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Meeting the Mental Health Needs of College Students with ASD: A Survey of University and College Counseling Center Directors

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Abstract

An increasing number of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are enrolling in post-secondary education. Though many students may use services provided by university and college counseling centers (UCCCs), little is known about the landscape of care for students with ASD in this setting. UCCC directors (n = 79) completed an online survey to assess current utilization, clinician experience with ASD, and campus collaborations. While the majority of directors (69.7%) reported an increase in students with ASD requesting mental health services at their centers, the survey identified a discrepancy between their intention to improve services and current reported levels of expertise, training, and resources. Directors identified barriers to improving UCCC services to students with ASD, providing direction for future improvement.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Drs. Danielle Oakley and Jeff Kulley for reviewing and providing feedback on the survey.

Funding

This study received no grant funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Counseling and Psychological Services, Duke University, 305 Towerview Road, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Qin Hu & Tara Chandrasekhar

  2. Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, 2608 Erwin Road, Suite 300, Durham, NC, 27705, USA

    Tara Chandrasekhar

Authors
  1. Qin Hu
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  2. Tara Chandrasekhar
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Contributions

QH and TC conceived of the presented idea. QH developed the main structure of the survey and performed data analysis. TC contributed to the development of the survey and verified the results of analysis. Both authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qin Hu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Dr. Q. Hu declares no conflict of interest. Dr. T. Chandrasekhar has participated in clinical trials with Curemark Biopharmaceutical Developments, Roche Pharmaceuticals and Sunovion and has received research finding from NICHD.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the Ethical Standards of the Institutional and/or National Research Committee (include name of committee + reference number) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Appendix: Online Survey for Counseling Center Directors

Appendix: Online Survey for Counseling Center Directors

  1. 1.

    What is the total number of the clinical staff at your center (including interns and practicum students)?

  2. 2.

    Does your center have programs specifically designed to serve students with ASD (e.g. groups, workshops)?

  3. 3.

    How many of your staff members (including interns and practicum students) declare an interest/expertise in working with students with ASD?

  4. 4.

    Does your center officially assess the needs of students with ASD?

  5. 5.

    Does your center have programs specifically designed to serve students with autism (e.g. groups, workshops)?

  6. 6.

    Are there outreach programs focused on students with ASD at your center?

  7. 7.

    Are these programs ongoing or regular/annual programming?

  8. 8.

    Does your center have a formal partnership with the disability services or student organizations that support students with autism? If yes, please specify.

  9. 9.

    Are there collaborative efforts on your campus to support students with autism? (e.g. Autism Student Alliance, Neurodiversity Committee etc.)

  10. 10.

    In the last 5 years, there are more students with autism seeking mental health services on my campus.

    1. a.

      Strongly disagree

    2. b.

      Disagree

    3. c.

      Neither disagree or agree

    4. d.

      Agree

    5. e.

      Strongly agree

  11. 11.

    Our center is working towards better serving students with autism.

    1. a.

      Strongly disagree

    2. b.

      Disagree

    3. c.

      Neither disagree or agree

    4. d.

      Agree

    5. e.

      Strongly agree

  12. 12.

    What are the barriers to better serving students with ASD at your center?

    1. a.

      Lack of staff interests/expertise

    2. b.

      We are understaffed dealing with current clinical demand already

    3. c.

      Lack of awareness of autism on my campus

    4. d.

      Serving students with autism is seen as a responsibility of the Student Disability Office

    5. e.

      Limited number of students with autism presented on my campus

    6. f.

      Students with autism are unable to self advocate

    7. g.

      Other. Please specify

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Hu, Q., Chandrasekhar, T. Meeting the Mental Health Needs of College Students with ASD: A Survey of University and College Counseling Center Directors. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 341–345 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04530-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04530-3

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