Prospective College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parent Perspectives.

Young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending university in increasing numbers. While those with ASD may be very knowledgeable within their chosen field, a range of academic-related and nonacademic challenges may hinder their success including executive functioning challenges and interpersonal issues. The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation into the perspective of parents of high schoolers with ASD regarding their son/daughters' transition to college. Qualitative analysis of parent interviews examined the concerns and challenges they anticipated their son/daughter might experience in a university setting, as well as supports they are seeking as they consider postsecondary options. Prominent themes that emerged as areas of concern were social skills, executive functioning, academics, campus living, and support services. These findings highlight some key potential pitfalls for students with ASD which may be useful targets for prevention and remediation, as well as informing policy for colleges and universities as they consider cost-effective interventions to improve the academic success of students with ASD.

Introduction: special issue on lesbians and white privilege.

This article introduces the special issue on lesbians and white privilege. The beginning situates the imperative of examining white privilege in lesbian studies, and explains why critical analyses are long overdue. Overarching themes of the special issue are identified, followed by an overview of the trajectory of subsequent articles.

Experiencing the culture of academic medicine: gender matters, a national study.

BACKGROUND: Energized and productive faculty are critical to academic medicine, yet studies indicate a lack of advancement and senior roles for women. OBJECTIVE: Using measures of key aspects of the culture of academic medicine, this study sought to identify similarity and dissimilarity between perceptions of the culture by male and female faculty. DESIGN: The C - Change Faculty Survey was used to collect data on perceptions of organizational culture. PARTICIPANTS: A stratified random sample of 4,578 full-time faculty at 26 nationally representative US medical colleges (response rate 52 %). 1,271 (53 %) of respondents were female. MAIN MEASURES: Factor analysis assisted in the creation of scales assessing dimensions of the culture, which served as the key outcomes. Regression analysis identified gender differences while controlling for other demographic characteristics. KEY RESULTS: Compared with men, female faculty reported a lower sense of belonging and relationships within the workplace (T = -3.30, p < 0.01). Self-efficacy for career advancement was lower in women (T = -4.73, p < 0.001). Women perceived lower gender equity (T = -19.82, p < 0.001), and were less likely to believe their institutions were making changes to address diversity goals (T = -9.70, p < 0.001). Women were less likely than men to perceive their institution as family-friendly (T = -4.06, p < 0.001), and women reported less congruence between their own values and those of their institutions (T = -2.06, p < 0.05). Women and men did not differ significantly on levels of engagement, leadership aspirations, feelings of ethical/moral distress, perception of institutional commitment to faculty advancement, or perception of institutional change efforts to improve support for faculty. CONCLUSIONS: Faculty men and women are equally engaged in their work and share similar leadership aspirations. However, medical schools have failed to create and sustain an environment where women feel fully accepted and supported to succeed; how can we ensure that medical schools are fully using the talent pool of a third of its faculty?