Neurodiverse Students are not Broken or Stupid

“My child is neurodiverse. Does that mean something is wrong with him?” is often what parents ask when their child gets diagnosed with a learning disability. The term neurodiverse, coined by Judy Singer, a sociologist, in 1998 simply means that the person’s brain works differently than the majority of people’s brains. It does not imply that there is a “problem” with their brains or that they are broken in any way. Neurodiverse students have some variation in their brain’s wiring or functioning as compared to the rest of the population who are considered to be more neurotypical. Common neurodivergent identities include autism, dysgraphia, dyslexia, ADHD, and executive functioning deficits.

As educators, we need to be neuro-inclusive, meaning we need to accommodate and include all types of minds. Our job is to modify our instruction to better suit the child, so he is able to fully access the material. We make adjustments to the structure of our lessons, the different modalities that we are focusing on, the level of the material, and the length of the sessions. All of these modifications are done so that each student can maximize his level of engagement and progress.

I want to emphasize that all students have the ability to grow and develop with the help of clear, targeted instruction. Successful learning outcomes require consistency and perseverance from the teachers and the students. This is why we focus on the team model so often. If there is a collective effort from everyone involved, students can develop their repertoire of skills in the classroom and accomplish a great deal.