Since returning to University for this year, I have been thinking a lot about the interaction between neurodiversity (ND) students and assessment in higher education. Since talking about it with both educators and those close to me, ND has also been something that I have become more conscious of in both myself and my peers around me. This is a topic that has been gaining more research, but as I progress with my own journey, I still seek to understand the perspectives of ND students and what resources can be put in place to make a more inclusive environment. This is also one of the themes that I would love to explore this year.
What is neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term used to refer to people who process information differently to others, meaning they may navigate life differently to the way a neurotypical person would. Conditions under the umbrella of neurodiversity include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and sometimes Tourette’s syndrome is included is this term.
Neurodiversity in Higher Education
In modern society, the number of students that are being enrolled in higher education disclosing that they are neurodiverse (ND) has considerably increased, with 14% of students enrolled in university being diagnosed as ND. This increase can also be felt here at the University of Bristol. For example, in the School of Biological Sciences, there has been a steady increase between 2013 and 2022 on the number of graduating students disclosing that they were ND, from 28 students in a cohort to 46 in the 2022 cohort. This increase in neurodiverse students means that it is important that we consider the perspectives of these students so that they feel like they are fully equipped to navigate their life after university: whether that be further research or in their professional careers.
While there is a large increase in ND people in further education, they can still struggle with challenges faced within university. These can sometimes include accommodational needs as well as the prejudice ND individuals face in education. This can result in them becoming less successful that their neurotypical counterparts, and these can be amplified by other intersections with marginalised identities such as gender, race and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. One of the ways that ND students can struggle is in assessments. They may feel overwhelmed with the different components of an assessment, meaning that this could affect their academic experience.
Neurodiversity in assessment
These struggles in assessments are often acquiesced with systems put in place to accommodate for these students, such as extra time in assessments or designated areas of a space with dim lighting and less noise.
However, from talking to my peers, a common theme that I have seen in ND students is that many chose not to disclose their status to the faculty that they are a student of. While I am sure there are instances of these students simply not needing the additional support, one of the biggest reasons was around the anxiety that comes with disclosing their status. There can be anxiety around lectures, socialising and completing coursework and assessments. Therefore, fostering a trusting environment that recognises individuality in students and doesn’t focus on implementing structures after a student has disclosed a diagnosis, but rather allows all students to reach their potential.
An example on an assessment that I believe helps home in on this culture of trust and agency is the educational project that was conducted in the School of Economics by Joel Ross where students were given complete agency over how they would format their assessment topic, ranging from a video to an oral presentation to an essay. Projects like these can allow ND students to feel less anxiety around assessment and increase engagement as they don’t have to fit into an assessment mould that was designed for neurotypical students.
Tips to help support neurodiverse individuals
- Don’t assume: Don’t assume whether someone is ND or not based on how they present themselves to the world. If someone choses to disclose that they are ND, that is up to them.
- Provide an inclusive environment from the start: often, ND students will not disclose a diagnosis due to negative past experiences or fear of stigmatisation. Therefore, it is important to provide the option for an inclusive environment where you can to everyone. This can be done by giving multiple options for formatting in assessment, ensuring that captions in lecture videos are accurate, or offering sensory rooms in buildings that can accommodate ND and disabled students
- Raise awareness of the services available on campus and off campus such as the Wellbeing support team in case someone needs emotional support
- Uniqueness: a saying that is quite popular with the ASD community is that ‘if you have met one autistic person, you have met only one autistic person’. All individuals are unique, therefore, come with a unique set of needs. This is completely contradictory to the uniformity that we see across assessments in higher education, which often encourages a standardised method of assessment to measure all individuals. Therefore, it is important to consider where in the curriculum we can encourage agency and engagement in not only assessment but ones degree as a whole.
References
Dwyer, P. et al. (2022) ‘Building Neurodiversity-Inclusive Postsecondary Campuses: Recommendations for Leaders in Higher Education’, Autism in Adulthood, p. aut.2021.0042. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0042.
Griffin, E. and Pollak, D. (2009) ‘Student experiences of neurodiversity in higher education: insights from the BRAINHE project’, Dyslexia, 15(1), pp. 23–41. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.383.
McQuallin, A. and Lawson, D. (2024) Student Neurodiversity in the School of Biological Sciences. Bristol: Universtiy of Bristol.
