OARacle Newsletter

In November, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized funding for eight applied autism research studies in 2024. These new grants, totaling $297,569, bring OAR’s total research funding to more than $5 million since 2002. This article is seventh of eight previews to be featured in The OARacle this year. 

The rise in prevalence of people diagnosed with autism is simultaneously leading to an increase in the number of autistic students enrolling in college. Community colleges are witnessing the greatest shift, as 85% of autistic students either attend two-year college exclusively or as a bridge to a four-year university. Current estimates are likely an underestimation, as many autistic students are reluctant to disclose their diagnosis due to the stigma associated with having a disability, the perception that they may not benefit from or need the supports, and the challenges associated with receiving accommodations. In addition, some autistic students may attend college without having received a formal autism diagnosis.

While a number of colleges encourage instructors to support alternative ways of learning for neurodiverse students, many instructors do not incorporate those strategies into their instructional practices, likely due to a lack of understanding about what autistic students need. 

In her two-year OAR-funded study, Shannon Crowley LaPoint, Ph.D., aims to create a toolkit to educate community college instructors in best practices for supporting autistic students. Interviews with autistic community college students, caregivers of autistic community college students, and community college instructors will form the foundation for the virtual toolkit, A College Training: Faculty of Autistic Students Train Together (ACT FASTT). In addition to creating ACT FASTT, Dr. LaPoint will conduct an open trial. Her goals are to: 

• Explore key community members’ experiences with community college instruction and identify ways to improve the supports and services that autistic community college students receive.  

• Co-create an interactive virtual toolkit that offers innovative ways for community college instructors to support their autistic students. 

• Collect preliminary data on the feasibility, acceptability, usability, and initial efficacy of ACT FASTT.  

Dr. LaPoint is a postdoctoral research fellow in the TEACCH Autism Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, under the mentorship of Laura Klinger, Ph.D., and Brenna Maddox, Ph.D. Dr. LaPoint has expertise using qualitative methodologies to highlight the experiences of autistic people in post-secondary contexts and aims to develop interventions for college faculty and staff to improve the support they provide autistic students on campus. 

Both Dr. Klinger and Dr. Maddox will participate in the project. Dr. Maddox, an OAR-funded researcher, will provide project oversight, ensuring that research activities align with OAR guidelines, reviewing the toolkit content, and strategizing ways to support the autistic college student who will be a key member on the research team. Dr. Klinger will provide guidance on the development of an engaging and interactive virtual toolkit and will also contribute her experience supporting autistic community college students and collaborating with community colleges. 

Methodology

Phase one: The research team will recruit 45 adults to participate in a needs assessment. The researchers will conduct semi-structured interviews to learn about the support needs of autistic students, understand the training needs of community college instructors, and ensure the training will be meaningful to the autistic community. The adult participants will include: 

• Fifteen autistic adults (at least 18 years of age) who are currently enrolled in community college or attended community college in North Carolina within the past year 

• Fifteen caregivers of autistic adults who are currently enrolled in community college or attended community college in North Carolina within the past year 

• Fifteen community college instructors who are currently instructors at a community college or instructed at a community college in North Carolina within the past year

Each participant will fill out a demographic questionnaire and participate in an interview with Dr. LaPoint and an autistic consultant.

Phase two: Prior to designing the virtual toolkit, the research team will recruit an autistic college student to be a project consultant. Dr. LaPoint and the project consultant will gather key information from the interviews to inform the content of the toolkit. The UNC Office of Digital and Lifelong Learning (DLL) will work with the research team to identify toolkit objectives and the types of interactive materials to include.

Dr. LaPoint anticipates that ACT FASTT will address the following content areas:  

• An overview of autism 

• Accommodations 

• Cultivating a sensory-friendly classroom 

• Evidence-based practices that instructors can use to support autistic students using universal design. Universal design makes learning accessible, usable, and inclusive to all students.  

She expects that the needs assessment will result in additional content areas that will be embedded in the toolkit.

The toolkit will have six modules, each around 10 to 15 minutes long. Each module will have:  

• An introductory video 

• Written content 

• Interactive components, like knowledge quizzes and situational animations, and a wrap-up video to summarize key takeaways

Phase three: The final phase is an open trial to gather data on the toolkit’s feasibility, acceptability, usability, and efficacy. For this phase, the research team will recruit 10 instructors from North Carolina community colleges to complete the ACT FASTT toolkit.

The participating instructors will complete a pre-assessment that includes a demographic questionnaire, and measures of autism knowledge, self-efficacy, and autism acceptance. Participants will then complete the online ACTFASTT toolkit, which will take about one and a half hours. After completing the toolkit, they will take a post-assessment measuring autism knowledge, self-efficacy, autism acceptance, and how well the toolkit worked.

Evaluation

The research team will use the post-test assessments filled out by participating instructors to evaluate the toolkit for acceptability, feasibility, and usability.

Practical Relevance

ACT FASTT “flips the script” of educational interventions for autistic college students by educating community college instructors about autistic people and how to best support them in a college setting. The ACT FASTT curriculum will provide instructors with evidence-based strategies to support differences in learning styles. The study has the potential to positively impact autistic students’ post-secondary educational success. 

Sherri Alms is the freelance editor of The OARacle, a role she took on in 2007. She has been a freelance writer and editor for more than 20 years.