For students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), community colleges are a common choice for postsecondary education. Students with ASD maintain unique skill sets and methods of learning. While some students with ASD may excel academically, non-cognitive factors such as communication, social skills, and executive functioning may impede overall success in community college. To address these challenges, community college noncredit courses and programs may incorporate skill building in these areas to support academic performance. Using conceptual frameworks Social Role Valorization (SRV) and Quality of Life (QOL), this grounded theory study employed individual interviews with students with ASD currently enrolled in credit coursework, who have completed at least six academic units, and have prior, or concurrent, enrollment in noncredit courses. Participants shared experiences within the noncredit and credit environments, describing distinct contrasts between the two postsecondary options. Utilizing a grounded theory approach to analyze the data, the Navigating Community College Through Noncredit (NCCTN) model was developed to depict the emergent themes. Themes include Prior Academic Experiences, “Community of Support,” Access to Educational Structures, Dueling Experiences, and “Compass to my Future.” Research findings can be used to create effective support processes for community college students with ASD.
