Inclusion of autistic university students

Abstract

In the following discussion, we aim to highlight key elements for understanding the main obstacles to the inclusion of autistic students in schools and universities, considering that this is a relatively recent process and one that poses significant challenges for higher education. Starting from the assumption that a symptomatic view of autism, grounded in deficit-based models, tends to produce specialized interventions, we seek instead to foster an understanding of subjectivity in autism, moving beyond this epistemological framework. With the primary goal of strengthening an inclusive culture within the university, our article is based on a broader discussion of autism as a psychic structure, emphasizing its relationship with language—both in the differentiated use of voice and in the engagement with drive objects. To this end, we conducted an integrative bibliographic analysis of national publications addressing the topic, including self-reports from autistic university students, as well as writings by autistic authors reflecting on their school experiences. In this sense, we propose recognizing the importance of autistic self-reports as tools for discussion, both from a diagnostic perspective and from the standpoint of social and educational inclusion of autistic people and their families. In doing so, we hope to advance the understanding of the social function of inclusion for a group historically excluded from social exchange and from access to common goods such as education.