By K.N.

Transitioning to post-secondary education can be challenging. An important aspect of adapting to new life circumstances, is finding your way within the new environment- this includes navigating new surroundings, adjusting to a new daily routine, and fitting into a larger social network.Despite the challenges, many first-year students are able to adjust to their new situation. Making friends and networking is necessary for students to maintain wellness and mental health – the importance of having a strong social support network on campus, should not be underestimated. As young people transition into a new chapter in their lives, being able to create a strong social support network is crucial to maintaining health and wellness.

Importance of a Healthy Social experience for Post-Secondary Students

The experience of transitioning into post-secondary can be a bit more trying for students with disabilities. Living on the autism spectrum poses unique challenges in the context of post-secondary education. Many students who identify with High Functioning Autism (HFA) or Asperger’s Syndrome excel academically but fall behind in their ability to adjust to other equally important aspects of their post-secondary experience. Students with HFA experience barriers to social participation, which could be overcome, if provided appropriate supports. Understanding the needs of students requires understanding their perspective. Having access to student perspectives is a challenge, as many people who are on the spectrum, do not have an opportunity to share their views.

Relatively few research studies to date examine the social experience of postsecondary education, from the perspective of students living on the Autism spectrum. Existing studies reveal that these students experience significant barriers to social participation on campus, in the form of social anxiety, social exclusion and ostracism, and confusion over social interactions. A recent study aimed to establish a social group to provide the students with a socially-inclusive environment, and to learn about student’s perspective on barriers to their social participation on campus. The students who participated in the group, provided feedback on how to create solutions that could improve their university experience. The social group gave students an opportunity to meet regularly, participate in activities and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere in a presence of peers, which lessened anxiety associated with having to conform to the social norms of non-autistic people. The success of this social group may be an idea that could be useful to adopt by other institutions. However, it does not entirely solve the issue, as not all post-secondary students with HFA/Asperger’s register with accessibility services at their school. Some of these students do not identify with their diagnosis, due to stigma associated with it. Moreover, many students with HFA/Asperger’s enter post-secondary with a lack of positive identity, low-self-esteem, and chronic anxiety – often due to experiences of bullying in high-school, which is a very common experience in this population. (1)

The stigma surrounding HFA/Asperger’s unfortunately persists and makes its way to post-secondary institutions. Stereotypical views of HFA/Asperger’s as characterized by obsessions and narrow interests, fail to acknowledge the positive aspects of these student’s ability to focus on one area of interest. Many students report experiencing joy though engaging in their area of interest, while others discourage them from this behavior, due to perceiving it as “obsessive” and therefore unhealthy. Efforts to normalize behavior of students with HFA/Asperger’s can be detrimental to their well-being and can undermine their ability to contribute positively to their community. Fortunately, there is an increasing recognition in educational settings of the intrinsic value of certain traits associated with HFA/Asperger’s. There is also an increasing interest in understanding the needs of these students, beyond academic supports. More and more people with ASD are pursuing education at the post-secondary level, so it is important to examine how these settings can be adapted to the needs of this particular population. (1)

Involvement in Campus Life with Sensory Processing Difficulties

Engagement in activities within the student campus community is a significant part of the post-secondary experience. While accommodations are often geared towards student’s academic performance, not as much emphasis is placed on facilitating student’s engagement in the community. New students are invited to participate in a “student orientation” during first week of classes, which includes many social activities. The intent behind these activities is to encourage new students to meet their peers, and to make friends. These activities are an opportunity for students to create support systems which will be an important buffer to stress encountered during a typical post-secondary experience. New student orientation activities are well-intentioned; however, they may not be accessible to students with sensory issues, many of whom live on the Autism Spectrum.

In a study which looked at the sensory processing issues in young adults living with high functioning autism, researchers examined how sensory issues impact individual’s experience in a post-secondary education setting. Some students have a strength in academics, while they find adjustment to living independently to be an area of challenge. Sensory processing challenges also tend to intensify in stressful circumstances, for example in novel situations, and when meeting new people. Many experiences involved in transitioning to the post-secondary involve novelty, and unfamiliar situations, all which can exacerbate students sensory processing issues. For example, during a student orientation, many students on the spectrum experience sensory processing issues, as well as communication and learning challenges. There are usually a large number of activities, and crowds, all which can be overstimulating for people with sensory processing differences. (2)

Let’s imagine what experiencing sensory overload at a student orientation might feel like. It is typically a crowded event, with hundreds of new students participating in various “icebreaker” activities. As you look around, you see people everywhere – This crowd feels comforting at first, however people are mingling, and changing position, and their constant movement so close to you makes you feel dizzy.  You can hear everything all at once and coming from every direction. Your anxiety is building. The longer you stay in this chaotic setting, the more increasingly unable to focus you become. Eventually you feel completely unable to pay attention to what is happening around you. You cannot organize your thoughts to form a coherent sentence. At the same time, you find yourself growing increasingly restless, your muscles feeling tense, and your skin starts to feel like its crawling with ants. At this point, you wonder what your face looks like, and if your smile has turned into a snarl.  After feeling like this for a while, you get up and walk out, feeling defeated.

