Imagine you’re a student and for you, school feels like a constant uphill battle. It could be that you lose things, forget assignments and are easily distracted, no matter how hard you try. Maybe reading feels like constantly navigating a confusing and frustrating landscape, where words and letters jump around and refuse to make sense. Numbers may seem more like a foreign language you can’t master and the analog clock on the wall is an unsolvable mystery, so you never know how much time you have left for your work. You feel like you are always letting yourself and others down. You spend a lot of time pretending you’re just like the other kids in your class and it’s exhausting. You dread being called on by your teacher and your anxiety is impacting your well-being.
These are just a few examples of what school feels like to the 1 in 5 students with neurodivergent conditions, such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. Working in environments poorly suited to how they learn is stressful and we know that stress negatively impacts learning. So, how do we help schools create learning spaces where every student feels safe, valued and able to reach their full potential?
One of the reasons classrooms are often a poor fit for neurodivergent learners is that research and practice up to now has frequently addressed neurodivergent traits as deficits and measured the progress of neurodivergent individuals by the reduction in these traits. This often leads to masking behavior in neurodivergent students, which can be physically and emotionally exhausting.
An inclusive education model brings neurodivergent students into classrooms with their peers, emphasizing strengths over shortcomings. It prioritizes the voices of neurodivergent students and adopts diversity-affirming practices. However, there’s little research to guide educators on how technology can best support it, making it hard to know how to effectively combine teaching strategies and tech to support neurodivergent learners.
SMART Technologies partnered with the University of Melbourne to launch a research project to understand how technology can support neurodivergent learners in inclusive classrooms. What started as a mission to create happy and safe learning experiences for all learners grew into a global initiative to uncover the technology-based interventions that have the biggest impact on neurodivergent learners. The project was designed to better understand the benefits and challenges neurodivergent children face in inclusive classroom settings when engaging with technology by providing them space to share their experiences and opinions with researchers, educators, and policymakers.
Lead researcher Matt Harrison explains the significance of this effort: “At this global shift towards inclusive education, there is a compelling need to reimagine how digital technologies can be positioned as transformative learning tools. As schools strive to dismantle barriers that have historically marginalized neurodivergent students, digital technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to create environments where all learners feel safe, valued, and excited to participate.”
The research team led an exploratory case study across six schools in Australia, using a strength-based lens to explore how technology impacts neurodivergent learners. Researchers gathered insights from students, teachers, and administrators through observations and interviews. Crucially, they sought feedback directly from neurodivergent students, centering their lived experiences to shape findings.
The results highlighted the value technology brings to inclusive classrooms when combined with inclusive teaching practices. It enables personalized learning pathways without overburdening teachers. It can provide students with a safe space to practice and explore ideas before sharing them with the class. Digital platforms can scaffold learning, fostering both independence and collaboration among students. For example, visual aids and interactive apps help teachers present information in ways that resonate with unique learning needs. Student needs are not the same day to day, or sometimes even hour to hour. Technology provides students with the ability to access the tools they need in the moment to interact with and showcase their mastery of the learning. Classroom technologies like SMART Boards offer flexibility, allowing educators to meet learners where they are.
As Harrison states, “This research highlights the importance of amplifying the voices of all stakeholders, especially students, whose lived experiences are too often overshadowed by those of teachers, researchers, and parents. By centering the perspectives of both students and educators, this study provided a nuanced understanding of how digital tools can scaffold learning, promote inclusion, and enrich the overall school experience for neurodivergent students.”
SMART believes every student deserves a classroom that connects them to the future they envision, and every teacher deserves the tools to make it possible. Explore evidence-based strategies and technology that empower educators to create inclusive, impactful learning environments. Visit go.smarttech.com/en/inclusive-impact to shape the future of education today.
