I’m sure you’ve heard the word neurodivergent before.
But do you know what it means?
According to Webster’s Dictionary, neurodivergent means “having or relating to a disorder or condition (such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder) that impacts the way the brain processes information: exhibiting or characteristic of variations in typical neurological development.”
Odds are there are more students at AISB who would be considered neurodivergent than you’d think. Secondary counselor Scott Langston says he thinks “there are a lot of kids here who are neurodivergent who have no diagnosis, and probably not a lot of awareness on why and how they think differently than their peers.”
In this opinion article, I wish to explore viewpoints on and critique neurodivergent representation at AISB in order to advocate for change in the AISB community.
What AISB Gets Right
At AISB, we have a Learning Support department with six faculty and staff members. These teachers offer classroom support for students who have ILPs (Individual Learning Plan) in specific courses like English and Math.
Learning Support teacher Ruta Ionascu says, “Every teacher is working with neurodivergent students, as the population of neurodiverse students is about 10% in every class. I just happen to be specialized in the work of inclusion and breaking bridges to learning.”
In general, teachers at AISB are very supportive of student with learning differences. They may offer help in the form of extended time on tests or deadlines, adjusting the format of a summative assessment to meet the needs of a student’s ILP, or careful grouping of students to ensure that group projects can be successful.
So far, AISB has made some effort to celebrate neurodivergent people in the community. During Neurodiversity Week last school year (March 17-23, 2025) there were posters in the Secondary hallways and slides in the weekly announcements (Vampire Diaries) detailing different types of neurodiversity to educate the broader student population.
On March 18, 2025, the Learning Support department held a Neurodiversity Coffee Talk in the library. This round-table conversation was attended by about 25 students, parents, and teachers. During this conversation people shared their experiences and feelings about being neurodivergent.
From my own personal experience at the talk, it was a nice conversation, and it made the attendees feel like they were connected to others who understand them, but it didn’t have much of an impact on how our larger student body perceives what it means to be neurodivergent.
“I wish the divide was not so sharp,” Ionascu told me, in an interview, “as I know that some community members have faced stigma and bias due to their being neurodivergent. I think that the next steps for our school is to try and bridge the gap in understanding what neurodiversity is and what are the various ways people might exhibit it both in their behaviors and learning.”
Neurodivergence and the Larger Community
How are neurodivergent students perceived? How are they accommodated for? How are they treated?
At AISB, some students use words like “autistic,” “retarded,” or “so OCD” as insults or jokes. They don’t seem to realize the impact of their words, and that someone in their classroom may have a diagnosis that is now being used as a dehumanizing insult.
Secondary counselor Scott Langston says it’s AISB “intention” of being an inclusive school, “and I think we do a pretty good job of meeting students needs and making accommodations. But I wouldn’t be so arrogant to say we do it well for everyone.”
What Makes School Challenging for Students with Neurodivergence
There are many individual challenges, visible or not, that neurodivergent students go through. Here I rounded up some comments about different struggles that students and teachers have noticed within themselves, and around them, here at AISB:
“Although I can’t speak for most people, I can speak for myself when I say that having ADHD is never fun. I regularly feel like my friends aren’t really my friends, and that I’ll never truly be friends with them.”
Anonymous student
“Usually the ADHD comes with some social issues which might cause me to forget what people say, or forget to look in the eyes or whatnot, or accidentally talk over people.”
Anonymous student
“I am neurodivergent, and am in the process of getting official diagnoses. I haven’t told anyone, other than family and close friends, of my neurodivergency. Because of that, and not showing the typical neurodivergent symptoms in school, no one really knows, and therefore I’m treated the same by neurotypical peers.”
Grade 9 student Esmé S.
“Most neurodivergent students (as do neurotypical students ) talk about their struggles at school a lot. They might be discussing their challenges at home with families, trying to seek effective strategies together with their teachers, and, finally, with peers.”
Ruta Ionascu, Learning Support teacher
How AISB Could Be More Supportive
For AISB to be more inclusive, it takes so much more than a couple of slides talking about different kinds of neurodivergence, and one talk. It takes persistence, acknowledging past mistakes about any misconceptions, and time.
Here are a few suggestions on ways that AISB could be more supportive, and which I fully support:
It’s not as simple as saying: just tell a teacher you need extra time, you can go take your test in another place. I think we have kids who take extra time or can have special arrangements, yet feel so uncomfortable about taking them that they don’t have them, which means they’re not accessible.
Scott Langston, Counselor
“If anyone feels at a disadvantage I trust that it is true, but my answer will always be that that is only due to the environment they are in. It is the environment that has to change in order for people to feel included, rather than the other way around.”
Ruta Ionascu, Learning Support teacher
Zoey, thank you for writing this article and sharing this very important information with our community!