A Study on Trends in Higher Education for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Exploration of Support Direction for Campus Life

The purpose of this study was to explore directions of college life support for college students with autism spectrum disorder(ASD) through analysis of trends in international study related to higher education, the PASS taxonomy, and the support domains proposed by Nelson et al.(2023). In order to this end, 234 international studies on college students with autism, published up to 2024 were examined by year, research method, and research participants. The reviewed data were analyzed according to the PASS taxonomy, a framework for higher education access and student success for students with disabilities, and the 19 support domains for college students with autism identified by Nelson et al.(2023). Research findings indicate that higher education research targeting college students with autism spectrum disorder has steadily increased since the late 2000s. The most frequently conducted studies were qualitative, followed by surveys, literature reviews, mixed-methods studies and experimental studies. The largest group of participants were college students with autism spectrum disorder. According to the PASS taxonomy, research into student-centred support was the most prevalent, and social learning was the most prevalent within the support domain identified by Nelson et al.(2023). Based on the findings, discussions and recommendations were presented.