meijer, Sanne (2025) Examining the Challenges and Difficulties Faced by Autistic Students in Higher Education, with a Focus on Gender Differences - A Systematic Literature Review. Master thesis, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences.
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A thesis is an aptitude test for students. The approval of the thesis is proof that the student has sufficient research and reporting skills to graduate but does not guarantee the quality of the research and the results of the research as such, and the thesis is therefore not necessarily suitable to be used as an academic source to refer to. If you would like to know more about the research discussed in this thesis and any publications based on it, to which you could refer, please contact the supervisor mentioned.
Abstract
Despite global efforts to achieve inclusive education, students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continue to experience disadvantages in higher education. This thesis provides a systematic review addressing the research question: What challenges and difficulties do students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder experience in higher education? In addition, differences in challenges among genders were researched, thereby touching on the intersectionality between ASD and gender. To answer the research question, a systematic review was conducted, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. In the end, fifteen peer-reviewed studies were included, using varying research methods and describing perspectives of students, family members and educational staff. An inductive analysis was applied to identify the main challenges and difficulties students with the diagnosis ASD face within the regular higher educational setting, embedded in Critical Autism Studies. Two main categories were identified: Systemic challenges and Individual challenges. The systemic challenges are subdivided into Support challenges and Institutional and environmental challenges. The individual challenges are subdivided into Health challenges, Social challenges, Individual study challenges and Self-advocacy challenges. In spite of extensive efforts to include papers discussing gender differences, only three of the included articles researched gender differences between the challenges and difficulties students faced in higher education, each describing different outcomes. This review gives a clear overview of challenges for autistic students within higher education, and provides further direction for research about gender differences in this regard.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Tan, R. |
| Degree programme: | Pedagogical and Educational Sciences |
| Differentiation route/Track: | Orthopedagogiek [Master Pedagogical and Educational Sciences] |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Jan 2026 14:48 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Jan 2026 14:48 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/6043 |
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