5 Ways to Support Neurodivergent Students

The first months of the school year can be stressful for many students, but they’re often especially so for neurodivergent students and their families. 

A recent survey of thousands of parents conducted by the Harris Poll for Understood, a nonprofit committed to supporting neurodivergent children and their families, indicated that 96 percent of parents of neurodivergent students are stressed about the beginning of the school year. The survey also showed that 82 percent of parents feel that these students are misunderstood by peers, while 76 percent feel that they are misunderstood by teachers.

As the father of a neurodivergent son and an academic coach for neurodivergent students, I can confirm that the struggle is very real. These students face a myriad of social and emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges related to their particular learning profiles—in addition to any unresolved issues from previous school years. 

While these challenges don’t just go away after the first months of school, the good news is that there are concrete ways to support neurodivergent students right now and all year long that can decrease their stress and improve the likelihood of positive outcomes.

Yes, these students have unique challenges. But each and every one of them also has unique strengths, and we have the opportunity to boost their confidence and nurture their strengths.

Here are five ways to support the neurodivergent students in your classroom during these crucial first months of school—and throughout the entire year.

1. Prioritize frequent praise and positive reinforcement

It’s understood that it’s important for teachers to be generous with praise and positive reinforcement with their students. But in the case of neurodivergent students—many of whom wrestle with considerable self-esteem issues and are at risk for (or already diagnosed with) anxiety and/or depression—praise and positive reinforcement are absolutely essential for helping them to develop a positive self-image and to be able to rise to their potential. 

The praise you offer these students should be genuine, of course. Comment on what you see them doing well both inside and outside of the classroom, and if/when it’s appropriate, try to do so in front of their peers. And ideally, try to prioritize praising neurodivergent students while they’re in the messy process of working on a project or paper, not just when you see the final product. Many neurodivergent students are perfectionists, and perfectionism is rooted in insecurity.

Over time, students may internalize the voices of their teachers. And given that neurodivergent students are particularly vulnerable to criticism, we need to do our best to make sure the voices they internalize are kind and supportive, so that in turn, their self-talk becomes kind and supportive as well. 

2. Identify and build on students’ individual strengths

Many of the adults in the lives of neurodivergent students often focus primarily on their deficits. This is understandable; when we see children struggling, we want to make things easier for them. And yes, we should certainly do everything we can to support neurodivergent students’ areas of relative weakness. 

We should, however, put just as much effort—arguably more—into identifying and building on their strengths.

Neurodivergent students’ brains process information, including sensory input, in ways that are different from those of neurotypical students. Because they experience the world differently, they characteristically have especially creative ideas and/or outside-the-box ways of solving problems. 

When we name these strengths and do our best to build on them, we can provide neurodivergent students with much-needed opportunities to shine. This might include helping to identify twice-exceptional (2e) students—those who are cognitively gifted and have some form of neurodivergence—so that these students can receive much-needed enrichment opportunities in addition to any academic and/or social and emotional support.

3. Consistently break down large tasks into smaller steps

It’s common for neurodivergent students to struggle with executive functioning skills, such as time management, organization, and focus. For this reason, they benefit considerably when teachers help them break down a large task into a series of smaller ones. 

This approach can take the following forms: 

• Utilizing checklists
• Employing rubrics
• Using a calendar to schedule specific times to complete the individual elements of a project or paper
• Looking at a model of what you’re asking students to create and, together as a class, identifying the individual components that make it effective 

By breaking down a large task into smaller steps, we make it much more accessible to neurodivergent students and help prevent them from becoming overwhelmed by—and in some cases, unaware of—the task’s complexity.

4. Do what you can to make your classroom sensory-friendly

Neurodivergent students are particularly prone to sensory sensitivities. And while no classroom is going to be ideal for every student, there are steps you can take to make your classroom more sensory-friendly for neurodivergent students, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Minimizing clutter on the walls and around the classroom
• Having clear, simple signage and/or labels for materials, sections of the classroom, etc.
• Prioritizing natural light and/or lamplight over fluorescent overhead lights
• Offering alternative seating options (and/or resistance bands tied around chair legs)
• Providing a quiet area within or adjacent to the classroom 

These small accommodations can have a big impact on neurodivergent students’ ability to learn.

5. Communicate early and often with students’ support teams at home

Perhaps most important of all is regular, proactive communication with neurodivergent students’ at-home adults and the others responsible for teaching and supporting them, including school psychologists, counselors, social workers, special ed teachers, occupational and/or speech therapists, academic specialists, and edtechs. 

Engaging in ongoing conversation with the other adults who live and work with the neurodivergent students in your classroom can provide invaluable insight and support. This can lead to figuring out ways to address issues before they escalate into bigger problems, which feels a lot better than simply responding to challenging situations when they occur. 

When we fully support our neurodivergent students, we do our part to help them transcend their learning challenges, which creates space for them to celebrate and to be celebrated.