Neurodiversity

Welcome to our newsletter!

I will share information related to giftedness as well as insights into learning at Vanguard.

Are you noticing the terms Neurodiversity and Neurodivergent are popping up all over and wondering why?

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for the differences in how our brains process information. The differences in the way people think and learn offer every group a rich array of ideas for discussions, the creation of new products, and solutions to problems. So what’s new? The acceptance that we all have neurological differences and that they come with positive and negative attributes. Again, you may say so what?

Think of the natural neurodiversity of students in a classroom. We now realize that there is not just one best way to present learning. Unlike in the past, when lecturing was the universal teaching strategy, and students all had to adapt or drop out, teachers are trying to offer an array of learning options based on their knowledge of their students. Importantly, as we respect the neurodiversity in our classrooms, achievement objectives should not be the same for all students! The next step is for educators, all the way to those creating state assessments, to realize student achievement can also be better evidenced with a variety of options. Timed scantron multiple choice testing is not going to accurately assess every child’s achievement.

The term neurodivergent is more specific, referring to an individual or group who have a neurological function that places them outside the range of the general population. Some divergent brain functions include dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism, ADHD, giftedness, and 2e. These diagnoses identify groups with common neuro-traits that do not fade with age and can’t be eliminated with treatment. The best way to serve neurodivergent people is through the development of strategies that enable them to get past challenges and reveal their strengths.

Let’s return to the classroom. The general array of learning options may not be enough for neurodivergent children. First, their needs need to be identified. Then teachers need to have some accommodations available as well as being open to the accommodation ideas of the child and or parents. Based on the success or failure when using the accommodations, the children develop a “toolbox” of strategies that enables them to get past the challenging area and demonstrate the required level of achievement. Embracing the neurodivergent child means understanding that the use of strategies does not impact the value of their work and or any assessments.

You may have noticed gifted and 2e children are neurodivergent. So why are their needs overlooked? Perhaps it is because of the adjectives used in their diagnosis: gifted, talented, twice-exceptional, etc. Unlike other diagnoses, these terms are perceived as positive and, therefore, do not seem to indicate a need for any accommodation. This neurodivergent group, whose neurological differences include learning more quickly and with more depth than age-level peers, is still expected to wait patiently to learn while doing repetitive work, helping peers learn, or working independently on a project.

I hope this has offered you some insights on these new terms popping up in education. If you are interested in more information, check out www.Neurodiversity.University. This is a new and developing online source for professionals and parents alike interested in neurodiversity.

At Vanguard

Our students are excited to be together again! This year, they are exploring new curricula, including Spanish and robotics. While our newly formed robotics team is preparing for its first competition, we are very excited to have two of our students teaming up to represent the United States in the WRO world championship competition in Denmark!

The traveling students have been sharing pictures and news since they left. As we wait for the results of the competition in Denmark, there have been some very interesting discussions around the topic of winning and losing. I don’t know about your gifted children, but Vanguard students tend to see winning and losing as black or white. During the course of learning games and participating in outdoor activities, we are continually coaching them in defining winning and losing in different situations and how to accept the results gracefully. So it was not surprising when, after seeing the boys at their competition, the morning meeting turned to the topic of winning and losing.

As the students spoke, our discussion included all of the challenges the boys encountered along the way to this championship and the value of the journey. Our students appreciated that having made it to the world event already made our USA team winners! Soon, our fun-loving math students started to calculate the odds of winning, which were far smaller than the chances of losing. This perspective led the discussion down the path of willingness to take a risk. If you want to compete with a large group of people, the chance of losing is much better than the chance to win. As you may experience with your gifted child, gifted students generally are risk-averse. Next came questions about risk tolerance. We noted each of them had to be willing to risk losing in Denmark.

This is fifteen minutes in the life at Vanguard! It is so important for gifted children to have discussions like this! They need opportunities to hear diverse ideas, discuss various aspects of a situation, and relate it to their own personal preferences. This prepares them for life!

Enjoy the journey with your gifted child,

Elizabeth