A Reflective Analysis on Neurodiversity and Student Wellbeing
Conceptualising Practical Strategies for Inclusive Practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56433/jpaap.v11i2.517Keywords:
Neurodiversity, Higher Education, Universal Design for Learning, Inclusive Practice, WellbeingAbstract
With the number of neurodivergent students entering Higher Education increasing, it is essential that we understand how to provide an inclusive educational experience which facilitates positive wellbeing. In this reflective analysis we draw upon our position as neurodivergent academics alongside relevant theory and literature to foster understanding and provide practical strategies for those supporting neurodivergent students. We emphasise the importance of questioning normative assumptions around expected student learning behaviours, and the negative impact that these assumptions can have upon neurodivergent students. We then provide several practical strategies that can be used to develop more inclusive practice, drawing upon principles embedded within a Universal Design for Learning approach.
References
Anderson, K. A., Sosnowy, C., Kuo, A. A., & Shattuck, P. T. (2018). Transition of individuals with autism to adulthood: a review of qualitative studies. Pediatrics, 141(Supplement 4), S318-S327. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-4300I
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching For Quality Learning At University. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S., & Cassidy, S. (2021). Autistic adults' experiences of camouflaging and its perceived impact on mental health. Autism in Adulthood. http://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0071
Botha, M., & Frost, D. M. (2020). Extending the Minority Stress Model to Understand Mental Health Problems Experienced by the Autistic Population. Society and Mental Health, 10(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318804297
Bottema-Beutel, K., Park, H. & Kim, S.Y. (2018). Commentary on Social Skills Training Curricula for Individuals with ASD: Social Interaction, Authenticity, and Stigma. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 953–964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3400-1
Brownlow, C., Lawson, W., Pillay, Y., Mahony, J., & Abawi, D. (2021). “Just Ask Me”: The Importance of Respectful Relationships Within Schools. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 2281. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678264
Burgstahler, S. E., & Cory, R. C. (Eds.). (2010). Universal design in higher education: From principles to practice. Harvard Education Press.
Cage, E., Troxell-Whitman, Z. (2019). Understanding the Reasons, Contexts and Costs of Camouflaging for Autistic Adults. J Autism Dev Disord 49, 1899–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-03878-x
Clouder, L., Karakus, M., Cinotti, A. et al. (2021). Neurodiversity in higher education: a narrative synthesis. High Educ 80, 757–778 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00513-6
Constantino, J. (2011). The Quantitative Nature of Autistic Social Impairment. Pediatr Res 69, 55–62. https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e318212ec6e
Crompton, C. J., Ropar, D., Evans-Williams, C. V., Flynn, E. G., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective. Autism, 24(7), 1704–1712. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320919286
Crompton, C. J., Hallett, S., Ropar, D., Flynn, E., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). ‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family. Autism, 24(6), 1438–1448. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908976
Gibson, M. F., & Douglas, P. (2018). Disturbing behaviours: Ole Ivar Lovaas and the queer history of autism science. Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience, 4(2), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.28968/cftt.v4i2.29579
Harding, S. (1992). Rethinking standpoint epistemology: What is" strong objectivity?". The Centennial Review, 36(3), 437-470. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23739232
Hull, L., Petrides, K.V., Allison, C. et al. (2017). “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 2519–2534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5
Jurgens, A. (2020). Neurodiversity in a neurotypical world. An enactive framework for investigating autism and social institutions. In Rosqvist, H. B., Chown, N., & Stenning, A. (Eds.). (2020). Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322297
Leaf, J.B., Cihon, J.H., Leaf, R. et al.(2021) Concerns About ABA-Based Intervention: An Evaluation and Recommendations. J Autism Dev Disord. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05137-y
MacKay, J. R. D. (2019). Show and ‘tool’: How lecture recording transforms staff and student perspectives on lectures in higher education. Computers & Education, 140, 103593. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.05.019
Milton, D.E.M. (2012) On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’, Disability & Society, 27:6, 883-887, https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008
Motti, V. G. (2019). Designing emerging technologies for and with neurodiverse users. In Proceedings of the 37th ACM International Conference on the Design of Communication (pp. 1-10). https://doi.org/10.1145/3328020.3353946
Moyse, R. (2021). Missing: the autistic girls absent from mainstream secondary schools (Doctoral dissertation, University of Reading).
