Challenges and Strategies in Personalised Planning Support for University Students with Autism

Abstract

Students in higher education with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face many challenges that might differ from their neurotypical peers. One area where students with autism face deficits is planning. This paper looks into the challenges faced and the strategies applied for planning by students with autism compared to neurotypical students. We aim to identify where personalisation and adaptivity may help them become independent and effective in their planning behaviour. This research indicates which personalisation needs designers of assistive technologies should consider for planning and task management. We present an online survey with 30 neurotypical students (NTS) and 34 students with (self-)diagnosed autism (ASDS) and interviews with six students with autism for more in-depth insights. Results indicate that ASDS experience problems with gaining a clear overview of what they need to do, knowing when they might do it, and following that plan to execution. In contrast to NTS, they also struggle with fitting routine household and self-care tasks into their schedule. We identified time-independent planning, identifying external pressure and defining sub-tasks as promising planning strategies for students with autism when combined with adaptation to their personal needs.