Academic experiences of university students with autism spectrum disorders: An interpretative analysis of reports

Abstract

Given the growing rate of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) entering university, this study sought to describe the academic experience of six students with this diagnosis, regularly enrolled in a public university in the state of São Paulo. Individual interviews were conducted to identify topics related to undergraduate entry, permanence, accessibility, relationships and suggestions for improvements in the university context. Based on the precepts of the Historical-Cultural Psychology, we used the qualitative analysis of the reports, especially the core of meaning, which constituted the initial establishment of pre-indicators, followed by the agglutination of this content into indicators, and the construction of the Core of Meaning. As a result, poor interactional experiences were verified during Basic Education. At the university, the controversies between interest in undergraduate studies and lack of preparation in the university context appeared as factors that generate anguish and anxiety associated with barriers to permanence and the need to complete the course within the regulatory period. It was identified the need for adjustments both in the singular and in the academic social context, with emphasis on the participation of students with ASD, which is still little debated and recognized, and the adaptations to the environment, which fall mainly to the subject, against the precepts of educational inclusion.