Studies with Students on the Spectrum in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review using PRISMA

Systematic reviews have been periodically conducted to examine the experiences of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at university. However, these have not focused on general trends in methodology for ASD research. The present review aims to identify trends related to research methodology, such as sampling procedures, demographics, data collection instruments, and research topics. For this purpose, Scopus-indexed research articles were identified following inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final sample included 39 empirical studies in which autistic students in higher education participated. The results of the systematic literature review underscore important issues related to research method trends: the use of open invitations to recruit participants, the use of interviews for data collection, and a slight predominance of qualitative studies. ASD research has largely overlooked differences related to majors, academic years, and gender, which is a methodological limitation in these studies. Most of the studies have been conducted in the United Kingdom and the United States, neglecting the experiences of autistic students in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The main current concerns in ASD research are the students’ experience and profiles, the factors of academic success, and mental health. It is suggested that future systematic reviews consider increasing the databases used to account for all the currently available ASD research.