TITLE:
Higher Education for Students with Autism, Using Net Promoter Score to Assess Parents Satisfaction
AUTHORS:
Wajdi Ahmed Wazzan
KEYWORDS:
Autistic, NPS, Higher Education for Special Needs, Human Factors
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.10 No.11,
November
22,
2019
ABSTRACT: This study aims to present the experience of a large public university, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in teaching students with Autism. We needed to assess the overall effect of teaching method, programs, parent’s contribution,andstudent’s involvement on the success of the university in teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using a single measure, the Net Promoter Score (NPS). We have received encouraging feedback from students’ families using the NPS to measure their general satisfaction with the educational process of their children. This paper also discusses the positive impact of this experience on the University; in terms of opening the door to the acceptance of students with Autism. This study represents a unique attempt to allow Autism students to continue their higher education. The paper discusses a theoretical framework on the disability of Autism in terms of definition, characteristics and prevalence. The study presents the experience of teaching autistic students and discusses the nature of the challenges faced by the students in terms of study and adaptation to the academic community in general. This study also discusses the adaptive strategies adopted by the students in overcoming all obstacles and problems encountered in their studies at the Faculty of Tourism. This experiment led to the Tourism Faculty promise to allocate 10% of its seats for students with special needs.