A center in which students who are neurodiverse or interested in neurodiversity may complete internships, as part of their course, on projects that support neurodiverse individuals in general.
Electives in which students attempt to develop skills on the very tasks in which they feel incompetent or uninformed—to promote resilience and openness to diversity
Neurodiverse hubs
A center in which students who are neurodiverse or interested in neurodiversity may complete internships, as part of their course, on projects that support neurodiverse individuals in general.
Outline of the problem
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At least 10%, and probably significantly more than 10%, of students in tertiary education could be deemed as neurodiverse—a term that tends to encompass autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
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Many of these students experience significant distress or impediments in these institutions. Teaching staff are not usually equipped to assist these students effectively, because they are too busy or have not developed the skills to manage the variety of concerns these students might experience.
Outline of a solution
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Some tertiary institutions have already launched centers that support neurodiverse students at the institution as well as neurodiverse people in general
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However, to be effective, students who are neurodiverse or interested in neurodiversity should be able to complete internships—perhaps as an elective class—to enhance the impact of these centers.
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Importantly, teaching staff who want to utilize the services of these centers—such as arrange a specialist to help a neurodiverse student complete an assignment—must first implement a range of practices that have been shown to benefit these students, such as multisensory media.
Examples of services
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Occupational therapy students might be able to recommend private, learning environments that are more suited to many neurodiverse students
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Research students might be able to survey neurodiverse students to determine the challenges of these individuals that could be addressed
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Business students might be able to develop commercial services that could benefit these students—such as a program that supports the parents of neurodiverse children or facilitates career preparation of neurodiverse students—and relevant families could utilize national insurance schemes or other funds to purchase these services.
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Education students might design resources that improve the capacity of teaching staff to accommodate neurodiverse students more effectively—and, for example, express concrete language, divide instructions into smaller phases, and design assignments that students may complete alone
Clueless classes
Electives in which students attempt to develop skills on the very tasks in which they feel incompetent or uninformed—to promote resilience and openness to diversity
Outline of the problem
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Many tertiary institutions have attempted to attract more diverse students to STEM courses. Several features of modern society impede these attempts.
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To illustrate, many sectors, including tertiary education, have become especially competitive. In these sectors, individuals often feel more compelled to outperform one another and to conceal their limitations than to acknowledge these shortcomings and develop their capabilities.
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When individuals adopt this competitive mindset, they tend to shun unfamiliar activities. They are less resilient or receptive to feedback and challenges.
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Therefore, students who have not been significantly exposed to STEM will dismiss, rather than consider, these fields of study.
Outline of a solution
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To address this concern, tertiary institutions should introduce classes or electives in which students first indicate, from a catalogue of options, the topics in which they feel especially incompetent or uninformed
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Students then agree to attend workshops, organized by teaching staff at the institution, that are designed to impart knowledge and skills about these topics as simply as possible. After these classes, students indicate the degree to which they feel more competent on these skills
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This information enables tertiary institutions to refine these workshops continually, ultimately to develop an array of classes that rapidly improve the competence of individuals on tasks in which they were unfamiliar.
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These classes are specifically designed to inspire a mindset in which students feel willing and able to develop their capabilities
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This mindset enhances the degree to which students are receptive to unfamiliar experiences, challenging tasks, and constructive feedback. That is, students become more resilient and versatile.
Contributors
To seek advice or engage specialists on these initiatives, contact the contributors of this page
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Neurodiverse hubs
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Clueless classes