Skip to main content
DA / EN
SDU UP | October 2024

Newsletter October 2024: Including all students – teaching students with neurodiversities

Discover how SDU can support students with neurodiversities in this month’s newsletter. From personal experiences to professional insights, find out about the resources and adjustments that help create a more inclusive university.

By Donna Hurford, , 10/31/2024

What are neurodiversities?  

Neurodiversity conceptualises neuro-cognitive and behaviourial diversity which may be demonstrated through conditions including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia dyspraxia and Tourettes, as well as trauma-induced conditions like fibromyalgia. You can access definitions of neurodiversities from the resources listed below.  
 
Whilst neurodiversities may be regarded as atypical, they exemplify the wide range of our neuro-cognitive and behavioural diversities, for which increasing numbers of people are being assessed and registered. During the timeframe 2010-2020 the number of students at Danish universities with registered neurodiversities has risen from 3% to 11% (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen, 2022). In view of this rise in registered neurodiversities among students, it is important for us at SDU to understand how these conditions may affect participation in university life and academic studies and what accommodations enable equitable learning experiences for all students. 

How might neurodiversities affect students’ engagement with learning? 

Whilst each neurodiverse person experiences their condition in their own unique way, there are commonalties evidenced through patterns of behaviour which may well affect learner engagement and participation, including: 
  • Reduced executive function, which affects skills associated with memory including taking initiative and task completion 
  • Low energy and increased fatigue, which can be further compounded by the stress induced by managing daily tasks  
  • Differences in sensitivity ranging from high to low, which can affect all sensory experiences  
  • Challenges experienced when processing information 

(Borsotti, Begel and Bjørn, 2024

 

 

SDU Student and counsellor examples of learning with neurodiversities  

You can read student Viktor Schnefeldt Øvlisen's firsthand experiences of how his neurodiversitites affect his daily life including his studies. Viktor also provides practical recommendations which would help him and other students with neurodiversities. Read here.

In her position as stundent counseller in SDU Education, Sigrid Rytz provides support for students with neurodiversities. Read Sigrid’s professional perspective on how students with neurodiversities experience the teaching and learning environment at SDU. Sigrid reiterates Viktor’s recommendations for practical ways the institution can include and support students with neurodiversities. Read here.

 

 

What can we do at SDU? 

In this section, we offer a selection of practical resources for those leading and administering study programmes as well as for teachers designing, teaching and assessing courses. 

 

Study Programme Practicalities 

Start with the students – invite students with neurodiversities to share what the study programme can do to support their learning. Publicise the names of nominated study programme staff who are available to meet with students, especially those with neurodiversities, and listen to stories and their recommendations for teaching, learning and assessment. Ensure there is follow up, with explanations for what adaptations requested by students are and are not possible and further develop a culture of listening and responsiveness. 


Make study start inclusive – for some, including those with neurodiversities the thought of having to engage with a large crowd of new people whilst being introduced to studying at SDU can be overwhelming and stress inducing. Be inspired by ‘TEK’s tur’ alternative self-guided tours of the faculty and the university and contact Sara Kvist (special consultant) to find out more.  

Provide clear and accessible information about student support – it is vital that students know how to access support and guidance at SDU. Include links to the SPS sites in English and Danish and invite SPS counsellors to introduce new student cohorts to the available support services including applying for neurodiversity assessments.  

Here’s an example from TEK’s How to Uni, which includes encouragement and relevant links. 

    

Systematise accommodations – once registered as having one or more neurodiversities, there may be accommodations which have to be implemented by the student’s study programme. These accommodations often include additional time to complete exams or course assessment, access to assistive technologies or early access to lecture slides. Pursuing accommodations can be very stressful for students with neurodiversities, see Viktor’s example, it would be a significant reassurance for students to know their study programme has a transparent system for implementing accommodations and for checking they are in place.  

