The Neurodiverse Instructor with Neurotypical Students

Many academics are aware of altering learning styles of those on the “Autism Spectrum.”  When a student with Autism arrives in the classroom this changes how interactions occur between a neurodiverse (ND) student and a neurotypical (NT) instructor. How does this impact the classroom when the ND academic is the expert, and the NT is the enrolled student? 

Neurodiverse/Neurotypical

Being ND/NT comes with diverse communication difficulties and might be exacerbated in the classroom. With approximately one1 in 36 children in the US (CDC 2023) being ND, I am also part of a spectrum of individuals with varying physical, verbal, non-verbal, or integrated communication styles. These variances can be challenging in the classroom relating to communication and emotional reactions between the ND instructor and the predominant group of NT students. These differences can lead to misinterpretation and confusion for both myself, and the students. So, how do I limit this befuddling in the classroom as an ND academic? 

First, my curiosity kicked in and I attempted to find out how many ND academics are employed in higher education in the US. I could not find abundant information on the topic and with an iota of investigation, I came across an article on a similar topic from a fellow ND academic, Bradley Irish. He notes in his article that, “Out of 224,530 people working as academic professionals in Britain, only 220 self-identified as having a ‘social/communication impairment.’”  (Irish, 2023).

With a sliver of arithmetic, less than one percent1% of academic professionals self-disclosed ND in the UK. This signifies that I am outnumbered eminently by my NT colleagues in academia. This statistic may vary between the US and the UK but seems to be on point with my current colleague interactions in the US. 

In the Classroom

I struggle to observe non-verbal communication, facially or orally expressed emotions, and hearing the prosody of students. I can observe a student from the front of the classroom, and I will not be able to interpret their emotional reactions or facial expressions due to my lack of eye contact. To overcome this traverse, I will advise students, “If you do not understand what I am instructing, please interject and let me know.”  I will then go back to the point where the student(s) became adrift and repeat myself using alternate descriptions to review the concept. Recognizing students’ inner conflict with asking a question(s) amongst peers, I reiterate to them the value of their own education. 

I learned over time as a ND individual that I may not decipher a concept in relation to how the information is presented. Humoring the expression of altered instruction methods of concurrent information may be beneficial for the student’s overall engagement and knowledge seized. This could be influenced by altering auditory, visual learning styles, and practical exercises. Perchance PowerPoint is not the principal means of communication for a collegiate student and writing concepts on a “whiteboard” will allow them to see the process at a slower pace as the topic is discussed. I may consider using active learning approaches (Concept Maps, Learning Logs, Think Pair, Share, or Background Knowledge Probe) to address all students’ learning needs as well as my own. 

As a ND academic I have been, and I am still in the journey of being a student in NT led classroom(s). I have learned that as a ND student I learn best by understanding the steps in a process. I also learned that some NT students tend to skip steps and want to finish the process faster. I am challenged by students saying, “Why can’t we just skip steps two and three to get to the final result of step four?”  I will commonly reply, “Do you remember the example of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”  Everyone will provide altering directions, and tasks that are obvious/common for one may not be for another. The process is typically a likewise result, a simple tasty sandwich for those without a peanut or gluten allergy. 

Classroom Teaching

Being open to diverse presentation genres from NT and ND instructors may be laborious for NT and ND students. As academics we are individuals with strengths and weaknesses that impact how knowledge is presented and retained. ND instructors may have a greater chance of having information misinterpreted to a NT student, than a NT instructor to NT students and visa versa. This may be related to prosody, communication dependability, eye contact, and emotional responses that ND individuals observe and are overlooked by the NT. “NT’s and ND are merely speaking different, but equally valid, social languages” (Goulet, 2022). A ND instructor may not have a great variance in their voice and students may postulate that they are being ululated by the ND instructor (Yes, I talk fast, loudly, and I am straight to the point.). Yet, with a NT instructor NT students can observe the emotion of the instructors’ facial cues, feel this emotion in the room, and hear the volume inflection. I do not understand the impact of emotional expression and related concepts in the classroom. NT students may construe my lack of facial expression as an instructor being emotionless with a lack of empathy. Integrating facial cues can be difficult for me as I am not wired the same as NT instructor. I have emotions and I may not express them the same way as a NT student would impart. I may come across upset with the tone of my voice, but I am excited that students excelled on the most recent exam. The same confusion happens with sarcasm from NT students. I do not grasp what is implied, and an explanation is necessary for understanding.

Student Success

Students that are NT are set up for success in society by the way their brain was formed. ND students have daily adversities that are different than their NT colleagues. Having a sharpened understanding of how each coterie learns may increase learning in the classroom with diversity and concepts that a NT individual may ponder. I have been told that as a ND individual that I think of ways to relate concepts to students that may be foreign, but the result is that the student grew and gained appropriate knowledge on the topic presented. 

Relating to Students

ND instructors similar to me may have difficulty relating to NT students. With increasing awareness of both NT and ND individuals in research is published, learning styles may be adapted for both groups of academics and students. ND academics have vast insightful qualities to add in the classroom via awareness of diverse learning processes. Many ND academics work on our daily struggle of increasing how to communicate effectively. Hence many of my NT colleagues may not ponder about alternate communication techniques because communication may not be an arduous task for them to conquer. A simple solution is for the NT to be slow to react emotionally and ask the ND individual, “How do you want me to communicate with you?”

I am part of a small group of ND academic professionals and the goal of being an instructor is to have students engaged, understand concepts, and implement concepts into practical settings. Either as a ND or NT academic we both add value to a classroom. One contrast is that each student may interpret communication methods differently. To docents or pupils that want to communicate better or understand ND colleagues or students my recommendation is to approach them and engage. Ask them their preferences and be ready for direct responses (we may provide a response that you are not ready for). Your initial conversation with a ND individual may be unique but will show the NT individual that you are willing to accept them for whom they are. 

E. Bauer, MS, is an instructor and PhD student at Kansas State University. 

References

“Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 4, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html. 

Goulet, JD. Stop Asking Neurodivergent People to Change the Way They Communicate, October 5, 2022. https://hbr.org/2022/10/stop-asking-neurodivergent-people-to-change-the-way-they-communicate

Irish, Bradley. Advice | how to make room for neurodivergent professors, March 2, 2023. https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-make-room-for-neurodivergent-professors.