Murray, D., Lesser, M., & Lawson, W. (2005). Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism. Autism, 9(2), 139-156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361305051398
Murray, D. (2018). Monotropism–an interest based account of autism. Encyclopedia of autism spectrum disorders, 10, 978-981. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102269-1
Neufeld, J., Hederos Eriksson, L., Hammarsten, R., Lundin Remnélius, K., Tillmann, J., Isaksson, J., & Bölte, S. (2021). The impact of atypical sensory processing on adaptive functioning within and beyond autism: The role of familial factors. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211019852
Nordmann, E., Clark, A., Spaeth, E. and MacKay, J., (2021). Lights, camera, active! appreciation of active learning predicts positive attitudes towards lecture capture. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00674-4
Pearson, A and Rose, K (2021). A Conceptual Analysis of Autistic Masking: Understanding the Narrative of Stigma and the Illusion of Choice. Autism in Adulthood. Online ahead of print. http://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0043
Perry, E., Mandy, W., Hull, L. and Cage, E. (2021). Understanding Camouflaging as a Response to Autism-Related Stigma: A Social Identity Theory Approach. J Autism Dev Disord. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04987-w
Pohlhaus, G. (2002). Knowing communities: An investigation of Harding's standpoint epistemology. Social epistemology, 16(3), 283-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/0269172022000025633
Poquérusse, J., Pastore, L., Dellantonio, S., & Esposito, G. (2018). Alexithymia and autism spectrum disorder: a complex relationship. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1196. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01196
Pyne, J. (2020). “Building a Person”: Legal and Clinical Personhood for Autistic and Trans Children in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Law and Society/La Revue Canadienne Droit et Société, 35(2), 341-365. https://doi.org/10.1017/cls.2020.8
Roberts, J. and Webster, A. (2020): Including students with autism in schools: a whole school approach to improve outcomes for students with autism, International Journal of Inclusive Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1712622
Rosqvist, H. B., Chown, N., & Stenning, A. (Eds.). (2020). Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322297
Sasson, N., Faso, D., Nugent, J. et al. (2017). Neurotypical Peers are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism based on Thin Slice Judgments. Sci Rep 7, 40700. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40700
Schneid, I., & Raz, A. E. (2020). The mask of autism: Social camouflaging and impression management as coping/normalization from the perspectives of autistic adults. Social Science & Medicine, 248, 112826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112826
Singer J. (1999). Why can’t you be normal for once in your life? From a ‘Problem with no Name’ to a new category of disability. Disabil discourse. 59-67
Sisskin, V. (2021, March 31st). Power Imbalances and Stuttering: The Double Empathy Problem. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.redefiningstammering.co.uk/power-imbalances-and-stuttering-the-double-empathy-problem/
Spaeth, E. (2019). Constant vigilance: a conceptualisation of the vigilance regulation model of ADHD in relation to learning and teaching in higher education. Journal of Neurodiversity in Higher Education, 5, 67-76.
Ulriksen, L. (2009). The implied student. Studies in Higher Education, 34(5), 517–532. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802597135
Waltz, M. (2020). The production of the ‘normal’ child. Neurodiversity and the commodification of parenting. In Rosqvist, H. B., Chown, N., & Stenning, A. (Eds.). (2020). Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322297
Webster, N. (2018) ADHD in adulthood: A qualitative study of lived experience, self-esteem, diagnosis and service provision in the UK. (Published online)
Wood, R. (2019). Inclusive Education for autistic children: Helping children and young people to learn and flourish in the classroom. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching For Quality Learning At University. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S., & Cassidy, S. (2021). Autistic adults' experiences of camouflaging and its perceived impact on mental health. Autism in Adulthood. http://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0071
Botha, M., & Frost, D. M. (2020). Extending the Minority Stress Model to Understand Mental Health Problems Experienced by the Autistic Population. Society and Mental Health, 10(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318804297
Bottema-Beutel, K., Park, H. & Kim, S.Y. (2018). Commentary on Social Skills Training Curricula for Individuals with ASD: Social Interaction, Authenticity, and Stigma. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 953–964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3400-1
Brownlow, C., Lawson, W., Pillay, Y., Mahony, J., & Abawi, D. (2021). “Just Ask Me”: The Importance of Respectful Relationships Within Schools. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 2281. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678264
Burgstahler, S. E., & Cory, R. C. (Eds.). (2010). Universal design in higher education: From principles to practice. Harvard Education Press.
Cage, E., Troxell-Whitman, Z. (2019). Understanding the Reasons, Contexts and Costs of Camouflaging for Autistic Adults. J Autism Dev Disord 49, 1899–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-03878-x
Clouder, L., Karakus, M., Cinotti, A. et al. (2021). Neurodiversity in higher education: a narrative synthesis. High Educ 80, 757–778 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00513-6
Constantino, J. (2011). The Quantitative Nature of Autistic Social Impairment. Pediatr Res 69, 55–62. https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e318212ec6e
Crompton, C. J., Ropar, D., Evans-Williams, C. V., Flynn, E. G., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective. Autism, 24(7), 1704–1712. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320919286
Crompton, C. J., Hallett, S., Ropar, D., Flynn, E., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). ‘I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people’: A thematic analysis of autistic adults’ relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family. Autism, 24(6), 1438–1448. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908976
Gibson, M. F., & Douglas, P. (2018). Disturbing behaviours: Ole Ivar Lovaas and the queer history of autism science. Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience, 4(2), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.28968/cftt.v4i2.29579
Harding, S. (1992). Rethinking standpoint epistemology: What is" strong objectivity?". The Centennial Review, 36(3), 437-470. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23739232
Hull, L., Petrides, K.V., Allison, C. et al. (2017). “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 2519–2534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5
Jurgens, A. (2020). Neurodiversity in a neurotypical world. An enactive framework for investigating autism and social institutions. In Rosqvist, H. B., Chown, N., & Stenning, A. (Eds.). (2020). Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322297
Leaf, J.B., Cihon, J.H., Leaf, R. et al.(2021) Concerns About ABA-Based Intervention: An Evaluation and Recommendations. J Autism Dev Disord. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05137-y
MacKay, J. R. D. (2019). Show and ‘tool’: How lecture recording transforms staff and student perspectives on lectures in higher education. Computers & Education, 140, 103593. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.05.019
Milton, D.E.M. (2012) On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’, Disability & Society, 27:6, 883-887, https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008
Motti, V. G. (2019). Designing emerging technologies for and with neurodiverse users. In Proceedings of the 37th ACM International Conference on the Design of Communication (pp. 1-10). https://doi.org/10.1145/3328020.3353946
Moyse, R. (2021). Missing: the autistic girls absent from mainstream secondary schools (Doctoral dissertation, University of Reading).
