Perceived Obstacles and Strategies to Academic Success for Autistic and Nonautistic High School Students

Despite an increasing number of autistic children entering and graduating from high school, there remains limited research in this area. This study surveyed 162 autistic and nonautistic high school students. Participants were asked about their perceptions regarding their compensatory strategies, everyday hindrances, and areas of perceived strength. In controlling for background characteristics of gender, minority status, and age, results revealed that autistic and nonautistic students identified similar compensatory strategies, experienced similar obstacles, and drew on similar sources of strength to remain academically successful. Differences between autistic and nonautistic students are discussed along with differences between male and female respondents.