- Describe neurodiversity in terms of barriers, not deficits
- Make three low-cost adjustments that help almost everyone
- Ask about needs in a way people can answer honestly
Barriers, not deficits
Neurodivergent covers autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette's and more. What people have in common is not a shared difficulty, it is a shared experience of environments designed for someone else.
A busy open-plan room, verbal-only instructions, and a meeting with no agenda are design choices. Change the design and much of the difficulty disappears.
Adjustments that cost almost nothing
Most useful adjustments are free and help everyone in the room:
- Instructions in writing as well as out loud. One place, one version.
- Agendas in advance. Thinking time is not a luxury.
- One task at a time. Long verbal chains get lost by anyone.
- Predictable structure. Same format, same place, same order.
- Quiet options. A different room, headphones, camera off.
- Plain formatting. Short paragraphs, clear headings, no wall of text.
None of these require a diagnosis, a form or a budget.
A learner tells you they are waiting for an ADHD assessment and find long written tasks impossible. There is no diagnosis on file. What do you do?
Asking well
"Do you have any special needs?" gets very few honest answers. Try questions about conditions rather than labels:
- "What helps you do your best work?"
- "Is there anything about how I run these sessions that makes it harder?"
- "Do you prefer written or spoken instructions?"
Ask everyone the same questions, at the start, and ask again later. People disclose when they trust you, which is rarely on day one.
5 questions. Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
1.The social model of disability locates the barrier in:
2.A formal diagnosis is required before you can:
3.Which question is most likely to get a useful answer?
4.Adjusting for a neurodivergent learner means:
5.Someone discloses a condition to you. You should:
Name one thing about how you run sessions or meetings that you will redesign.
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