Murray, D., Lesser, M., & Lawson, W. (2005). Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism. Autism, 9(2), 139-156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361305051398
Murray, D. (2018). Monotropism–an interest based account of autism. Encyclopedia of autism spectrum disorders, 10, 978-981. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102269-1
Neufeld, J., Hederos Eriksson, L., Hammarsten, R., Lundin Remnélius, K., Tillmann, J., Isaksson, J., & Bölte, S. (2021). The impact of atypical sensory processing on adaptive functioning within and beyond autism: The role of familial factors. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211019852
Nordmann, E., Clark, A., Spaeth, E. and MacKay, J., (2021). Lights, camera, active! appreciation of active learning predicts positive attitudes towards lecture capture. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00674-4
Pearson, A and Rose, K (2021). A Conceptual Analysis of Autistic Masking: Understanding the Narrative of Stigma and the Illusion of Choice. Autism in Adulthood. Online ahead of print. http://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0043
Perry, E., Mandy, W., Hull, L. and Cage, E. (2021). Understanding Camouflaging as a Response to Autism-Related Stigma: A Social Identity Theory Approach. J Autism Dev Disord. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04987-w
Pohlhaus, G. (2002). Knowing communities: An investigation of Harding's standpoint epistemology. Social epistemology, 16(3), 283-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/0269172022000025633
Poquérusse, J., Pastore, L., Dellantonio, S., & Esposito, G. (2018). Alexithymia and autism spectrum disorder: a complex relationship. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1196. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01196
Pyne, J. (2020). “Building a Person”: Legal and Clinical Personhood for Autistic and Trans Children in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Law and Society/La Revue Canadienne Droit et Société, 35(2), 341-365. https://doi.org/10.1017/cls.2020.8
Roberts, J. and Webster, A. (2020): Including students with autism in schools: a whole school approach to improve outcomes for students with autism, International Journal of Inclusive Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1712622
Rosqvist, H. B., Chown, N., & Stenning, A. (Eds.). (2020). Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322297
Sasson, N., Faso, D., Nugent, J. et al. (2017). Neurotypical Peers are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism based on Thin Slice Judgments. Sci Rep 7, 40700. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40700
Schneid, I., & Raz, A. E. (2020). The mask of autism: Social camouflaging and impression management as coping/normalization from the perspectives of autistic adults. Social Science & Medicine, 248, 112826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112826
Singer J. (1999). Why can’t you be normal for once in your life? From a ‘Problem with no Name’ to a new category of disability. Disabil discourse. 59-67
Sisskin, V. (2021, March 31st). Power Imbalances and Stuttering: The Double Empathy Problem. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.redefiningstammering.co.uk/power-imbalances-and-stuttering-the-double-empathy-problem/
Spaeth, E. (2019). Constant vigilance: a conceptualisation of the vigilance regulation model of ADHD in relation to learning and teaching in higher education. Journal of Neurodiversity in Higher Education, 5, 67-76.
Ulriksen, L. (2009). The implied student. Studies in Higher Education, 34(5), 517–532. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802597135
Waltz, M. (2020). The production of the ‘normal’ child. Neurodiversity and the commodification of parenting. In Rosqvist, H. B., Chown, N., & Stenning, A. (Eds.). (2020). Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322297
Webster, N. (2018) ADHD in adulthood: A qualitative study of lived experience, self-esteem, diagnosis and service provision in the UK. (Published online)
Wood, R. (2019). Inclusive Education for autistic children: Helping children and young people to learn and flourish in the classroom. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Downloads
Published
2023-07-05
Issue
Section
Reflective Analysis Papers
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Elliott Spaeth, Dr, Amy Pearson, Dr
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice has made best effort to ensure accuracy of the contents of this journal, however makes no claims to the authenticity and completeness of the articles published. Authors are responsible for ensuring copyright clearance for any images, tables etc which are supplied from an outside source.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
