Cath Dyson
Cath Dyson explores the complexity of autism and ADHD in the education setting.
Being neurodivergent with one or more co- occurring conditions is very common. According to the 2023 New Zealand Household Disability Survey, two percent of children over five years old have been diagnosed with autism and three percent of children over five have been diagnosed with ADHD (Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, n.d. – a). However, it is difficult to source statistics on the number of people with a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD.
In my role as an RTLB (Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour) I frequently work with students who have co-occurring autism and ADHD diagnoses. Indeed, two of my three children have this dual diagnosis, as do I. Navigating the complexity of autism and ADHD is challenging and, often, the education space is where our struggles are at their most prevalent. According to Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, 51% of disabled people (that’s 48,000 people) have at least one unmet need in terms of educational support (Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, n.d. – b). Examples of these needs vary, but include a range of options, from access to assistive technology to requiring adapted learning tasks.
Being Autistic and ADHD can mean experiencing significant challenges in the school setting. There are some overlaps between the two forms of neurodivergence, such as sensory challenges, but how these are shown and supported can be quite different. Often ADHD students seek sensory stimuli (sensory seeking behaviour), and Autistic students often avoid it (sensory avoiding behaviour). This can cause great (or immense) tension for a student who has conflicting sensory needs. Abby, mum of two boys who are both Autistic/ADHD, notes that one of her boys often makes a lot of noise, but cannot handle when it is coming from another source. This can cause conflict with peers. Having a quiet place to do their work helps Abby’s boys focus on the task at hand. Kathryn, a teacher in Nelson, ensures her neurodivergent students’ sensory needs are met through having a calm corner in her classroom, along with providing noise-cancelling headphones and fidget toys for those students who need them. Michelle McLeod, SENCO at Nelson Christian Academy, encourages teachers to facilitate brain breaks for their neurodivergent students, along with access to the swings when they need it. Michelle ensures that learning assistants are available to support students at assembly time. Rather than ‘making’ them go to assembly (a common school activity which has the potential to cause sensory overload for Autistic/ ADHD students), learning assistants take students to the swings. Meeting these students’ sensory needs means that the students are more likely to go back to their classroom in an emotionally regulated and calm way – which is exactly what we want for both students and their teachers!
Social challenges, whilst commonly linked to autism, are also present with ADHD. The neurotypical social world can be puzzling for Autistic/ADHD students. The unstructured and unpredictable jungle of the playground can be a huge source of frustration and, at times, distress. The challenges with executive function (decision making, sequencing, prioritising and critical thinking) are exacerbated for Autistic/ADHD students. Learning can be incredibly hard if accessing the ‘thinking’ brain is not always possible.
Despite the challenges there are some things that can make a huge difference to the school experience for Autistic/ADHD students. Abby says the key thing is structured support at school: “A typical day is full of highs and lows, there is not a lot of middle ground”, so having structured time is key for both boys. Time blindness is amplified with some Autistic/ADHD students, so ensuring they have support with time management is essential. This could be a visual timetable (both at home and school), a timer or ‘blocks’ of time crossed off on a piece of paper. The best strategy is the one that works for the student. This kind of support promotes emotional regulation; supporting/allowing the student to ‘see’ how long is left of a class or activity can reduce potential heightening of emotions.
Meeting the needs of Autistic/ADHD students has to come from ‘the top down’. That is, a school’s senior leadership team has to recognise that neurodivergent students (as do all students) have the right to have their particular needs met. At Hampden Street School in Nelson, a sensory room has been funded to give those students who need it the space to meet their sensory needs. As the LSC (Learning Support Coordinator), Tracy McLaren, says: “Our senior leadership team is amazing. We now have ‘Huka Falls’, which is a sensory space designed to promote students’ emotional regulation.”
A whole-school approach to inclusive practice is also something that senior leaders can invest in. The recently launched Ministry of Education Inclusive Design Modules are designed to be applied as a whole-school approach, driven by a school’s senior leadership team (Te Kete Ipurangi, n.d.). In addition to this, PLD (professional learning and development) can be delivered to the whole school staff or a select group. This year in my role as an RTLB I am working with learning assistants at Nelson Christian Academy and Waimea College, delivering regular PLD around meeting the needs of neurodivergent students.
A key area of challenge for Autistic/ADHD students is transition: both large-scale transition from school to beyond school and smaller transitions, such as task-to-task or subject-to-subject. Achieving predictability and routine, structure, and relational safety in a secondary setting can be particularly hard for students. As Waimea College’s SENCO Ali Browning acknowledges, it is bigger picture thinking that is needed: “Multi-agency support is often required to provide a holistic lens to support a student’s transition.” With smaller students need to be forewarned and reminded frequently prior to the move between tasks/ subjects to ensure they are prepared. Ali uses two common strategies together: the ‘When/ Then’ structure in a picture format, e.g. When maths is over, then I go to the library. She makes up a key ring which has each subject presented visually: “The idea is to support the student to take this out in the last 10 minutes of each period to give them warning of what is coming”.
“People I have spoken to working in this space all agree that strategies which support neurodivergent students are actually best practice for all students.”
A snapshot of these strategies are:
- Setting high expectations for each student
- Creating a predictable, routine-driven classroom with clear expectations
- Encouraging teachers to be relational i.e., have the teacher/student relationship at the forefront of their mind, knowing that for students to learn they have to feel safe
- Prioritising the home/school partnership: parents/whānau know their children best and can guide understanding of what works for their children
- Making learning accessible: use an inclusive design approach, which will ensure each student’s needs are met and all students experience success
- Adopting a team approach, sometimes requiring external specialist support e.g., RTLB.
Autistic/ADHD students can bring a unique perspective to any classroom. If nurtured they will flourish. As mum Abby says: “My child is unique, creative and quirky, he is so much fun, he often surprises us with his ‘out of the box’ thinking”. If educators can harness the strengths of neurodivergent students, we will be setting them up for a successful pathway. As Dame Whina Cooper said, “Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take care of what they feel. For how our children grow so will be the shape of Aotearoa” (Wootton, n.d).
Cath Dyson hails from the UK – Yorkshire, to be precise. Now settled in sunny Nelson as an RTLB (Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour), she works with teachers, SENCOs, LSCs, school leaders, whānau and students, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience around neurodiversity.
References
ADHD New Zealand. (n.d.). Co-morbidities. https://www.adhd.org.nz/co-morbidities. html
New Zealand Ministry of Health. (2024). Briefing overview on neurodiversity (H2024036865). https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2024-08/h2024036865- briefing-overview-on-neurodiversity.pdf
NZ Herald. (2024). Kiwis with autism and ADHD say health response slow, out-of-date and stigmatising. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kiwis-with- autism-and-adhd-say-health-response-slow-out-of-date-and-stigmatising/ DMSWOPRUEZOXHQTYMKRBC6BMH4/
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People. (n.d.- a). 17 percent of New Zealanders are disabled. https://www.whaikaha.govt.nz/news/news/17-percent-of-new-zealanders- are-disabled
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People. (n.d.- b). Key insights into disabled people in education. https://www.whaikaha.govt.nz/news/news/key-insights-into-disabled- people-in-education
Wootton, S. (n.d.). A picture paints a thousand words. Corpus: Conversations about Medicine and Life. https://corpus.nz/picture-paints-thousand-words/