A Neurodiverse journey in Education

Neurodiverse Journey in Education - a book

A passage from the book

Neurodiversity in Education,

An autistic child's journey through mainstream school

The book is available from Amazon - click here

The Introduction

I started writing while I was a teaching assistant in a school, but even before this time, I witnessed children falling through the attainment gap due tothe the lack of neurodiversity in education system. They didn’t fit the criteria laid down by the school that would qualify them for the support of a classroom assistant or one-to-one support in the classroom. Funding did not permit this. The sad thing is that there is a kaleidoscope of talent, skills and personalities who walk through our school doors and go largely unrecognised. 

Many successful people say it’s better to use our time and talent to work on

our strengths rather than our weaknesses because that’s what makes us unique,

that’s the reason we are here.

A child’s inability to learn will rarely be due to their behaviour, motivation

or compliance, which often seem like the same thing. The fact is that children

may simply not be able to process the information presented to them. School

work is assessed on ‘ability’, measured by what teachers observe and by how

fast someone processes information. This, however, is not a measure of

their intelligence. Being able to write at a certain age is not an indication of

Intelligence.

Many clever dyslexics struggle to read

There are clever ADHD children who struggle to sit and focus

Some clever Autistic children take time to process information.

These things are not a measure of their intelligence. However, in the

education system, children are assessed by work in exercise books and how

they show up.

Our Children’s Mental Health

We cram children with knowledge, putting them under increasing pressure

to succeed, ignoring their individuality, emotions and unique mentality. The Academies have invested so much in teaching that they have missed the point

of what employers really want: emotionally balanced adults. Meanwhile, the

Academies compete to see how many students they can have accepted each

year into the country’s universities.

I have had issues with my son’s education for most of his school life. I have

witnessed the emotional cost of a misunderstood child who asked for help and

who was left behind because no one listened or took the time to find out what

his particular needs were, this quiet boy who loved learning and had plans to

do a job that included his great love, science.

But this book is about more than my son; it could be about hundreds of

children who have been failed by the education system. There are so many

parents out there trying to get support for their children. I am by no means

the only one in this situation. Children who seem unable to cope or fit into

the system will not fulfil their potential and end up with mental health issues

because they have been denied control over their learning or lives.

This neurodiverse journey in education is not unique.