Wednesday, December 20, 2023 by Julie Stoner | Neurodiversity

The Magic of Inclusion: A Neurodiverse Classroom & Community  

Excerpt from The Power of Neurodiversity by Thomas Armstrong 

It is possible to have rich learning experiences for labeled and non-labeled kids in a single classroom. 

“Fully inclusive-neurodiverse- classrooms require a retraining of all teachers, both regular and special.  In fact, a retraining needs to take place wherein the special education world and the regular education world are essentially dissolved, and out of the dissolution arises a new foundation- a new type of education based on neurodiversity- where understanding of the brain, familiarity with diversities of all kinds, expertise in utilizing assistive technologies, employment of alternative education strategies, construction of differentiated curriculum, and implementation of other means of meeting the needs of all learners take precedence over the old “regular” versus “special” dichotomy.” (The Power of Neurodiversity, Armstrong, 2010)

1.  The neurodiverse classroom contains students with many types of diversities.  It includes students with diversities related to culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, in addition to neurodiversity such as ADHD, Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, Dyslexia, Mood Disorders, Physical Disabilities, and Gifted and talented. 

2. The neurodiverse classroom uses multiple intelligences instructional strategies and other Universal Design of learning methods.  UDL guides the development of flexible learning environments and learning spaces that can accommodate individual learning differences.  The theory of multiple intelligences offers many different approaches to learning that benefit both kids with and without labels.  They provide a foundation of differentiated instruction that allows every student to thrive based on their own unique learning styles.

3.  The neurodiverse classroom contains people who have been given various labels encompassing cognitive, educational, emotional, and behavioral, and also people who have not been given those labels.  A neurodiverse classroom is not a “regular classroom” that incorporates students with disabilities.  This implies that there is a “standard” classroom to which modifications will have to be made in order to accommodate kids who can’t learn through the “normal” method.  A neurodiverse classroom is a classroom where students with all sorts of labels and non-labels come together as equals to form a new kind of classroom, one that represents that there is no such thing as a normal student and where each and every child is identified as a unique learner. 

4.  The neurodiverse classroom celebrates and teaches about diversity of all kinds.  It teaches about diversity of culture, race, gender, ability, and sexual orientation in addition to neurological differences. 

5.  The neurodiverse classroom possess a rich collection of assistive technologies to enable individuals with diverse special needs to access information, engage in learning, and express themselves cognitively, emotionally, artistically, creatively, and spiritually. 

6.  The neurodiverse classroom pays attention to the environment, the use of space, and other ecological considerations.  Creative use of space to include “niche areas” like sensory space, quite space, green space, etc.  Naturally these spaces are available to all students regardless of labels and nonlabels. 

7.  The neurodiverse classroom contains a rich network of human relationships that support each individual’s journey of learning and development. This environment ensures that each person’s needs for belonging and self-worth are supported. 

8.  The neurodiverse classroom believes in the natural, organic development of each individual. Rather than focusing on normative progress, a neurodiverse classroom focuses on ipsative progress, which is based on child’s own past performances instead of standardized test scores.