Autistic Traits and Social Anxiety: Effects on Academic Success, Campus Involvements, and Learning Mechanisms in College Students

Due to the rise in commonality of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we are now seeing an increase of ASD individuals in the pursuit of higher education (Adreon & Durocher, 2007; Roberts, 2010; Shattuck et al., 2014; VanBergeik et al., 2008). Unfortunately, these students are still experiencing higher dropout rates when compared to their neurotypical peers due to social anxiety, struggles with self-efficacy, a lack of perceived social support, and differences in information processing (Gelbar et al., 2014; Tops et al., 2017; Zuckerman et al., 2019). Past literature has provided mixed results on the different social factors that can impact college adjustment in students with higher traits of ASD, and most research thus far has focused specifically on academic achievement and not on participation in other campus involvements. This study expanded on previous research by examining the differences in academic success, campus involvements, learning strategies, perceived social support, and self-efficacy of participants with varying levels of ASD traits and social anxiety. College-age participants (N= 157) completed multiple surveys to measure these constructs. The results indicated that individuals with higher ASD traits spent more hours per week dedicated to employment and extracurricular activities and were enrolled in fewer credit hours each semester. Additionally, the selecting main ideas subscale used was positively correlated with higher ASD traits. Participants with higher traits of social anxiety struggled more with information processing but were more likely to utilize academic resources and adequately select main ideas from study materials. Lastly, higher ASD traits and social anxiety were shown to be related to decreased perceived social support and self-efficacy. These findings help to provide more insight on how individuals with varying traits of ASD and social anxiety engage with the college environment and provide better resources for them.