (2016). Autistic Identity Development and Postsecondary Education. Disability Studies Quarterly, 36(3).

Gurbuz, E., Hanley, M., & Riby, D. M. (2019). University Students with Autism: The Social and Academic Experiences of University in the UK. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(2), 617–631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3741-4

Hillier, A., Goldstein, J., Murphy, D., Trietsch, R., Keeves, J., Mendes, E., & Queenan, A. (2018). Supporting university students with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 22(1), 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317699584

Jackson, S. L. J., Hart, L., Brown, J. T., & Volkmar, F. R. (2018). Brief Report: Self-Reported Academic, Social, and Mental Health Experiences of Post-Secondary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 643–650. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3315-x

Milton, D. (2012). Competency framework | So what exactly is autism? Retrieved from http://www.aettraininghubs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1_So-what-exactly-is-autism.pdf

NAS (2019) What is Autism? https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asd.aspx Accessed 14-8-19

Nuske, A., Rillotta, F., Bellon, M., & Richdale, A. (2019). Transition to Higher Education for Students With Autism: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000108

UN (2019). World Autism Awareness Day. [Online] at https://www.un.org/en/events/autismday/ Accessed 20-6-19