Neurodivergent students — from The Hechinger Report by Olivia Sanchez
“Neurodivergent people spend their whole lives trying to learn how neurotypical people operate, and trying to change themselves to fit neurotypical standards,” Gudnkecht said. “I just think it’s important for neurotypical people to also put in a tiny bit of effort to understand us, just because we spend our whole life trying to understand them.”
At its simplest, neurodiversity is the idea that everybody’s brains work differently, and that these differences are normal. Neurodivergent, which is not a medical diagnosis, is an umbrella term that refers to people who have autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, or other atypical ways of thinking, learning and interacting with others.
“It’s obviously essential to give the appropriate accommodations to people with disabilities. Like, that’s definitely like number one,” Gudknecht said. “But it’s also equally as essential to support the social and emotional well-being of students.”