IN IRELAND, THE number of autistic students entering higher education has risen rapidly, a trend that is likely to continue. More supports are now available to disabled and neurodivergent students, but access alone does not guarantee equality.

Research suggests many autistic students still face challenges such as social isolation, academic stress, and mental health concerns. A co-produced study at Dublin City University, published in the journal Autism in Adulthood and due to be presented at the upcoming Autism-Europe Congress in Dublin, explores these realities through the direct voices of autistic students.

What makes this study distinctive is not just its focus on transition and belonging, but its collaborative method: autistic and non-autistic researchers worked together at every stage, ensuring the findings reflect autistic priorities rather than external assumptions.

The study highlights both the barriers that leave students feeling excluded and the supports that make a meaningful difference, offering universities practical insights into how to move from accommodation towards genuine inclusion and belonging. 

Accessing Irish Higher Education

In Ireland, where 256,785 students were enrolled in 2022/23, 6.9% were registered with disability services. Of these, autistic students made up more than 10% of undergraduates and nearly 8% of postgraduates. Yet autistic and disabled people in Ireland continue to face some of the largest gaps when it comes to both education and later employment.

Supports can include academic help, counselling, and assistive technology, though these often depend on having a formal diagnosis from a professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Schemes like the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) help disabled school leavers who have faced disadvantage, while transition supports such as orientation programmes and mentoring can ease the adjustment to university life.

Beyond this, initiatives like the Autism Friendly University programme, developed by AsIAm and DCU, aim to embed inclusion by design. Six colleges have already signed up, committing to principles such as tackling stigma, building understanding, and ensuring autistic voices are heard.

This DCU study, titled ‘“Fallen through the cracks..”: A Co-Produced Qualitative Exploration of Autistic Student Experiences at an Irish Higher Education Institution’, explores autistic students’ experiences transitioning to and enrolling in Irish higher education.

Inclusion and belonging

The study focuses on their sense of belonging, acceptance, and support, using inclusive approaches and collaborative research methods. Using co-produced research methods meant that autistic and non-autistic researchers shaped every stage of the project, from designing questions to analysing accounts.

This collaborative approach ensured the study reflected autistic priorities rather than outside assumptions and created a space of trust where students could speak openly about their experiences. This novel study is one of the first Irish higher education studies centring autistic voices and co-produced with autistic researchers.

What came through most strongly was that students were not simply asking for academic help, but for a genuine sense of belonging. Belonging means feeling accepted, understood, and supported by peers and staff. Without it, even the best-designed supports can fall flat.

As one student put it: “I didn’t really have any friends in college… I was kind of on my own a lot of the time.” Another student highlighted the challenges of starting college, saying: “Oh, horrible. Horrible! I … questioned my entire decisions. I just cried the whole way home…it’s an awful lot of change, and I don’t do very well at change.”

Students described difficulties with unpredictable systems, overwhelming sensory environments, and the strain of navigating both academic and social expectations. Many recalled earlier negative experiences in school, including bullying and a lack of understanding, which left them underprepared for college life.

Others spoke of the pressure to “mask”, to hide their autistic identity to fit in, which came at a heavy cost to their mental health and well-being. As one participant commented, “I think I expected myself to be able to engage socially more than I was able to, but I wasn’t able to… everything was so overwhelming for me, so I didn’t… engage socially with the other students.”

But students also shared what makes a difference. Predictable timetables, flexibility from lecturers, and acceptance from peers were repeatedly highlighted as crucial. Small changes, like clearer communication or access to quiet spaces, had a big impact on reducing stress. Peer groups and opportunities to connect with other autistic students offered a vital sense of solidarity and community.

Going beyond access

A very significant barrier was the requirement to access medical diagnosis and formal evidence of autistic status in order to access many of the available supports. However, some participants only received their diagnosis later in their college programme, thus not be able to access supports. Others chose not to disclose their status for fear of stigma or negative responses.

For too long, policy and research framed autism narrowly in terms of deficits, leading to gatekeeping of access to services and negative stigma related to being autistic. The neurodiversity paradigm advocates that autistic ways of thinking and experiencing the world be recognised as natural human variation, with strengths as well as challenges. Building universities around this principle is not just about fairness; it enriches the academic community as a whole.

If Irish universities want to live up to their promise of inclusion, they must go beyond access and accommodation and move towards belonging and equity. Listening to autistic students and working with them as partners in change may be a first step. This novel study offers specific insights into the challenges and supports autistic students experience in both transitioning to and enrolling in higher education.

Their message is clear: higher education can be a place where autistic people thrive, but only if their voices are heard and acted upon. Co-produced research shows us the way forward, not as an add-on, but as a model for how change happens when autistic people are partners, not just participants.

Dr Neil Kenny is an associate professor and researcher at the School of Inclusive and Special Education at DCU.