What do accommodations look like for neurodiverse students? Each child is different and requires individualized accommodations based on their unique needs. Examples of common accommodations from understood.org include: Presentation accommodations: • Listening to audio recordings instead of reading text • Working with text in a larger print size • Hearing instructions spoken aloud • Getting a written list of instructions Response accommodations: • Giving responses in a form that’s easier for them (spoken versus written) • Dictating answers to a scribe • Using a calculator or table of math facts • Using a spellchecker Setting and timing accommodations: • Sitting where they learn best in the classroom • Taking a test in a small group setting • Using sensory tools • Having extra time to complete a task, project or test • Taking frequent breaks
“It’s been amazingly successful and students have thrived,” said Epperson. “When [students] have had support all the way along [at Trinity] their ability to adapt to a more typical environment carries over because they are sufficiently motivated and able to advocate for themselves. I think it’s good evidence that neurodiverse students are capable of things people may not expect, and in giving students’ supports [in school], that allows the kid to figure out ways to get those needs met later on. Our students are able to find success in a wide range of environments, from life skills training to university programs.” As OKCPS strives to be even more inclusive of neurodiverse students, Trussell bemoans that still today in public schools around the nation and world, students with special needs are kept isolated in self- contained classrooms. “Then what happens when they graduate and go into a public setting?” asks Trussell. “We as educators need to get them ready for that by keeping them in classrooms where they are exposed to typically-developing peers and vice versa. We are moving in the right direction.” Thankfully, teachers like Wright are not only serving neurodivergent students directly but also are helping prepare general education students and teachers alike to make space for them both in school settings and in the community at large. “Everyone has limits, but children are capable of more than we often give them credit for,” said Epperson. “We have to help them find the place where they will excel.”
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