Student Affairs NOW Your Kid Belongs Here: Navigating Neurodivergence for Parents, Faculty, and Staff
Dec 17, 2025
Katie Pryal dives into the world of neurodivergence, exploring how societal norms often exclude neurodivergent individuals. She emphasizes a shift from viewing neurodivergence as a deficit to recognizing it as a valuable difference that enhances learning. The conversation covers practical strategies for faculty to create more inclusive classrooms, the importance of flexible grading, and fostering varied participation. Personal anecdotes highlight the challenges and strengths of neurodivergent students, urging a reevaluation of traditional educational practices.
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Diagnosis Sparked A Broader Inquiry
- Katie Pryal found her late autism and ADHD diagnosis after her children's diagnoses prompted self-reflection and testing.
- She traced exclusion of her six-year-old from a swim team to institutional norms, not the child's behavior.
The Individual Attention Fallacy
- The "individual attention fallacy" blames disabled people for taking too much teacher attention while ignoring teachers' choices.
- Faculty often spend attention enforcing irrelevant norms rather than redesigning courses to reduce micromanagement.
Identity-First Language Matters
- Shifting language from "has autism" to "I am autistic" reframes neurodivergence as identity rather than a detached diagnosis.
- This identity-first framing emphasizes both strengths and struggles as integral to a person.