Strategies for Promoting Neurodiversity and Autism Acceptance in Higher Education

Postsecondary students have diverse needs that institutions aim to address through campus supports; however, autistic students complete college at an alarmingly lower rate than their nonautistic peers. In addition to the academic difficulties underlying this low graduation rate, autistic students report loneliness, depression, and social anxiety as barriers to their success in postsecondary settings. Aligning with the social-relational model of disability and the neurodiversity paradigm, this practice brief highlights the need for change within postsecondary communities, where many nonautistic students and faculty hold negative attitudes about their autistic peers. This practice brief offers recommendations to faculty, administrators, and student leaders to implement evidence-based neurodiversity-affirming practices.