Competence and Daily Living Skills of Autistic University Students . . .

Introduction: Social competence and daily living skills are essential for autistic students to function socially in university. There is a lack of research focused on this issue. Research Aim: The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between: 1) the level of social competence and daily living skills in autistic students at the beginning of their first year of study, and 2) their satisfaction with studying and their level of social competence, daily living skills, and educational needs. Method: The study was carried out using standardized tools to examine social competencies (PROKOS), educational needs (QEN), and the ‘I can do/I can’t’ questionnaire, as well as data obtained from interviews. Thirty-one respondents from two leading Polish universities were surveyed. Results: The key result is a negative correlation between social competence and daily living skills. Conclusions: This suggests that those who perform better in communication may experience less pressure to shape self-reliance and develop practical skills.