“That’s part of university – you want everybody to have the chance to show themselves in the best possible light”
Higher education, and indeed education systems generally, have not traditionally been very supportive of neurodivergent students. However, improved diagnosis of neurodivergence means that there has been greater focus on creating learning environments that are inclusive and supportive of neurodivergent students. We caught up with Dr Ruth (Ru) Rose, Lecturer in Biosciences and Disability Support Officer in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, to talk about why this is so important and some of the strategies and initiatives she has introduced to better support neurodivergent students.
Let’s start by being clear on our language. Hannah Breslin and Neil Currant wrote a great article for WonkHE in July 2024, in which they discussed the conflation of the terms ‘neurodiverse’ and ‘neurodivergent’, explaining that:
Neurodiverse/neurodiversity refers to natural, neurobiological variations in humans. We are all neurodiverse, but an individual alone cannot be neurodiverse. Neurodiversity refers to both neurotypical and neurodivergent people…
Neurodivergent/neurodivergence is an umbrella term used to describe a range of differences, such as autism, ADHD, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dyslexia, bipolar, acquired brain injuries, epilepsy, and more. Essentially, as two autistic people, we are neurodivergent because our minds and bodies work in a way that significantly diverges from the dominant standards.
For Ru, ensuring that learning environments and experiences are inclusive of neurodivergent students means that “everybody has the opportunity to be the best they can be.” Her approach to creating these more inclusive environments centres on providing scaffolding and support: “it doesn’t mean students don’t do things. It means they might do things in a slightly different way so that in the long run, they can do those things… the lifelong skills that they need going outside of university.” She gave the example of a presentation, in which rather than students delivering a presentation to 10 people, they build in some practice steps in which they are able to practice in front of one person, then in front of two.
One of the biggest challenges with university learning for neurodivergent students is overstimulation, and the (in)ability to address that overstimulation in the ways that work for them. “Don’t be offended if a student just gets up and walks around”, cautions Ru, “It’s because they’re listening. I have one student who knits in our lectures – I love it because if she’s there and she’s listening.” She also encourages students to get up and move around if they need to. In the lab, she provides darker safety glasses for students who find the lights overstimulating, and ensures that those glasses are set out each session so students don’t need to ask for them: “the glare goes away and they stay in the lab longer, they learn something and everybody’s happy, everybody wins.” Introductory sessions at the beginning of term allow students to walk around, explore the lab and find a space that they feel comfortable in, which is then assigned to them for the rest of the term.
Ru employs digital technologies, such as Mentimeter, to help create more inclusive environments: “They love Mentimeter ... The same with Zoom – they can use the chat to ask questions without having to put their hand up and draw attention to themselves.” Zoom and Teams also offer the benefit of closed captions which helps students with processing issues, although Ru noted that offering lectures online can mean that students don’t attend on campus: “I don’t know what the answer is to that. I know that as an advocate for the students with additional needs, I advocate for it, but I also advocate for them being in the room.”
Ru also runs drop-in sessions – “a neurotypical-free zone” – for neurodivergent students each week. These sessions provide a safe space for students to come and share their latest hyperfixation, ask questions, express concerns and share strategies, knowing that others in the room will understand. She has observed that this also helps students who didn’t necessarily have friends on campus or know anyone else in class, make connections with each other.
Ru shared the following tips on making our teaching more inclusive of neurodivergent students:
Ru concluded our conversation by returning to why creating more inclusive environments is so important – our students themselves. “To them, it makes such a difference because they can still be heard and they can still be seen, and they can still achieve and just then give them time to achieve all the way to the level that you want them to get to. They will do. They're just going to follow their trajectories differently.”
Dr Ruth Rose,Lecturer in Biosciences and Disability Support Officer in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences