Challenges Faced by Student with Autism Spectrum Disorders in An Inclusive Environment : Lived Experiences in Malaysian Polytechnic

Abstract

Educational opportunities that are widely open to individuals with disabilities up to the higher education level pose a challenge for educators to meet the needs of these students. It is also a challenge for students to adapt to the new environment. This research aims to explore the experience of student with learning disabilities; an autistic student who had successfully completed his diploma in Malaysian Polytechnic. The research questions are; 1) What are the challenges does this student face during his studies? ; 2) How is the educators acceptance towards the autistic student? 3) How is the peers acceptance towards the autistic student? and 4) What is the student's expectation of the learning environment in the higher learning institution? The study sample was an autistic student who had completed his diploma and currently pursuing his degree at the same institution. From the qualitative study, which the phenomenological study was conducted, it was found that the student’s internal problems were a major challenge in his life as a student in higher learning institution. There are were still some lecturers who did not recognize the characteristics of autistic students and there are were friends who bullied him throughout his studies. Some suggestions were made for future research purposes.