Publication Date

Spring 2026

Document Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Interdisciplinary Leadership

First Advisor

Deborah King

Second Advisor

Sarah Jozwik

Third Advisor

Megan Mackey

Abstract

As the number of students with autism enrolling in higher education continues to rise, institutions have expanded autism support programs (ASPs) to promote student success and inclusion. Despite this growth, limited quantitative research has examined how participation in ASPs relates to students’ multidimensional perceptions of success. This quantitative, non-experimental study examined the relationship between ASP participation and student-reported outcomes across academic, psychological, and social/identity domains among college students with autism in the United States. Grounded in the Social Model of Disability and Critical Disability Studies, the study explored associations between ASP participation and perceived success, the importance of success, and the influence of institutional and personal factors, as well as differences across demographic and contextual characteristics.

Secondary data from the Postsecondary Education: Autistic Collegians’ Experiences of Success (PEACES) project were analyzed using correlational and comparative statistical methods, including Pearson product–moment correlations, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way analyses of variance. The results of this study contribute to the limited quantitative literature on autism support programs in higher education by offering a multidimensional, student-centered perspective on success. Findings are intended to inform institutional practice, program evaluation, and policy efforts aimed at fostering inclusive postsecondary environments for students with autism.

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