Unshared Realities: A Rhetorical, Double-Empathy Perspective on Autistic University Students’ Lived Experiences of Academic Acculturation

Currently, only limited literature is available concerning autistic university students, particularly, regarding their internal, lived experiences of learning at university.This manuscriptbased dissertation, which includes three research articles published or accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, investigates the lived experiences of autistic university students as they go through academic acculturation.In this multiphase, multimethod doctoral project, I used a qualitative, participatory design that involved a group of autistic graduate students who provided feedback concerning the data coding, analysis, and writing and editing of the three publications.The methods of data collection included several semi-structured interviews with autistic university students and their autistic and nonautistic instructors as well as other qualitative data (e.g., reflexive journaling, memos, writing samples).I analyzed the data by using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022a) and composite narrative portraiture (Willis, 2019).The research findings indicated that misunderstandings between autistic students and their nonautistic instructors were common, both online and in-person.I drew on Milton's Double Empathy Problem (2012) and selected rhetorical concepts to identify the underlying nature and reasons for these misunderstandings.Specifically, autistic students were found to use a distinct rhetoric compared to that of their nonautistic counterparts.At least two possible reasons for the development of such a distinct rhetoric may be a) the enhanced perceptual abilities of autistic individuals leading to different typification of academic rhetoric and b) their distinct ways of experiencing and processing time.An open-access website was designed to provide its readers, including academic policymakers and nonautistic university instructors, with insights into autistic students' lived experiences so they could better support autistic university students' academic acculturation and acquisition of academic writing.This study is a first step to more clearly understanding the lived ii learning experiences of autistic students so that they may have equitable access to learning spaces and knowledge creation in the academy.iii Acknowledgements "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."-Viktor E. Frankl This doctoral project has been both a personal growth journey and a capstone project.To acknowledge all the people who brought me to this moment is impossible.I am here now with this offering only because so many people who graced my life believed in and supported me.To begin, my nuclear family was amazing: both my parents, Neville and Barbara Robertson were exceptional role models, achieving doctorates in education in the 1960s.My lovely and incredibly generous sister, Lesley has been there for me in life, every moment of every day.I cannot thank her enough.My amazing and inspirational daughters, Megan and Nicola have helped me to try to be and do my best each day since they were born.My life partner and greatest friend, Roy, who knows me deeply, has never faltered in his belief in who I am and what I can do.My gratitude and love for him transcends words.All these people have changed me, and for this, I am eternally grateful for their presence and love in my life.The actual doctorate is achieved on the shoulders of many children, families, friends, study participants, colleagues, committee members and my supervisor.The greatest contribution to the content of this work comes from the many children and adults whom I supported, and with whom I shared their struggles to acquire or re-acquire language.You have always been my heroes.In this doctoral project, the study participants gave graciously of their time and expertise to contribute to research about how to enhance not only the lives of autistic people, but also the lives of all who interact with autistic people.My colleagues in the storied history of logopaedics (speech and language clinical work), applied linguistics, discourse studies, rhetorical studies, disability studies and iv other disciplines, encouraged and inspired me beyond all measures.I particularly want to deeply thank

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