#219 Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Neurodiversity Celebration Week aims to “bring about worldwide neurodiversity acceptance, equality and inclusion in schools and workplaces.”
The week reminds us to continually examine our realities, to reflect on practice and to make our communities increasingly inclusive. The focus is not simply on making the neurodiverse individuals fit the neurotypical world; rather to raise awareness of how the neurotypical world can (and should) be more inclusive towards those who are neurodiverse.
I truly believe that in the educational setting, all students - pertinent to the individual’s profile and not based solely on a diagnosis or the absence thereof - benefit from additional support be it through differentiation*, accommodations** and/or modifications** in school and in preparation for life beyond school.
Over the years there has been an increased understanding of neurodiversity (some of which I referenced in my June 2018 blogpost, ASD) within our societies. Recent prime examples - non-school related - include the introduction of ‘quiet hours’ in certain supermarkets in the UK where lights are dimmed and checkout noises reduced (further details here, 'Quiet Hours' Are An Important First-Step To Retail Inclusivity) and the creation and opening of the Sensory Room in Dublin Airport (2019).
Returning to the notion of bringing “about worldwide neurodiversity acceptance, equality and inclusion in schools and workplaces”, there is still much to be done. Within education spheres, ongoing professional development is essential for enhancing one’s understanding. Be it formal professional development such as Professor Tony Attwood’s New Strategies to Understand and Help Children and Teenagers with ASD-Level 1 (Asperger’s syndrome) in October 2017 or webinars hosted by Witherslack and other such groups or more informal exposure through reading books and article such as The Daily Telegraph’s article (2017) Chris Packham on living with Asperger's: 'I've spent 30 years on the telly trying my best to act normal' and The Reason I Jump (audiobook) by Naoki Higashida. The latter two are powerful as they are from the perspective of someone deemed to be neurodivergent.
In addition to the books, podcasts and social media accounts listed in the article, What Does It Mean to Be Neurodivergent?, I very much appreciate these Twitter and Instagram accounts (@WitherslackGrp, @profamandakirby, @DSAInfo - Down's Syndrome Association, @DownsSideUp, @sarah_gordy, @ADHDFoundation and nurturing_neurodiversity) to further develop my understanding of neurodiversity through sharing formal research, upcoming events, books launches etc., and - most importantly - reading real-lived experiences and personal perspectives.
How can you change your practices and policies to (help) “bring about worldwide neurodiversity acceptance, equality and inclusion in schools and workplaces”?
* The ASCD infographic, Differentiation Is, Differentiation Is Not, presents a clear understanding of what is and what is not differentiation and that it is paramount to ensure students' needs, be it through accommodations or modifications, are met.
** In Wrights Law Glossary of Assessment Terms, accommodations “Describe changes in format, response, setting, timing, or scheduling that do not alter in any significant way what the test measures or the comparability of scores. Accommodations are designed to ensure that an assessment measures the intended construct, not the child’s disability.” and affect three areas of testing: (i) the administration of tests, (ii) how students are allowed to respond to the items, and (iii) the presentation of the tests (how the items are presented to the students on the test instrument) and modifications are “Changes in the content, format, and/or administration of a test to accommodate test takers who are unable to take the test under standard test conditions. Modifications alter what the test is designed to measure or the comparability of scores.”
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