
THEME: Sigrid from Counselling and Study Support gives her perspective on how students with neurodiversities experience teaching at SDU
Interview with Sigrid Rytz, Counselling and Study Support, SDU
Please explain what your role is at SDU
I work in Counselling and Study Support (part of SDU Education). We are a counselling unit with a central perspective. We counsel all students at SDU in relation to well-being, study techniques, academic practice, doubts, etc. We often guide students to the right assistance depending on their problems, e.g., SPS support. The students don’t need to know in advance, if it’s really us they need to talk to - they don’t have to meet any requirements to approach us.
Could you share some more about your role supporting students with neurodiversities?
I talk to all kinds of students, including those who have neurodiversities (ADHD, anxiety, autism, etc.). My role is to look at the student as a whole person, regardless of the diagnosis - maybe the student then needs to be guided to SPS support, where the focus is on the diagnosis.
Two things I talk to students about are study techniques and academic practice - how to crack the code for going to university. Starting university can be difficult, regardless of whether you have a diagnosis or not, but sometimes my counselling can help pinpoint issues such as anxiety, depression, or ADHD that the student needs to see a doctor about.
Please share a couple of examples of challenges from teaching and learning or assessment situations at SDU, that you have heard students with neurodiversities talk about
I often hear that it’s difficult to be present at university. Many students with neurodiversitites are particularly sensitive to external stimuli such as sounds, of which there can be a lot of in a teaching situation. A lot of the students have social challenges, that cause them to use enormous amounts of energy when socialising and engaging with many people. It’s called masking — which means behaving in a neurotypical way. It takes effort, because you must constantly monitor your own behaviour to appear ‘normal’.
How can teachers at SDU support students with neurodiversities?
They can make sure to be informed and enlightened about neurodiversitites, and how it can affect students with ADHD, anxiety, autism, etc. In reality, it’s about being equipped to accommodate all types of students.
Specifically, the teacher could begin their teaching by asking if there are students who need extra consideration, and encourage them to either tell them or write an email about it. It can give the students a sense of security to know that the masking doesn't have to be as strong in the relationship with the teacher.
What strategies would you recommend SDU implements at institutional or faculty level to support students with neurodiversities?
Firstly, I recommend that teachers invite students with neurodiversitites to a meeting to talk about how having neurodiversities affects their lives. A meeting like this could give the teachers a better understanding of living with a diagnosis, but also give the students a better understanding of how difficult it is to create teaching, that takes everything into account.
Secondly, I would recommend that SDU gets a room where the students can take a break—a kind of safe space, where the students know, that everyone with access to the room has challenges like themselves. In there, students can calm down, recharge their batteries, and let go of the mask for a while—where it’s not strange if you lie down with your eyes closed, or if you’re stimming by yourself.
Thirdly, I wish we could have a unit like Syddansk Elite, which helps elite athletes organise their education and takes care of many of the administrative processes in this connection. Similarly, students with neurodiversities could benefit from a coordinator who acts as a single point of contact to help them apply for exemptions, check the layout of the classroom, etc.