In the interviews, all of the participants mentioned that the CSMP helped them in their interactions with other students and staff, with five reporting greater confidence in communicating. The Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee can be contacted at hrec@curtin.edu.au. It is during this period of transition that many young adults undertake higher education, including those with ASD. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180854.t002. We started out in 2014 with the five students on the spectrum and this year we are up to 80 students on the spectrum. endobj The present study serves to extend evaluation outcomes and contributes to the critical examination of the usefulness of such programs. While specialist mentors were provided with training regarding ASD, further training on common co-occurring difficulties and support strategies may prove beneficial. For example: “Just pushing me and advising me. Increasing motivation. Further participant demographics are presented in Table 1. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180854.t001. Prior to commencement of participation in the CSMP, participating students with ASD completed a questionnaire battery. Providing a weekly report outlining your involvement with your mentee. EMMA DONALDSON: My name is Emma. endobj Further, some supports offered by universities can act more as barriers than facilitators to university engagement for students with ASD [27]. <>/Border[0 0 0]/Dest(Rpone.0180854.ref006)>> endobj 36 0 obj Jacinta provided this biography, using her own preferred terminology regarding autism. The CSMP is a peer mentoring program based on similar programs provided at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom [22] and York University in Canada (AMP; [16]), as well as strategies in the literature for supporting tertiary students with ASD [43]. Individuals with ASD have indicated a need for increased education and social supports [25] and while assistance may be made available, students with ASD may have difficulty asking for such supports. endobj Participants are asked to rate between 0 and 100, with 0 indicating “completing incompetent” and 100 indicating “competent”. Given their cognitive capabilities, the lower retention rate and poorer academic performance of students with ASD is likely related to the non-academic challenges of university life [21]. So, in the past, I have had depression, anxiety. Evaluation of the program included a battery of questionnaires which measured well-being and communication. Whilst there are indications that specialised programs for students with ASD are able to meet the specific needs of the students, little is known of the effectiveness of peer mentoring for students with ASD attending Australian Universities. 27 0 obj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Dest(Rpone.0180854.ref013)>> The mentor acts as a role model and supports the mentee by sharing knowledge, resources and advice to help them improve their skills. But a program at a Perth university provides vital mentoring and support to students on the autism spectrum. This may explain why participants recognised the flexibility of the program as a strength, as it enabled the program to be tailored to meet each individual’s needs. The process of collecting qualitative data from participants was structured to maximise feedback on the program. <>/Border[0 0 0]/A 48 0 R>> The SPCC is a 12 item instrument asking questions pertaining to how competent individuals feel they are able to communicate. endobj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Dest(Rpone.0180854.ref007)>> state communication apprehension (SCAM) and general communication apprehension (PRCA-24). Adopting a person-centred approach, whereby the student is placed at the centre of the support provision has been reported as the most efficient method of support service [28]. PK ! METHODS: A single group pre-test, post-test design was employed. His involvement has helped him build confidence and acquire mandatory industry work experience related to his degree. Mentoring is the pairing of an experienced or skilled person (mentor) with a person who would like to improve his or her skills (mentee). endobj Participants identified specific ways through which the CSMP had helped them, as specified below. Adults with ASD have been shown to have fewer peer relationships and recreational activities compared to typically developing adults [66]. As we go along, as we keep socialising, and that sort of thing, I've seen from her she's becoming more and more confident. Strong performing postgraduate students studying Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Speech Pathology, Engineering, Computer Science and any other related course, and final year undergraduate Honours Psychology students are eligible to apply to become CSMP mentors. The present findings and feedback from participants will inform the refinement of the CSMP training and materials for mentors to guide mentors in how to best support future participants of the program. endobj �7O��顝� You should probably ask my mum or someone like that.” (Participant 1). It is not surprising that students with ASD identified a need for a broadening of socialisation activities, given that pervasive difficulties in social communication encompass one of the core characteristics of the diagnosis [65]. A specialist peer mentoring program for university students on the autism spectrum: A pilot study The internal consistency of the AMAS-C is estimated to be .72 to .95, and researchers have reported evidence for construct, convergent and discriminant validity [46]. Hub Specialist DiDi. Mentors are successful postgraduate students and final year undergraduate Honours Psychology students. The Curtin Specialist Mentoring Program (CSMP) is a specialised peer-support mentoring program specifically designed for Curtin students on the autism spectrum and related conditions. Mentoring program helping to keep people with autism at university. For many, this period of upheaval is compounded by the inadequacies of available