How to Support Neurodivergent Students in General Education

Most students in special education spend the majority of their school day in a general education classroom, not a resource room or a self-contained setting. Oftentimes, a special education teacher is not present in the classroom to support the general education teacher. This means that general education  teachers play a large role in providing support to neurodivergent students, despite many not having adequate training or feeling confident in their understanding of neurodivergence.

Special Education Students in the General Education Classroom

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, close to 15% of public school students have IEPs. As of fall 2022, 67% of students with IEPs spent 80% or more of their time in general education.

With inclusion steadily increasing, it is important for all educators, not just special education staff, to understand neurodivergence and how to apply neurodiversity-affirming practices.

It is also very likely that general education teachers will support neurodivergent students who do not have IEPs or 504 plans. Some neurodivergent students do not qualify for these plans, while others may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The lack of an IEP or 504 plan does not mean the student is not neurodivergent or does not need support that may differ from their peers.

When there is a gap, students do not receive the support they need, teachers become overwhelmed, and parents become concerned about their child’s experience in the classroom.

Why Do General Education Teachers Often Feel Underprepared?

General education teachers consistently report low confidence supporting autistic students, typically due to being unfamiliar with autism or receiving inadequate support. Some teacher preparation courses require as few as one special education course.

For veteran teachers, the gap has a different source. Neurodiversity-affirming practice is a more recent shift, so teachers who completed their programs more than a decade ago were more likely to be taught a deficit-based view of neurodivergence that focuses on compliance and minimizing visible differences. Without specific, ongoing professional development, a veteran teacher may still be working from that framework because they have not been taught anything different.

Why IEPs and 504 Plans Are Not Enough

While IEPs and 504 plans tell teachers what accommodations to make for students, they do not typically explain the reasoning behind them or provide insight into how to apply them. That missing context is easy to overlook in a student who seems to be doing fine. Neurodivergence affects the way students communicate and process information, so even if a student appears to be keeping pace with the rest of the class, they might internally be working much harder than their peers to get there.

Communication Differences

Communication breakdowns between autistic and non-autistic people happen in both directions. The responsibility to bridge that gap should not fall on the student alone. Understanding that there might be a communication mismatch can help teachers better respond.

Here are a few common communication differences that general education teachers should be aware of:

• Allow extra time for processing. Sometimes silence can be misinterpreted as ignoring or the student not knowing the answer. Some students just need extra time to process the question, instructions, or information before responding.
• Say what you mean. Some neurodivergent students interpret language literally, so they can misinterpret or be confused by sarcasm, idioms, and figurative language. For example, telling a class to “put your thinking caps on” may confuse some students.
• Give communication options. Allow students to respond to prompts using verbal language, written or typed language, or drawing when possible.

You can find more communication strategies in our 5 Effective Communication Strategies for Supporting Autistic Students article.

Behavior Differences

When a student shuts down, melts down, or refuses a task, the instinct in many classrooms is to address the behavior directly. A more effective first step is asking what the behavior is communicating.

Many of the moments that read as defiance, inattention, or rudeness in a general education classroom are communication mismatches. An educator unfamiliar with neurodivergence might perceive those behaviors as the students choosing to ignore instructions or “act out” and miss that the students’ behavior is trying to communicate a need.

Here are a few ways to shift how challenging behaviors are perceived and addressed:

• View behavior as communication. Instead of assuming a student is being defiant or seeking attention, consider that their behavior is communicating a need. For example, a student who is tapping their desk may be overwhelmed and trying to self-regulate, not intentionally trying to distract classmates.
• Look for the pattern before the incident. Notice when and where challenging behaviors tend to happen. A student who struggles every day right after lunch may be responding to sensory overload in a loud cafeteria.
• Match the support to the function. A sensory break, fidget tool, or change in task format can often address the root cause of a behavior better than a consequence.

Common triggers include unexpected changes to routine, sensory overload from noise or lighting, and tasks that demand skills a student has not yet developed, such as certain executive functioning skills. Our posts on common behavior triggers for autistic students and signs of dysregulation in autistic students give general education teachers a way to recognize escalation before it peaks, along with what to do when it does.

Our Guide to Addressing Challenging Behaviors in Special Education includes common behaviors, the needs behind them, and how to support students when those behaviors occur.

Proactive Strategies to Support Neurodivergent Students

Small, consistent adjustments can go a long way, and most do not require significant time or preparation. Here are a few strategies for supporting neurodivergent students in general education classrooms:

• Use visual schedules, picture cues, and other visual supports to make instructions easier to follow.
• Give students breaks to help them self-regulate throughout the day, even if they are not showing signs of dysregulation. Our Sensory Break Ideas for Students poster gives students a visual reference they can use on their own.
• Offer choices in how students show what they know. Verbal answers, written responses, and sometimes drawings can all show the same understanding.
• Keep sensory tools in the classroom (fidgets, noise-reducing headphones, etc.), and allow open access to them for all students.
• Consider different seating arrangements. Where a student sits, how close they are to a window or door, how much visual clutter surrounds them, and how much movement happens around them throughout the day can affect focus and lead to sensory overload.

Our neurodiversity affirming resources practices checklist is a quick way to audit where a classroom already reflects affirming practices and where there is room to grow.

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General education teachers are already supporting neurodivergent students every day. Many are just missing the targeted, practical training to do it effectively and with confidence.

Social Cipher's neurodivergent-led professional development sessions give general education teachers and school teams a way to build this understanding through strategies built around how neurodivergent students communicate, regulate, and learn. Learn more about how our Professional Development can support your school.

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Sources

U.S. Government Accountability Office. “Special Education: More Students with Disabilities Were Educated in General Education Settings, but State Trends Varied Widely.” Link.

Social Cipher. “What 800+ Educators Say is Blocking Neurodiversity-Affirming Behavior Support.” Link.

National Center for Education Statistics. “Students with Disabilities Fast Facts.” Link.

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