Study note after reading an article, 4 Ways to Design Courses to Support Neurodiverse Students by Amy Knight

Study note after reading an article, 4 Ways to Design Courses to Support Neurodiverse Students by Amy Knight

​Students with ADHD may be highly focused and energetic learners, but they struggle with executive functioning (EF) skills, which are essential for successfully completing everyday tasks and understanding complex problems. Autistic students may have encyclopedic memories and be detail-oriented, but they are more prone to anxiety and have difficulty understanding the big picture of their classmates and courses.

* Note: Each of these student spectrums has different strengths and weaknesses. In this case, you need to find a way to strengthen your strengths.

By including effective strategies in your course structure, you can leverage the strengths of neurodiverse students while helping them form important connections with course material and classmates and develop the essential EF skills they need. It also sends a clear message to your class that divergent thinking is a valuable asset, helping neurodiverse students feel confident in their unique strengths and ability to accomplish tasks.

*Note: The most important thing is to help students find their confidence.

Design a set of slides (up to 10) that include prompts for content and assignments. This allows students to reflect on their current knowledge and interests in the topics taught in the course.

*Note: It is important to first visualize and present the lecture content.

Include visuals and keep the prompts short but interesting.

At the beginning of the new semester, divide your class into teams of three or four students. These teams will work together throughout the course to complete group assignments, solve complex problems, and conduct research to teach as well as lecture to the class (or to other teams if the class is larger).

*Note: It is effective to form teams to help each other accomplish tasks.

Create a Google table with links to a variety of resources, such as videos, podcasts, and articles, that provide diverse opinions, perspectives, and experiences related to your course content. (I usually give you 25-35 resources to choose from).

*Note: It would be good to actually reflect this in the lesson plan.

It is important to provide check-ins between assignments to ensure neurodiverse students are on the right track and to support self-monitoring, planning, and organization. These check-ins are an opportunity for students to discuss complex topics they just read or learned in class and figure out how to express key understanding in an organized and concise format.

*Note: You need to make sure Neurodiverse students are reading and responding properly to the class content.

An effective way to ensure that students understand information effectively before delving into larger writing assignments is to use one-page materials.

When we design our curriculum, we emphasize the strengths and characteristics of neurodiverse students and help them succeed in our courses through strategic activities that support their needs rather than creating more barriers. We foster students' ability to utilize creativity, innovative thinking, and problem-solving skills while developing cognitive skills through clear guidance on procedures, frequent and timely feedback, and close connections to help students succeed in and out of the classroom. You should.

*Note: When solving a problem, strategic activities that emphasize and develop strengths and characteristics are needed rather than focusing only on limitations and shortcomings.

Providing choice and flexible pathways as we build this success together requires trust and openness. By creating multiple access pathways to learning and embedding these universal supports for neurodiverse students, we ultimately create a rigorous learning environment where all students can work diligently and excel.

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