Arush Vatul
Research Mentor: Sandy Zalmout
Mentor Department: ICPSR, ISR
Author(s): Arush Vatul, Sandy Zalmout, Kathleen Ignatoski
Session: Session 6 (3:00 PM – 3:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 95
Abstract
Many neurodivergent students experience challenges in college, which affect multiple domains of life, from academics to social connectedness (Anderson et al., 2017). Neurodivergent students often struggle with mental health, and many experience heightened levels of anxiety (Otu & Sefotho, 2024), feelings of isolation and loneliness (Anderson et al., 2017), and co-occurring mental health disorders (Anderson et al., 2017). Unsurprisingly, the college graduation rate for neurodivergent students is also lower than that of their neurotypical peers (Kim et al., 2021). Due to these issues, it is important to find ways to support neurodivergent students in college. However, many neurodivergent students also report a mismatch between the accommodations commonly offered in higher education institutions and the challenges they most need help navigating (Anderson et al., 2017). In order to address this, our study examines the challenges that both neurodivergent and neurotypical students face in college, in order to determine areas in which neurodivergent students may frequently need more support. This study uses an anonymous online survey to compare the experiences of neurodivergent and neurotypical students at the University of Michigan. Students answered questions about academics, social connections, mental health, and their experiences with campus resources and accommodations. Responses from the two groups were analyzed using a 2-Population T-Test to identify areas where neurodivergent students differ significantly from the norm. We expect the results of the survey to reflect several patterns. It is possible that the challenges neurodiverse students face are similar to the challenges faced by neurotypical students, with the effects amplified by symptoms. Conversely, the challenges neurodiverse students face could be unique to their experience. By identifying how the challenges and experiences of neurodiverse students overlap or diverge, the results can inform accommodation policy by identifying which areas to strengthen support and which new areas may need attention not previously provided.
