Tips for Creating Compassionate Classrooms for Neurodivergent Learners

Neurotypical people: I'm going to shout about the things I need until I can get them taken care of! I deserve the best! Neurodivergent people: Oh, it's not such a big deal. I can find ways to work around these things and make myself a little more comfortable, I'll just...I'll just be over here... Obviously, it's not as simple as that, but my chat with Davida yesterday about supporting neurodivergent folks within your business was a total eye opener. Here are a few things you can start doing TODAY to support your neurodivergent folks (and neurotypical folks, tbh) within your business. 🧠 Create a slack channel where people can talk about what they experience and share tips. 🧠 Provide transcripts for all meetings. 🧠 Facilitate timeboxing, or even scheduling flexibility on your team. 🧠 Send interview questions ahead of time. If you have live aspects of your interview process, give as much context as you can ahead of time so people can prepare. Let's be honest, by catching people by surprise, you're not seeing how they think on the fly, you're seeing how well the interview. 🧠 Make sure your DEI trainings include neurodiversity. 🧠 Hire folks to come and talk about what it's like to be neurodivergent. 🧠 Change the way you write emails: include the topic, any request you have, and the due date in the subject. 🧠 Allow people to have their screens off in meetings without stigma. 🧠 Let people know ahead of time what kind of participation will be expected in meetings (brain storming? Just listening?). 🧠 Give people other ways to participate outside of "on the fly" conversation (virtual whiteboarding, etc) TL;DR: be accommodating and reduce surprises. Everyone can benefit from both of those things.

#LeadingWithADHD On my flight Sunday (can we talk about the ability to get stuff done when the world is 30,000 feet below you?) I submitted my final document for our 2024 Work Planning process at Borealis Philanthropy. I found myself thankful for accessibility to affirming medical care as a neurodivergent individual working daily to thrive with ADHD and leadership that has been increasingly supportive of my needs as an executive without diminishing my power and brilliance as a leader. As we dive into work planning season, it's vital to remember the diverse needs of all our colleagues. Neurodivergent individuals often have unique challenges and strengths that, when acknowledged and supported, can lead to an inclusive and productive environment. 🌟 5 Tips to Support Neurodivergent Individuals: 1. Clear Communication: Provide explicit and detailed instructions. Avoid jargon and ensure all expectations are clearly stated. 2. Flexible Deadlines: Whenever possible, offer flexibility in timelines. This can reduce stress and allow for a more thoughtful approach. 3. Quiet Spaces: Offer designated quiet areas for focused work, minimizing sensory overloads. 4. Visual Aids : Incorporate visuals in presentations and meetings. Visual information can sometimes be processed more easily than spoken words. 5. Regular Check-ins: Provide opportunities for feedback and clarity. This ensures alignment and offers a platform for any necessary support. Let's prioritize accessibility and inclusivity this season and beyond, ensuring everyone's talents shine bright. #InclusivityMatters #Neurodiversity #WorkPlanning 🌍✨

Thanks to Professor Finola Farrant, Emma Owen, Marta Jaksa and Fawn Hunkins-Beckford for these ideas: There is a wealth of knowledge within the #neurodivergent community, and it makes sense that they are involved in shaping the learning experience. Experts by experience can supply significant education, both clinically and practically, and can support both neurodivergent and neurotypical people to craft academic environments that better cater to #diversity more equitably.  With an #inclusive staff cohort, you should have better understanding of, and more reasonable adjustments made for, neurodivergent students. There are also practical steps that can be taken to achieve a #neurodiverse-friendly university, such as: − Offering classes at alternative times or offering flexibility for those who may not be able to attend physical lectures. − Adopting a relaxed, pedagogical approach, which allows more breaks during teaching, the opportunity to stand up and walk around and sympathy to individual needs. − Understanding that some people learn better and are more comfortable if they have their eyes closed or are undertaking another activity (such as crocheting), as this keeps them “in the moment”. − The physical space of teaching should be neurodiverse aware in terms of lighting, sound and use of space, and the content and pace of teaching and university meetings should be mindful of the diversity of needs.  − There should be adequate support and training for staff, so they know what to do once a diagnosis has been shared. This includes adopting sympathetic responses to requests for more information that can reduce anxiety and confusion and being mindful of neurodiverse-appropriate language. Universities need to make sure they are no longer using outdated terms such as “low- or high-functioning”. − Reviewing assessments to ensure they are neurodivergent friendly or that alternative assessments are available. Allowing students to write their own assessment questions can help. There should be clarity in terms of assignment details, deadlines and expectations. − Materials should be prepared with the needs of neurodivergent people in mind in terms of background colour, reducing large blocks of text and the inclusion of keywords. This also means that different formats of study, including part-time or online programmes, should be available.  − To help navigate the student experience, individual support and/or a peer buddy can help students and staff navigate their studies/workplaces. #Universities shouldn’t rely on disclosure from individuals in order to meet their needs. Instead, by training staff to recognise that #neurodiversity can present itself in different ways and offering more diverse approaches towards learning and different methods of assessments, higher education institutions can become more neurodiverse friendly. #InclusiveEducation #DisabilitySupport #AutismSupport