support, services, and opportunities [12]. The reported increases range from two and eight-fold over five years [14, 16]. The SPS is a 24 item instrument requiring participants to score each item on a 4 point Likert scale. This design was deemed to be appropriate given the feasibility nature of the evaluation. endobj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Dest(Rpone.0180854.ref008)>> So, they are a group that is highly disadvantaged in terms of their ability to get into the workforce and really when we have evidence-based programs that we know work why wouldn't universities actually be utilising programs like this to make sure that they give our young people on the spectrum the best chance to succeed. endstream Participants in the CSMP also demonstrated a high level of academic performance during the semester, and retention rates were high. For example, participant 2 reported; “It’s sort of just, in general, if I have needed support somewhere, I know that I could just text her [mentor], and she will be ready to help.”, Comfort of peer-to-peer support. The GLMMs for these outcomes were therefore evaluated using a Bonferroni-adjusted alpha-level of .025, whilst all remaining outcomes were evaluated at the conventional alpha-level of .05. The mean percentage of assessments passed by CSMP participants in Semester 1 was 93.9% (SD = 7.76). <>/Border[0 0 0]/Dest(Rpone.0180854.ref005)>> It was hypothesised that students participating in the CSMP would report reductions in anxiety, state communication apprehension, general communication apprehension, and increased perceived social support and communication competence. <>/XObject<>>>/CropBox[0 0 612 792]/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 11 0 R/Annots 12 0 R/Contents 13 0 R/TrimBox[0 0 612 792]>> This study evaluated the pilot year of the Curtin Specialist Mentoring Program (CSMP), a specialised peer mentoring program for university students with ASD aimed at improving self-reported well-being, academic success and retention in university studies. Of the 12 mentees currently enrolled in the CSMP, 10 (seven males and three females) consented to participate in the research study. The results of the present study replicate many of the preliminary findings from other comparable university programs. Funding: This research was supported by a grant awarded to Dr Rosanna Rooney, Dr Trevor Mazzucchelli, and Ms Choo Ting Siew from the School of Psychology and Speech Pathology Research Allocation Fund [grant number RAF-2014-22] and the support of the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Autism CRC) [project number 3.032RS], established and supported under the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres Program. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of CSMP and its potential for improving well-being, retention and academic performance of students with ASD. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations were undertaken with 10 young … EMMA DONALDSON: I'm not a morning person. “I think that was the hardest thing [transition to university]. 50 likes. This flexibility is a key aspect reflected in programs in other universities. 14 0 obj Difficulties with communication are a core deficit of ASD and recent research has suggested that the gap between the communication skills of young people with ASD and their peers widens with age [59]. “It’s not so embarrassing if it is a shared experience, if I say or do the wrong thing.” (Participant 3). <> <>/Border[0 0 0]/Dest(Rpone.0180854.ref018)>> Any student who has been diagnosed to be on the autism spectrum or has a related condition that is diagnosed by a qualified health service provider that affects their ability to study successfully may be eligible for support through the program. 12 0 obj All questionnaire data including any socio-demographic data were de-identified, exported and analysed using SPSS version 21.0 [55]. The peer-mentoring program is centred on the provision of “specialist peer mentors” who are Curtin University postgraduate students, recruited from the School of Psychology and Speech Pathology and the School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work. I'm really happy. This study evaluated the pilot year of the Curtin Specialist Mentoring Program (CSMP), a specialised peer mentoring program for university students with ASD aimed at improving self-reported well-being, academic success and retention in university studies. endobj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Dest(Rpone.0180854.ref012)>> Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability characterised by impairments in social interaction, communication and repetitive or ritualistic behaviours, interests and activities [1, 2]. 31 0 obj She's not the most outgoing person. Interviews revealed key features of the CSMP that may have contributed to these positive outcomes. And then during lectures… the lecturer is teaching hundreds of students, and because he is halfway… talking, you can't probably question. They also reported increased perceived social support and decreased general communication apprehension following participation in the CSMP. 45 0 obj Nine participants described that they felt confident the program helped them when they encountered difficulties at university. S����T9?�0eϏ)L�c A Curtin University mentoring program is helping students with autism stick to their studies ... Mentoring Specialist Discusses Keys to Effective Mentoring - Duration: 4:34. 24 0 obj [49 0 R 50 0 R 51 0 R 52 0 R 53 0 R 54 0 R 55 0 R 56 0 R 57 0 R 58 0 R 59 0 R 60 0 R 61 0 R 62 0 R 63 0 R 64 0 R 65 0 R 66 0 R 67 0 R 68 0 R 69 0 R 70 0 R 71 0 R 72 0 R 73 0 R 74 0 R] There was a significant pre-post improvement in social support scores (SPS), F(1,18) = 4.62, p = .045, d = .68 (medium to large effect size), indicating that participants felt more supported. A separate study that collected feedback from mentors also concluded that mentor training would benefit from more practical ideas on supporting mentees with ASD [44].

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