Alienation and struggle: everyday student-life of three male students with Asperger Syndrome

Abstract

This article analyses how three students with Asperger Syndrome (AS) involved in higher education, in Sweden, perceive their everyday life as a student. The aim of the study was to describe the kind of support offered within a freedom of choice system to determine whether the support given by the university acts as a facilitator or as a barrier. The approach is a case study methodology. Nine interviews, three for each student, are analysed as narratives, based on units of meaning and categories. Two main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) The feeling of Alienation is characterized by the students’ perceptions of being outsiders and having to deal with everyday student-life issues instead of engaging in their studies; (2) Struggle – the paradox of handling the feelings of belonging to a community and gaining confidence in being ‘odd’, but acknowledged. Conclusion: freedom of choice demanding logical reasoning can become a burden for students with AS and support given by the universities is sometimes perceived more as a barrier than as a facilitator.

Keywords:

• alienation
• stigma
• struggle
• support
• freedom of choice
• higher education
• Asperger Syndrome