Learning about neurodiversity should be a baseline of education

Today, 15-20 % of children are born with or are diagnosed with traits considered neurodivergent. Yet, across the world, there is still a widespread lack of awareness and acceptance of neurodivergent conditions across the spectrum, which leads directly to bullying or insensitive behavior. In lieu of these risks, many neurodivergent teens and youth learn to mask their conditions in a way that can sometimes harm their development or self-esteem to adapt to society’s expectations. 

Most people begin with a rudimentary understanding and sometimes a baseline of respect for neurodivergent conditions, without a formal education or presentation on the range of the topic. This understanding, unfortunately, is far from enough to understand what people with different conditions across the spectrum are going through and how they would like to be treated by others. Around the world, schools are already attempting to solve this issue with curricula like LEANS, a comprehensive, 7-unit lesson plan spanning weeks, which sets aside time to teach students about neurodivergent conditions and how to be aware of them. 

The goal of curricula like these is to help students become members of society who do not discriminate against, patronize, or infantilize neurodivergent conditions and to allow their fellow students to experience less bullying derived from misunderstanding. The curriculum covers the aspects of neurodivergence, such as how symptoms might manifest, how neurodivergent people see the world, and how they approach social situations. Understanding all of these topics becomes the first step towards students, children, teens, and adults accepting those around them.

While LEANS is an especially detailed example of such a curriculum, there are multitudes of shorter and still helpful alternatives. School assemblies or regular presentations around these lessons would all help garner awareness for the fifth of the global population suffering from a lack of awareness from those around them.