Updated guide for autistic students transitioning to university

ADCET has published a rewritten version of Transitioning to University: Autistic Students' Guide.

The original was developed in 2015 through the National Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) Program under the title How to Transition to Tertiary Education: Helpful Hints for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It was widely used, but a decade on, the language and framing no longer matched how autistic people describe themselves or how universities think about support. Rather than tidy it up, we started again.

The rewrite was led by Ebe Ganon, ADCET Project Support Officer, and reviewed by autistic students and researchers: Ari Star (Macquarie University), Janet Davey (Australian National University) and Aaron Saint-James (UNSW).

The guide now uses identity-first language and is grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm. It focuses on strengths while being honest about the parts of university that can be difficult, and it locates most of those difficulties in systems that were designed for non-autistic students rather than in the students themselves. It is written for anyone who is starting university, already studying and looking for better strategies, returning after a break, or still deciding whether university is for them.

There are three parts:

Part 1: Your Autistic Identity at University starts with why universities need autistic minds, then covers the neurodiversity paradigm and the social model, understanding your own neurological profile, identity and self-understanding, and autistic culture and finding your people.

Part 2: Navigating University Systems covers disability support and reasonable adjustments, getting organised before semester starts, what lectures, tutorials and assessment actually involve, campus life, self-advocacy, and how to appeal or complain when something goes wrong.

Part 3: Practical Strategies for Thriving covers sensory-friendly study spaces, planning and time management, breaking down large assignments, energy and capacity, note-taking, working with strengths like hyperfocus and attention to detail, communication and the double empathy problem, building relationships with staff and peers, and recognising and preventing burnout.

There is also an additional resources section with books, podcasts, workbooks and websites, including several by autistic Australian authors. It is grouped into learning about autism and neurodiversity, building skills and looking after your wellbeing, and understanding higher education and your rights.

Five downloadable resources sit alongside the guide: a strengths and interests activity, an adjustments workbook, a university terminology glossary, a starting university checklist, and a quick energy and capacity check-in. Everything is available on the website, and in Word and PDF.

Disability practitioners are welcome to use the guide in orientation and transition programs, or point students to it directly.

(August 2026)