If the student activities are not inclusive of students with sensory differences, students may experience their difficulties with participating in these activities as a failure and develop symptoms of anxiety and depression. Differences in sensory processing are very common in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Interestingly, the extent of sensory processing issues may not be related to the severity of ASD, meaning that high functioning individuals may still experience sensory sensitivities that are significant enough to affect their ability to participate fully in many areas of everyday life. (2)

Understanding Sensory Processing: Sensory Quadrants

Individuals can be hypo- or hyper-reactive to stimuli in their environment, which may impact their ability to function in school, work and other areas of everyday life. In some individuals both of these types of reactions can occur, depending on specific circumstances surrounding them. Sensory processing is divided into four sensory quadrants, which are used to describe the response of an individual to some sensory stimuli in the environment.

The four sensory quadrants are:

• low registration (responding slowly or not noticing sensory stimuli),
• sensation seeking (actively pursuing sensory information),
• sensory sensitivity (experiencing discomfort in response to sensory stimuli), and
• sensation avoiding (engaging in behaviors designed to reduce exposure to sensory stimuli).

Interestingly, individuals can have more than one response to each sensory modality. (3)

In a recent study, it was found that young adults with high functioning autism most often experienced sensory issues in the form of under-responsivity to sensory stimuli (meaning they would register/perceive sensation less), followed by over-sensitivity and sensory seeking. In the context of post-secondary education, student’s sensory needs can be accommodated, by adapting the classrooms and teaching methods. For a student who experiences sensory sensitivities, particularly to visual stimuli, an instructor can aid the student by adjusting the lighting in the classroom. A student who has an avoidant response to sensory stimulation, for example in response to being in a crowd, can be accommodated by being placed in a smaller class. (3)

Creative Solutions and Suggestions

Perhaps, individuals with sensory sensitivities can be accommodated to have a better post-secondary experience. Maybe these solutions will also have a positive impact for other groups of students as well. Many of the solutions that aid students with sensory processing difficulties are also useful for other students with unique needs and challenges as well, such as international students or students with mental health challenges. However, they are simple solutions to a complex problem, and they might not address an underlying issue, that the society we live in disables those who do not fit within the narrow confines of what is defined as “typical”. To what extent are accommodations appropriate (and an expectation that an individual adapts or compensates so they can “function” within the environment), as opposed to an attempt to modify the environment to better fit the needs of all people? In the case of a university, it is a fine balancing act between the needs of the institution itself, the needs of the broad majority of “typical” students and the needs of several different groups of students with unique needs.  For some time now, people with disabilities and their advocates have worked tirelessly to transform the physical environment to make it accessible to all people. The principles of Universal design, which has been adapted into mainstream architecture and civil engineering design postulate an accessible physical environment for all people. Perhaps this advocacy can inspire post-secondary institutions to find creative solutions to help students with sensory difficulties and other unique challenges. (4)

For example, there are sensory-friendly alternatives to the noisy, busy student orientation activities. A recent study suggests campuses introduce forms of student orientation in accessible formats, such as online modules, in addition to interactive components. It is possible to create an immersive, interactive orientation experience for all students, by including video, auditory and visual information in formats that take into account sensory sensitivities. To help ease student’s anxiety associated with navigating new, unfamiliar environments, more visual supports could be placed in campus spaces, for example to include photographs of buildings, in addition to maps. The availability of quiet and distraction-free “sensory rest-zones” can also be a useful addition to the campus environment, to allow students to take a break from the commotion that surrounds them. Many students with sensory processing issues utilize sensory aids, such as noise-filtering headphones, earplugs and tinted eyewear, and the expectation is usually on them to adjust or compensate to the sensory characteristics of their environment. Perhaps a few solutions could help them in return and have unexpected benefits for the whole institution? Both pictorial/video learning aides as well as “sensory rest-zones” would also be useful for international students who not only are navigating a new country and culture for the first time but may also (if English is not their native language) be struggling with new and colloquial vocabulary used in the university setting. These students may also be too intimidated or isolated to ask for help or request a quiet area. Students who have experienced mental health challenges may also benefit from the option of rest spaces or being able to participate in certain activities in an online or alternative format. (4)

How can universities incorporate creative solutions that assist students with sensory differences as well as others with unique challenges?

 

References

1. Hastwell J, Martin N, Baron-Cohen S, Harding J. Reflections on a university based social group for students with Asperger syndrome. Good Autism Practice (GAP). 2017 May 9;18(1):97-105.
2. Crane L, Goddard L, Pring L. Sensory processing in adults with autism spectrum disorders. Autism. 2009 May;13(3):215-28.
3. Cole KL. Sensory Sensitivities of Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. Explorations. 2015:80.
4. Taylor, C. M., & Colvin, K. L. (2013). Universal design: A tool to help college students with Asperger’s syndrome engage on campus. About Campus, 18(3), 9-15.