Supports for Postsecondary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.

The team hunted for every paper that tested supports for autistic college students.

They found only 21 studies worth keeping.

From these they pulled eight big themes, like academic coaching and peer mentors.

Almost every study looked at the student alone.

Parent or family help was barely studied, even though these students still rely on home support.

The review shouts: we need more research on caregiver roles at college age.

Horgan et al. (2023) asked autistic teens about high school. The teens said school feels socially brutal. Anthony et al. (2020) shows the help stops once they reach college, so the social pain likely continues.

Menezes et al. (2021) found social-skills groups work in K-12 inclusive classes. Yet Anthony et al. (2020) found almost no peer or parent social groups for college students—an open gap you can fill.

Marsh et al. (2017) showed behavioral prep helps little kids enter elementary school, but parent roles fade in later years. Anthony et al. (2020) proves the fade-out never returns, leaving parents unsure how to help at university.

If you run a campus program, add a caregiver module this year. Offer two evening webinars that teach parents how to coach self-advocacy and stress management. One small series can plug the biggest hole the literature shows.