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Neurodivergent individuals face unique challenges across various educational settings, and their experiences are often shaped by the level of support and understanding they receive. From early childhood education to higher education, the impact of educational environments on neurodiverse individuals can vary significantly, with many facing systemic barriers that hinder their academic success and personal development.
In Neurodiversity Through the Educational Years, Lucie Wheeler brings together the voices and experiences of neurodivergent individuals, from infancy to young adulthood, across a spectrum of educational settings. Each chapter offers insights through personal accounts, supported by the authors expert analysis, to highlight both effective practices and areas needing improvement. The study is organised within the educational phases of the Early Years, Primary, Secondary, Further Education and Higher Education, and covers mainstream, special, alternative provisions, home education, and more. Through these firsthand accounts, supplemented by literature, Wheeler’s work champions a systemic, inclusive approach over a reductionist or diagnosis-based perspective, focusing instead on the strengths and challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals. The unique focus on lived experiences provides an invaluable resource for understanding how educational systems can evolve to be more supportive and neuroaffirming.
Providing educators, policymakers, parents, and educational advocates with essential insights, this work is an invaluable resource for fostering inclusive systems that fully support all learners. By combining lived experience with practical insights, the author offers strategies to create more inclusive, responsive educational environments.
Lucie Wheeler is a Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University, UK. Her research focuses on child development and early years education. Her specialist areas are in home and alternative forms of education, SEND and neurodiversity, and she is currently studying for a PhD on the Home Educator Identity.
Foreword; Sarah Wall
Introduction; Lucie Wheeler and Sarah Wall
Chapter 1. If Only We Knew Sooner: Late or Missed Identification of Needs
Chapter 2. Hiding in Plain Sight: Masking, Compliance, and Invisibility
Chapter 3. Beyond “Naughty”: Behaviour Misinterpreted as Defiance
Chapter 4. Alone in the Crowd: Friendship Struggles and Loneliness
Chapter 5. The Teacher Lottery: Inconsistency of Support and Teacher Understanding
Chapter 6. Brick Walls and Closed Doors: Systemic Barriers and Battles
Chapter 7. Bruises You Can’t See: Impact on Mental Health
Chapter 8. Thriving Outside the Box: Effectiveness of Alternative and Flexible Pathways
Chapter 9. Parents on the Frontline: Parental Advocacy and Emotional Labour
Chapter 10. Points of Collapse: Transitional Flashpoints
Beyond Coping: Rebuilding Education for Neurodivergent Learners