After one year in university; a robust decrease in autistic traits reporting among autistic students.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Education

Background:

• Previous studies on autistic students in university support programs showed improvements in anxiety/depression or adaptive behavior.
• Alterations in autistic traits themselves have not been previously examined in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in autistic traits and anxiety levels in university students.
• To investigate the impact of a university integration support program on autistic students and neurotypical students with varying social anxiety levels.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study tracking autistic students and neurotypical (ND) students (high and low social anxiety) over two academic years.
• Collected data on Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), social anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
• Compared changes in autistic traits and anxiety between groups from baseline (T1) to the second academic year (T2).

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in autistic traits (2.9 SD) was observed in the autistic group from T1 to T2, with the "attention switching" subscale showing the most substantial reduction.
• Neurotypical students with high social anxiety also showed a moderate decrease (0.5 SD) in autistic traits.
• Higher compulsive symptoms at T1 correlated with a lesser decrease in AQ scores and were negatively associated with academic performance in autistic students.

Conclusions:

• Attending university with a support program leads to a profound reduction in the subjective experience of autistic traits, especially attention switching, in autistic students.
• This significant change in autistic traits is independent of improvements in well-being indices like anxiety.
• Findings suggest post-secondary education can positively alter the self-perception of autism.