This qualitative phenomenological study was done with 13 adult women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who had graduated from university or college. These women encountered many challenges throughout their lifetime. In response to those challenges, they developed strengths and virtues and used effective strategies to successfully…

Autistic students are enrolling at higher educational institutions at an increasing rate. To keep up with the population of pupils, colleges and universities are finding ways to support students. Yet, a small percentage of students who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder do not succeed in attaining a degree. This trend is significant and…

College was already a stressful time for many individuals, and COVID has added another major stress to change college life, highlighting the importance of stress management skills and increased cognitive resilience. The goals of the current study included (1) comparing stress, executive functioning (EF), resilience, alcohol use, and school…

The first year of college is a time of challenging transition for many. Students are adapting to a new way of learning as well as developing as adults. Using a mixed methods design, this action research study aimed to provide insight into the student experience for academically at-risk first-year students in a health professions program at a…

Sleep is a vital human function, critical to health across the lifespan. However, college students report significant disturbances in sleep quality and sleep hygiene (ACHA, 2019; Moulin & Chung, 2016). The consequences of poor sleep include lower cognitive and executive functioning abilities (Honn et al., 2019; Whitney et al., 2015) and poorer…

This study examines the role Google Calendar has in improving Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), planning, and time management in post-secondary students with intellectual disabilities (ID). Individuals with ID experience difficulties in executive functioning (EF) skills, such as reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment,…

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder often have difficulties with social integration and sensory challenges on collegiate campuses. These difficulties are sometimes tied together as social integration spaces are not always sensory-friendly and can be overwhelming for the individual. Creating a sensory-friendly space within the potentially…

This dissertation consists of a theoretical review and two empirical studies investigating college students' academic effort beliefs (AEB) and their relationship to academic functioning. The overarching goal of this project was to (a) better understand how college students think about effort as it relates to their academic endeavors, (b) develop a…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to provide a voice and perspective of the lived experiences of participants with executive function deficits and develop an understanding of its effect on their transition to a four-year university. The following research question guided the study: What support do students with executive…

This study examined how faculty who teach in specialized undergraduate programs for autistic college students approach self-advocacy teaching. Test et al.'s (2005) conceptual framework of self-advocacy was used as a lens to investigate this topic. Through ten semi-structured interviews (faculty in specialized college autism programs), ten themes…

This research focused on adult students diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to see if an early diagnosis made a significant difference in their academic success in college. Research into adult ADHD and especially individuals in postsecondary education has lagged behind other areas of ADHD research. The present study aims…

Of the 50,000 youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who achieve adulthood each year, the National Autism Indicators Report disclosed that 36% attend a postsecondary school. Among these, an 80% majority, attended 2-year colleges and 11% attended 4-year colleges (Roux et al., 2015a, 2015b). A systematic review of the literature exposed a gap…

Losing a close friend or family member is a common, but profoundly stressful life experience. For young adults in particular, bereavement is associated with depression, sleep difficulties, and other psychological sequelae of stress. An experience of loss commonly prompts some level of cognitive processing as an attempt to make meaning, but little…

Executive functions (EF) are a collection of cognitive domains governing task initiation, motor planning, attention, and goal-oriented action. Difficulties with EF have marked impacts on adaptive living skills, learning outcomes, and quality of life for people with cognitive and psychosocial disabilities, as well as the broader population. While…

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students' performance on fraction story problems is a cause for concern given that knowledge of fractions in the elementary grades is essential for learning Algebra in secondary school and advanced mathematics in college. Using grounded theory, the current study investigated DHH college students' cognitive strategies…