Evaluation of a Peer Mentorship Program for Autistic College Students

Area of Science:

• Neurodiversity in Higher Education
• Student Support Services
• Mentorship Programs

Background:

• Increasing number of autistic students in higher education.
• Existing support services often fail to meet the unique needs of autistic undergraduates.
• Low graduation rates among autistic college students highlight a critical need for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate the Autism Mentorship Initiative (AMI) for autistic undergraduates.
• To assess the impact of a peer mentorship program on college adjustment and academic achievement.
• To gather feedback from both autistic mentees and neurotypical mentors on their program experiences.

Main Methods:

• The Autism Mentorship Initiative (AMI) paired autistic undergraduates with upper-level student mentors for one-on-one support.
• The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire assessed changes in social, emotional, and academic adjustment.
• Grade point averages (GPAs) were tracked, and program evaluation surveys were administered to mentees and mentors.

Main Results:

• Autistic mentees showed significant improvements in social, emotional, and academic college adjustment post-participation in AMI.
• No significant changes in mentees' cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) were observed.
• Both mentors and mentees reported substantial personal, academic, and professional benefits from engaging in the mentorship program.

Conclusions:

• The Autism Mentorship Initiative (AMI) demonstrates preliminary evidence of effectiveness in enhancing college adjustment for autistic students.
• Peer mentorship programs can be a cost-effective and easily implementable strategy to support autistic students in higher education.
• Further research with larger sample sizes and control groups is needed to confirm findings and explore broader implementation.