What schools could do to better-support neurodiverse girls

Amid a sharp increase in autism and ADHD diagnoses, many schools aren’t equipped to support the diverse learning and social-emotional needs of their students.

Neurodiverse girls, including autistic and ADHDer girls, are one group of young people feeling distinctly unsupported and disengaged from school communities.

They're an under-identified group, historically under-represented in male-dominant research studies on autism and ADHD, and often misdiagnosed with anxiety or other conditions.

And while the needs of neurodiverse girls have long been overlooked by health professionals and teachers alike, research suggests a number of ways schools could better-understand and support these students.

Masking can mean getting overlooked

One reason autistic or ADHDer girls may get overlooked is that they may engage in “masking” to fit in and hide their challenges, reduce stigma, and to minimise stress or distress.

In a world better-suited for neurotypical people, masking (learning and copying neurotypical behaviour) is a part of their identity. But it can result in receiving less support or attention from teachers in the classroom, as girls mask their challenges to appear well-behaved or engaged with their schoolwork.

Read more: Neurodivergence, chronic mental illness, and the race to finishing a PhD

Masking isn’t unique to girls, but research shows females tend to engage in more masking behaviours than males. It’s also a key reason why girls often go undiagnosed.

Masking can lead to exhaustion and meltdowns for girls, often in private, safe spaces such as the home when they’re able to “take the mask off’. It’s also associated with increased anxious thoughts – uncertainty of what is happening around them, that they might be doing things wrong, or wanting to please others.

Taken together, these experiences and feelings can also result in increased likelihood of school refusal, which can have negative long-term outcomes such as lower academic achievement or dropping out of school altogether.

Friendships and other challenges

Neurodiverse girls face a range of other challenges at school.

Some of the greatest areas of difficulty involve getting along with others, such as making and maintaining friendships, or feelings of isolation at unstructured times such as recess and lunch.

Dealing with group work in the classroom is difficult for some autistic girls, who may prefer to work alone or in a pair with someone familiar.

Sensory challenges can also make school difficult for neurodivergent students. Some need more stimulation, while others need less. Loud classrooms and fluorescent lighting may be distracting for some; others may struggle to sit still in class for extended periods.

Some students with ADHD-related sensory-seeking behaviour, such as fidgeting or chatting, are met with a lack of understanding from teachers who assume they’re being intentionally disruptive.

How to help individuals

Several strategies are helpful in schools, as neurodiverse females who are autistic or ADHDers have identified.

Access to fidget toys can be helpful to increase focus and reduce anxiety. These are reported as more acceptable and effective for neurodiverse girls in primary schools, although they could still be made available in high school.

Regular check-ins throughout the day with a member of the wellbeing team or a trusted staff member or teacher can also help.

Access to quiet spaces when these students need time alone is useful, as is access to an assistance animal to help with emotion regulation.

Neurodiverse girls can also benefit from being provided with a range of activities at break and lunchtimes in quieter areas of the school, and from being given clear guidelines for group work.

Clear communication regarding changes to routine, particularly timetable changes and replacement teachers, is helpful. So, too, is clear communication between school staff and families regarding key pressure points such as homework, transitions (across grades, across school settings) and school refusal behaviour.

As well as the support required, it’s also important to consider the strengths of autistic and ADHDer girls.

Very little research has examined this area to date, and none that has specifically looked at neurodiverse girls.

The current findings do suggest, however, that a strengths-based approach helps improve mental wellbeing and increases self-advocacy in neurodiverse youth.

A whole-school approach

While strategies to support neurodiverse girls are important, we also need to be thinking about what can be done in the broader school community.

Since the 1990s, the neurodiversity movement has been advocating for more widespread understanding that everyone’s mind develops differently.

Some mainstream schools have begun to adopt this approach. But others still function under an old model that sidelines neurodiverse students, or asks them to maintain the status quo.

Better support for neurodivergent girls at school could begin with teacher education and training.

Increasing knowledge and awareness – not just among teachers but among students, too – is a common approach to improving attitudes and acceptance of neurodiversity.

Schools are an ideal place to foster neurodiversity awareness, given the amount of time young people spend in these settings and interacting with a diverse range of peers.

Creating an inclusive culture that reduces misconceptions about neurodiversity can be helpful for all young girls who identify as neurodivergent, irrespective of whether they have a diagnosis.

Programs in which lived experience advocates work with schools to create a culture that’s more accepting of neurodiversity aim not just to increase knowledge, but also to shift attitudes and create a more inclusive climate.

This has been demonstrated in an evaluation of a new classroom-based program called Learning About Neurodiversity at School. Co-designed with neurodiverse people, it has demonstrated positive increases in knowledge, attitudes and actions about neurodiversity.

The building blocks of creating a positive whole-school culture include accepting and celebrating differences, purposefully incorporating neurodiversity into the curriculum, accommodating differences, and understanding that behaviour is a way of communicating needs.

Supporting neurodiverse girls in schools is important given they’re an under-identified group. Recognition of strengths and strategies that are tailored to the individual is an important starting point.

Thinking more broadly about how neurodiversity can be integrated into classrooms and the whole-school culture should be the long-term focus.

This will foster greater awareness, shift attitudes, and provide a supportive culture where all differences can be acknowledged and celebrated.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.