Nicolas Ruffieux

Nicolas Ruffieux is a Professor and Head of the Bachelor of Clinical Curative Education and Special Education at the University of Fribourg. He specializes in neurodiversity inclusion, particularly focusing on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in higher education. He leads the Autism&Uni initiative, an e-platform promoting academic success for neurodiverse students through adapted learning environments.

His research emphasizes executive functioning challenges faced by students with ASD, advocating for structured frameworks and universal design principles to reduce academic barriers. He collaborates closely with institutions like the Studies and Disability office to implement sensory-friendly accommodations, benefiting all students.

Ruffieux actively educates faculty on inclusive teaching practices, such as minimizing environmental sensory disruptions and clarifying course expectations. He co-founded Autism&UniSwiss with Nathalie Quartenoud and Catherine de Blasio, emphasizing peer support and pre-university environment familiarization to ease transition stress.

Key contributions include highlighting ASD students’ academic resilience and advocating for systemic changes to address executive dysfunction, group work challenges, and administrative navigation difficulties.