One of the most prolific children’s authors, Dav Pilkey, was often reprimanded in the classroom and isolated in the hallway, because of what was perceived as disruptive behavior. He showed some of the traits often associated with ADHD—like speaking out of turn—but he also showed ADHD strengths like creativity and thinking outside the box. It was not until adulthood that he went on to publish Captain Underpants, delighting children around the world and making over 10 million dollars.
But what would have Pilkey’s experience been like if he had a teacher who had recognized his talent and celebrated his differences early on? How much suffering could have been avoided and how could his classmates have benefited? If he could go back and talk to his childhood self, he would tell himself to stay true to yourself. How can teachers do that for neurodivergent children today?
With increased awareness of how brain differences affect learning and school avoidance at an all-time high, most teachers want to provide a neurodiversity-affirming classroom where children can be their true selves. But what does that look like?
While the meaning of neurodiversity is generally understood to refer to accepting brain-based differences as a natural and valuable part of human diversity, what does it really mean, on a practical level, to create a neurodiversity-affirming classroom?
Due to large class sizes, unfair wages, pressures to teach to the test and other stressors, it is harder than ever to be a teacher. There is no question that our education system needs to change on a broader level. Discovering what neurodiversity-affirming means for each teacher in their individual circumstances will be a career-long journey, but here are five key strategies that teachers can implement now to use the power they do have to create a neurodiversity-affirming classroom:
Provide Curricula That Celebrates Diversity
The first step is to provide books and curricula that celebrates all types of differences including cultural differences, size differences, age differences, differences in gender identity, and differences in family structure. Communicating right from the beginning that different ways of being are valid and something to be celebrated paves for the way for understanding how different types of brains are also worthy of celebration and attention. Within this larger context of celebrating differences, you can naturally also include books and resources celebrating disability pride and neurodiversity (more here).
Research suggests that children want to see reflections of themselves in the books they read and books featuring diverse characters can help expand their horizons. We Move Together is a great book celebrating multiple types of differences at once. The We Move Together website also includes Education Resources to foster discussion at school.
Once you have set the tone and immersed students in an environment where difference is celebrated, you can teach explicitly about neurodiversity. You can get some ideas from the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) curriculum, which is freely available to download online.
Embrace Differences/Maximize Strengths
The next step is to be a role model by embracing differences within your students, themselves. One way to do this is to incorporate your students’ focused interests into their learning. For example, if you have a student who won’t stop talking about dinosaurs, make some of the math word problems about T-rexes and stegosauruses. If you have a student who loves dance, let her pick a dance book to read during silent reading. If your student is particularly outgoing, maybe they can do a show and tell to share about their special interest and related collections with the class. There’s something about infodumping that really brings learning to life for some students.
Another concept to consider is Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which discusses creative ways of using teaching and evaluation strategies that naturally match up with a child’s particular strengths. For example, when children need to present what they have learned from a book, instead of having all of them do a book report, give them an option of showcasing their learning with a video for kids who love technology or with a life-size model for more hands-on learners. Some neurodivergent students have trouble doing homework, but working on an interesting project, especially one involving choice, is more motivating.
Also, consider teaching using different modalities. Instead of only lecturing, present diagrams or use hands-on demonstrations. Some students respond especially well to learning games, including educational videogames. By offering more than one modality for learning, you are giving a chance for students to showcase the ways they learn best.
Accommodate Sensory Needs
Neurodiversity also includes acknowledging that different people have different ways of processing the world around them. The room that seems way too loud for one child might be perfectly fine for another, and neither of them is right or wrong.
Setting up the classroom to consider your students’ differing sensory needs is one way to affirm neurodiversity in a practical way. Offering a quiet space and noise-cancelling headphones can be great for students with sensitive hearing. Reducing visual clutter can help children stay organized. Providing natural sunlight for those who need it is also important. For students with a strong need for movement, consider offering them positive ways to move. For example, maybe they get to be the ones to run an errand for you or move around the classroom to hand out papers. You can try taking brain breaks using videos like this one.
Collaborate with Students on Discipline
Neurodivergent students tend to thrive on a predictable environment so having structure and clear expectations is important, but it’s not always easy to figure out how to discipline students in a balanced way. One effective strategy is to have your students help you come up with classroom rules. They are much more likely to follow rules that they have made themselves. You can also get their input on what they think should happen if someone breaks a rule and how they will help keep each other stay accountable.
When individual students seem to have problems meeting adult expectations, instead of assuming that they are being defiant on purpose, consider taking a collaborative approach to working with the student to come to a resolution. Ross Greene offers a range of resources for providers on how to do this with students by hearing their concerns, sharing your concerns, finding out what is getting in the way, and coming up with solutions together. This may take a little longer in the short term, but can be an effective way to establish effective partnerships with children and validate their different brain styles.
Avoid strategies that use public shaming as a way to influence children to follow your instructions. Instead, promote a culture of psychological safety. Also, avoid strategies that seem to work in the short-term, but have negative consequences later. Withdrawing recess, for example, should not be used as punishment. It’s ineffective and in some states, it’s illegal.
One of the most effective discipline strategies is to establish positive relationships with each individual student using strategies like establishing special greetings, checking in regularly, and reminding students that they are a valuable part of a community, among other ideas.
Enhance Executive Functioning Skills
Many neurodivergent students, especially Autistic students and ADHDers, struggle with executive functioning skills (skills that help us plan, organize, and accomplish tasks). An important principle to understand is that students who seem chronically disorganized, often lose things, and forget to turn in assignments are probably not doing it on purpose.
Punishing neurodivergent students for being disorganized is like punishing a student with dyslexia for not reading well enough. Some students need more support than others. Providing executive functioning support is one way of acknowledging that not all brains are the same and that’s okay. You can find numerous executive functioning supports at Understood.org. For example, these graphic organizers are especially helpful for students who struggle with note-taking.
Providing planners alone is generally not enough. Showing students how to use them and regularly checking them to keep students on track is more effective. Directly teaching students how to organize their desks and providing baskets or other tools to sort their papers can be helpful, especially if you use a positive tone while instructing them. Consider using technology to support organization. Some students might benefit from mindmapping software to help them visualize how concepts are connected. Offering frequent reminders both verbally and visually (e.g., using checklists) can help students stay on track.
Neurodivergent students may also need more support from their parents for longer than their peers. Keeping parents in the loop by listing assignments in an online database, along with their due dates, can make a big difference in helping students thrive. Overall, providing executive functioning support is one way of saying “It’s okay if you need help. I will teach you.”
Teachers generally spend 1000 hours per year with their students and have a profound influence on what they learn and how they see themselves and each other. Promoting a neurodiversity-affirming classroom amidst the struggles of today’s educational system is not easy, but taking some of these practical steps can make a big difference for students like Dav Pilkey and their peers.
Dr. Woods would like to thank all of the many great teachers who taught her and her children, especially her mother, Linda O’Neil, who specialized in working with neurodivergent children for several decades.
Disclaimer: Dr. Woods and the UWAC may not agree with all content at all links.
