In the education system, neurodiversity can be a roadblock that makes it difficult for students to complete assignments. Neurodiversity can also impact the way individuals complete everyday tasks.
Neurodiversity is a nonmedical term that describes people whose brains develop or work differently due to medical disorders, learning disabilities and other conditions, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“Disability is both the largest minority group and the most fluid,” Cade Charlton, an associate professor of the McKay School of Education at BYU, said.
Neurodiversity can include individuals with ADHD, autism or even temporary medical conditions that require individuals to have accommodations to perform everyday tasks, he said.
“Neurodiversity has been a term that seems to better capture the range of abilities that people have,” Charlton said.
Charlton also explained that the range of neurodiversity helped capture a wide range of individual needs. This has lead to the education system becoming more inclusive, rather than excluding individuals who need special education.
“Things that you don't even think about may be really difficult for someone who's neurodiverse,” Terisa Gabrielsen, another associate professor of the McKay School of Education at Brigham Young University, said.
Neurodiversity affects individuals in their small daily tasks and also plays a role in college life, she said.
“This is a time when a lot of people who have not been diagnosed find out that the support they've had growing up, from their school, from their parents, have helped them along," Gabrielson said. "And when all that drops away, then there's kind of a panic that sits in."
Restoring that support system can help neurodiverse students to stay ahead. Gabriel gave specific example for what faculty can do to help restore that support system.
“For faculty, don't expect that someone who's neurodivergent is going to come to you and tell you what they need. You have to reach out,” Gabrielsen said. “And if you see somebody struggling … who seems distracted or upset or is absent, find out what's going on. Take the first step."
Students who are neurodiverse may struggle to initiate asking for accommodations because of their different abilities and oftentimes feel scared to do so, she said.
Gabrielsen also shared three specific ways faculty members can better help neurodiverse students:
- Send out class PowerPoint slides in advance.
- Allow a designated seat for students that may need visual, audible, or focus related accommodations.
- Make Learning Suite organized.
“Everybody comes from a different heritage, a different background, different exposure, different opportunities,” she said.
This could cause individuals to respond to education and learning in diverse ways, Gabrielsen said.
Rather than saying an assignment can only be accomplished in one way, professors should let the students use creativity to figure out the best way for them to accomplish the task, Charlton suggested.
Both Charlton and Gabrielsen reported that the education system is becoming more accommodating to neurodiverse individuals. As peers and faculty work to normalize neurodiversity, they believe that education system will improve overall.