Bridging Uncertainty: Social Support and Health Communication in Assessing Prospective ASD Students for Online Learning

Oktaviana Purnamasari^1*Dwi Firmansyah²

• ¹Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia
• ²Universitas Mercu Buana, West Jakarta, Indonesia

The transition to online learning heightens uncertainty for prospective students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), influencing their emotional readiness and academic adaptation. This study explores how assessment practices, strengthened by social support and health communication, help reduce that uncertainty. A qualitative case study was conducted at the London School Beyond Academy (LSBA) Jakarta, involving nine institutional informants through interviews, observations, and document analysis. The findings show that uncertainty often arose from ambiguous expectations, limited structured interaction, and unclear instructional procedures. LSBA's online assessment combined interviews, behavioral observations, and structured online tasks while also considering parental involvement during sessions. Although challenges emerged (e.g., limited visibility of student behavior and the possibility of parental interference), structured protocols helped address these issues. The analysis demonstrates that social support (emotional, informational, and instrumental) and adaptive health communication strategies lower anxiety, strengthen resilience, and clarify expectations. The study contributes novelty by integrating the Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) with social support and health communication in the Indonesian context of online ASD assessments, an area rarely examined in current research. These findings provide a replicable model for inclusive and adaptive assessment practices in digital education environments.