Preface: Special Issue—College Experiences for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Excerpt

Thirty years ago it was rare for a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to enter college. However, over the past decades with the increased awareness and detection of ASD in children with average or above average intellectual abilities (Christensen et al. 2016) and with the improved provisions of effective, evidence-based treatments (Reichow and Volkmar 2011) many students with ASD are now seeking enrollment in college (Volkmar et al. 2017). In the USA alone there are roughly 550,000 children with ASD who will be transitioning into adulthood over the next decade (Buescher et al. 2014), and it is expected that approximately 45% of these emerging adults will enroll in a university, college, or technical/vocational school in the coming years (Newman et al. 2011). …