Though it has undoubtedly improved since I started my educational journey 20 years ago back in 2005, education undoubtedly has a very long way to go still in terms of how neuro-accessible it is. And this comes down to multiple factors, both obvious and perhaps less so, since often the problems in education are more down to the system itself than any specific policies. There are three main facets of education which will be considered: Curriculum, Support, and Assessment, which is the order in which the average neurodiverse student will encounter each facet.
Curriculum
In this first area, the priority is very much in tailoring the curriculum so that it is structurally sound, but also malleable enough to allow for the teachers to vary it based on the needs of the cohort. This could mean an interest focus if the whole class has a particular thing they want to focus on. For instance, in a History class, during a broad unit on 17th Century France, the particular class wanted to focus on the events leading up to the storming of The Bastille exclusively, then they’d be able to. In another example, if a Maths class was studying shapes that were mathematically similar, and wanted to focus on calculating the area of frustums, then they’d be able to.
This approach can also be adapted for individuals in the learning support department, for instance, though in either case, the lessons will need to be formatted in an accessible way, with inclusive planning, both for neurodiverse individuals, but also from a sensory perspective, achieving balance as best as possible.
Support
In tandem with teaching the curriculum, it’s also really important for support to be readily available in one way or another – both in the classroom as well as more centrally. Furthermore, there should also be things like counselling and conflict resolution available, since often there are issues with friction and such like, when younger minds simply haven’t got the innate knowledge needed to relate to people in the way that perhaps they need to be related to.
On that last point, there is also a major need for staff training here, since (as will become a large part of this site’s arguments) empathy across differing neurotypes is bidirectional, and often can lead to issues as neurotypicals fail to understand the needs of neurodivergent individuals and vice-versa. This can lead to a vicious spiral. So, training staff to avoid these situations as well as how best to support these neurodivergent individuals is paramount.
Furthermore, there is a need for a synergy between communities here – be they varying religions, cultures, nationalities or otherwise. Often how they handle neurodiversity can be very different, with much debate over the ‘right’ way to do things. In modern educational environments, there will be a great deal of variance in the backgrounds of both the staff and pupils, so it is crucial that the approach is stakeholder-first and cohesive, optimising outcomes in education, empathy, and tolerance.
Assessment
Perhaps the most divisive area of all, it’s plain to see that the current assessment methods in education are very much one-size-fits-all, rather than accessible to a range of neurotypes and abilities. This is true both of the environments that the exams take place in, and also how they are structured: how they’re written and the content that they cover. We know that one-size-fits-all systems don’t usually work, so it’s ironic that we stake our education and qualification system on one.
A major way in which this system could be improved is by harnessing the use of technology in assessments, perhaps making them open-book, or by better using computers and iPads to make the assessment process easier. Likewise, things like advanced notice of topics, mitigating uncertainties in the paper itself, and the atmosphere of the exam hall itself in terms of temperature and such like could all be considered to make the examination process easier. Or, alternative methods of assessment could be used, such as essays or other written activities, which will likely be much easier on the neurodivergent students than simply remembering information.