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Constrained Life in a Multifarious Environment - A Closer Look at the Lives of Autistic College Students

Published: 29 April 2022 Publication History

Abstract

For many students, attending college is a dramatic but necessary change. To gain a better understanding of experiences that are unique to autistic college students, we conducted a mixed-method study with 20 students (10 autistic and 10 neurotypical). We collected physiological, contextual, experience, and environmental data from their natural environment using Fitbit and smartphones. We found that stress patterns, emotional states, and physical states are similar for both groups. Our autistic participants prioritized academic success over everything else, often intentionally confining their movements among academic, resident, and work locations to engage themselves with academic work as much as possible. They had a small number of friends, always preferring quality over quantity and sometimes regarding friends as close as family members. To maintain a better social life, they extensively used social media. They slept more than neurotypical participants per day; however, they experienced lower sleep quality.

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  • (2024)Towards Understanding the Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities Pertaining to Assessment Techniques for Autistic College Students in Computing2024 IEEE 48th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC)10.1109/COMPSAC61105.2024.00122(887-893)Online publication date: 2-Jul-2024

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    cover image ACM Conferences
    CHI '22: Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    April 2022
    10459 pages
    ISBN:9781450391573
    DOI:10.1145/3491102
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    • (2024)Towards Understanding the Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities Pertaining to Assessment Techniques for Autistic College Students in Computing2024 IEEE 48th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC)10.1109/COMPSAC61105.2024.00122(887-893)Online publication date: 2-Jul-2024

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