Perspectives of Former Students with ASD from Australia and New Zealand on Their University Experience.

Giesbers et al. (2020) talked with autistic university graduates from Australia and New Zealand.

They asked open questions about what helped or hurt their degree progress.

The team recorded the interviews and looked for common themes.

Students said heavy course loads, poor mental health, and weak transition plans slowed them down.

Many switched majors or dropped out.

They pleaded for part-time study options and clear step-by-step supports.

The story matches Wormald et al. (2019), who surveyed US students and also found worse grades and health than peers.

Jackson et al. (2025) and Gundeslioglu et al. (2025) now give numbers: about two-thirds of autistic students report clinical anxiety or depression.

Bertschy et al. (2020) seems to disagree—high-schoolers recalled helpful staff—yet the clash is only timing: supports fade after graduation, so university feels like a cliff.

If you coach teens or young adults, bake part-time and mental-health check-ins into the transition plan. Ask the registrar for a reduced-load approval form before day one. One small schedule tweak can keep a degree on track.