Autism in University Project

This project sits at the heart of COALESCE. It focuses on understanding how autistic students actually learn at university — not through assumptions, but through their lived academic experience. Through extensive qualitative and quantitative work, the team developed the Academic Learning Experiences Questionnaire (ALEQ), a robust, student-led measure that captures the sensory, cognitive, emotional, and environmental factors shaping learning at HE level.

The project has involved close collaboration with autistic students at every step, from item generation to refinement and validation. The ALEQ now provides universities with an evidence-based way to identify barriers, strengths, and support needs in learning — moving beyond generic notions of “support” toward a more precise, nuanced map of how autistic students engage with teaching, assessment, memory, attention, and academic culture. This strand continues to evolve through follow-on studies, staff training resources, and partnerships across the sector, building a more accurate and inclusive understanding of autistic learning in higher education.