Facilitate professional updating – ensure all teachers and other programme staff know where to access faculty and study programme practice and guidance on supporting students with neurodiversities and how to implement accommodations. Prepare a webpage or an itslearning site where all guidance and resources are available. Include an agenda point in relevant meetings with updates and time to share effective practices.  

Clarify study programme processes – provide clear and accessible guidance on itslearning about the study programme including deadlines for hand-ins and access to resources and study programme support.  

Offset anxiety caused by changes - if timetables or rooms must be re-scheduled ensure there is a clear and effective system for sharing this information with all students. Can an SMS push system be implemented so students are not expected to check itslearning?  

Provide time out spaces – provide time-out spaces for students who need somewhere quiet to rest and re-focus. Read more about the importance of these spaces in Viktor’s and Sigrid's example.  

 

 

Approaches to teaching and learning 

Plan for universally accessible education for all students – there are approaches which benefit all learners and which are most effective when they are implemented consistently across study programmes. You can read more about Universal Design Principles  in the  Centre for Teaching and Learning newsletter on ‘Including all students’ (June 2022) and book a meeting with a CTL consultant  to discuss how to implement UDL in your study programme.  

Pre-teaching – students with dyslexia and other neurodiversities need more time to process text. Whilst it is understandable that teachers may be reluctant to share PPT presentations before a class, pre-access may be a necessary accommodation for some students. Consider sharing a summary of key concepts and questions before each class, in this way a little pre-teaching can facilitate all students’ preparation. 

 

Make lectures accessible - Microsoft has a website with accessibility guidance regarding Office 365, where you can access a range of videos showing how to make MS Word, Excel, PPT and Outlook emails more accessible. Check out this accessibility guidance for PPTs and videos, prepared by Copenhagen Business School teaching and learning consultants. Even small adaptations can make textual, audial and visual resources more accessible. 

Recording lectures
– flipped learning, (register for the self-paced course) which includes short informational videos, provides students with asynchronous access to learning resources which they can revisit and gradually process. Allowing students to record lectures, gives them a study resource they can revisit in their own time.  

 

Study guidance – students with neurodiversities may find it difficult to manage their time and meet deadlines. By providing short instructions or guidance with self-study tasks, students can be more focused and time efficient with their preparation. For example, if the students need to prepare a text, share questions or headlines which provide a structure for their reading and note-taking. 

Group work – working in groups can be stressful for neurodivergent students. If a student tells you they are finding group work challenging, ask for their suggestions; listen to Ivan Newman’s (see Point 6) suggestions for adapting group work and meet with a CTL consultant to discuss ways forward. For some, the opportunity to work independently or with a partner will be the best personal and pedagogic option.  

 

Assessment – students and teachers need to be able to rely on accommodations being properly and consistently implemented in course assessments. If a student has shared their neurodiversity registration and associated accommodations with you, check that this information is also shared with the relevant assessment administrator, avoid valuable information falling through the cracks.  

 

 

Resources for teachers and leaders on supporting students with neurodiversities 

These resources provide further guidance on how to support students with neurodiversities. 

‘Guidance for Higher Education on Students with physical or mental learning disabilities’ (Danish or English) published by the Danish Centre for Educational Environment (DCUM). This guidance provides descriptions of a wide range of neurodiversities including how they can affect the student’s engagement with learning and academic processes and recommendations for institutional and course-level practice.  

The  guide from the Higher Education and Research Ministry (UFR) is only available in Danish Bedre vilkår for studerende med funktionsnedsættelser. The document includes a wide range of suggestions for supporting higher education students with neurodiversities.  

The Neurodiversity Hub offers a collection of resources curated from international higher education institutions all designed to enable universities to better support students with neurodiversities.  

 ‘Exploring the landscape of neurodiversity support in Danish higher education’, held at KU in March 2024. A compilation of workshop presentations and resources shared by staff, students and researchers at the workshop. 
Responsible for this month's newsletter

Donna Hurford

Editing was completed: 31.10.2024