Studying during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: suggestions for autistic university students

The Association of Autism Practitioners in Higher Education has contributed to the development of this guidance based on their experience of working with autistic university students. The guidance aims to give autistic students some ideas about how to manage the impact of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic on their wellbeing and productivity in relation to their studies. We understand that student responses to the pandemic will be individual, and not all the advice and guidance in this document will apply to everyone. Some students may be finding working remotely beneficial, and easier to engage with, which is positive and worth celebrating. However, we are aware that some students are finding learning remotely challenging, and the suggestions in this guidance document are designed to help with the effective management of study related challenges. Ideally this guidance would have been co-produced with autistic students but, because of the urgency of producing something useful quickly, this has not happened. Feedback from autistic students is of course very welcome. If you are an autistic student and have some feedback, please email the person who sent this guidance out to you or contact the authors directly. You are advised to contact the University Disability Department if you need to talk further with someone about the impact the pandemic is having on your studies. The Disability Department will be continuing to work and will have an overview of your university’s approach to the situation. Disability staff can help you to navigate university systems, and can liaise, with your permission, with academics and other staff, including your Specialist Mentor and Specialist Study Skills Tutor if you have them. This guidance is study focussed rather than being more generally applicable to other aspects of life.