By implementing these strategies, educators can create a more inclusive and supportive online learning environment for neurodivergent students.

By Riddhi Patel

To support neurodivergent students in online learning, offer flexible deadlines, provide clear, concise instructions, use visual aids, encourage routine breaks, utilise assistive technologies, foster interactive discussions, and create a supportive, inclusive environment for varied learning needs.

sukhpreet kaur

Different ways to assist ND and all students coud be

• Recorded lecutres-afford students the ability to choose when and where to access the content. This way the students can postiion themselves in an environment that is best suited to their sensory profile or supports their capacity to focus; such as a quiet, well lit clean and tidy room being found to support students with ADHD (Levenberg & Reesh, 2023).

• Students can also be supported with online handouts and tutorials (Weis et al., 2019).

• Providing students with clearn and speicfic instructions can facilitate understanding of waht is expected. (Spaeth & Pearson, 2023).

• Students and Educators establish deadlines collaboratively

• 5 day late bank without penalty (drawing on research of Schroeder et al., 2019))

Students' perceived benefit was it allowed to juggle responsibilities (academic/personal) and reduce stress and supported them to produce greater quality outcomes.

Asil El Galad, Dean Harvey Betts, & Nicole Campbell. (2024). Flexible learning dimensions in higher education: aligning students’ and educators’ perspectives for more inclusive practices. Frontiers in Education, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1347432

To create a supportive learning environment for neurodivergent learning in an online learning context I believe there are a few strategies which could be particularly effective.

They include;

• Positive Reinforcement: implementing positive feedback to encourage desired behaviours and academic effort.

• Time Management Aids: making accessible a range of tools like suggested time frames to complete work to help students stay on task and manage their time.

• Checklists and Task Cards: Provide simple checklists to help students keep track of contributions, content, assessments and learning goals.

To address this issue, I would first make recordings of the lesson available for students to view in their own time, in case they miss anything during the online lesson. I would even suggest students that they focus on listening only during the synchronous meetings so that they do not have to expend effort trying to listen and write notes at the same time.

Secondly, I would have a structure for my lesson so that there is a dedicated QnA session, separated from when I provide the content of the lesson. By doing this, there would not be interruptions and the content would be clearly divided, which makes it easier for students to navigate.

• Firstly Personalized Schedules: Allow students to create schedules that align with their individual needs and energy levels.

• Secondly Quiet Spaces: Ensure students have access to quiet, distraction-free spaces for online learning.

• Lastly Movement Breaks: Incorporate short movement breaks throughout the day to help students stay focused and regulate their emotions.