It is important as educators to understand that there is not one correct way to learn in a classroom, but the way students learn, especially neurodiverse students, may look different. Getting to know and understand the way a neurodiverse student learns and thinks is critical to supporting their success that day, for the year, for their whole education life. 

So what can we do as educators to help? Most importantly, we need to get to know our students! We need to understand how they perceive and interact with the world around them and acknowledge that this may look different to the way we perceive our world. 

A great sheet to use to better understand your students is: Helping Neurodivergent Students Find Success In The Classroom. This can be downloaded for free using the Teachers Pay Teachers website. Other simple teacher tools you can employ during lessons to support the learning of neurodiverse students can include; visual aids, movement breaks during activities, a breakdown of task expectations using success criteria, the use of fidget toys for whole class listening (with clear expectations on their use), and the list goes on. For more classroom tips and tricks you can access this poster sourced from @miss_aird. 

Additionally some great stories to read to students to help introduce the discussion of neurodiversity include: The Brain Forrest and Fish in Tree. These texts can be great conversation starters, or even lead to activities where students can write, draw or discuss with the teacher what challenges they find in their learning and what they think a teacher can do to help. 

If you have any other great resources to share which support our neurodivergent students, please comment below or email them through!

Cover image sourced from Outschool Inc 2022. This page also has additional stories from teachers on how they provide an inclusive practice.