When it comes to preparing our education system for neurodiverse students, the level of involvement can vary and might not always produce the intended results.

Courtney Teague, Deputy Director of Internal Professional Learning & Coaching and Chief Culture Officer for CLT & Associates, discusses the importance of identifying neurodiversity in the classroom and preparing neurodiverse students for a successful future.

Teague will be a presenter at Tech & Learning’s upcoming EdExec Summit, the three-day networking conference dedicated to the business of education taking place Sep 11-13 at the Chateau Elan Winery & Resort outside of Atlanta. She will be presenting “Reaching All Learners: Neurodiversity, Accessibility and Access for All.”

Preparing a System that Caters to Neurodiversity

Our neurodiverse student population deserves to have proper representation in order to accurately prepare them for a successful future. Recently, we have become more sensitive to children’s needs and challenges, but we can always do more to help everyone navigate neurodiversity.

“We know that with neurodiversity, if you’re working with someone that may have ADHD or somebody that has another exceptionality, they may need certain accommodations,” says Teague. “Do you offer those accommodations for them? For example, I have ADHD. I am high energy in the morning, but if you force me to sit in meetings all morning and then in the afternoon you tell me I need to work and produce a product, you’re actually going to lose money because it’s going to take me longer in the evening to get that product produced than it would have in the morning when my energy was high.”

Recognizing how neurodiversity presents itself can help to create more effective accommodations.

“When we think about our systems and how we set up for programs and projects, are we responsive to that?” says Teague. “If you have someone that may have autism, they might not be able to be in a space with all of their teammates at that moment. They might need time to settle in. When I’m thinking about the school teachers, thinking about people that work in a district office, do they offer choice and flexibility? Or do you push everyone into a room and say, ‘We all have to sit in this room together’?

Offering choice is one of the best ways to have students feel comfortable and welcomed in a classroom. It might seem like a natural thing to do, but in some cases there might need to be a heightened sense of preparedness to make sure teachers are ready for their students.

Making Sure Neurodiverse Hires Are Catered To As Well 

Young people who see themselves in those they look up may adopt those individuals as role models, so having neurodiverse teachers is critical. But how do we ensure we’re making an environment that gives neurodiverse teachers the best opportunity to be successful? Teague suggests that embracing a partnership approach between administrators and neurodiverse teachers should be the goal.

“As the leader, the administrator, or the superintendent, we’re asking what you need to be successful,” says Teague. “Let’s see if what you need is what we are able to provide and it’s not disrupting the system.”

It’s also critical to have inclusive hiring practices in place, as well as other support. “Let’s make sure the people that are in the space doing the work have the professional development and implementation support needed around neurodiversity so they are aware and making that environment supportive,” says Teague.

Making inclusive policies for neurodiverse hires can create a trickle-down effect for teachers and students.

“When we think about how our students who have diverse learning needs, we want teachers to differentiate,” Teague says. “We want teachers to personalize learning. Why not keep that same practice at the district level? So now, you have a greater impact because teachers are able to develop empathy because they’re receiving it from the district. This means when it’s time for them to do it in the classroom, there’s a culture of support.”

Can AI Play a Part in Supporting Neurodiversity? 

With the boom in artificial intelligence, more companies are leveraging the technology to create ways teachers can connect with students. But is it really as simple as adding a program to a classroom environment to cater to students with neurodiverse needs?

“For myself, I can leverage AI when I support my coaching clients and do training,” Teague says. “I know how to develop plans utilizing prompts with AI. When we think about AI, there are different types. Think about behavior tracking that helps relationship building, where if you know that you have a student with a diverse need and certain triggers, you can utilize AI to track that. So, as a teacher, I may spend a little more time with a student if AI realizes a change in his behavior patterns. But in order to leverage AI, you have to also understand how to make data-informed decisions. There are some competencies that you need. Digital literacy is one, but you need to know the basics of classroom management, data-informed decision-making, and relationship-building.”

Preparing neurodiverse classrooms for success can be done in many ways. Getting involved at the leadership level can be the most impactful way as it creates a culture of inclusion for a district or a school. This helps teachers, and their students, and prepares them for a positive professional life.

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• Using AI and Robots To Build Social Connections For All Students

When Rebecca Ramnauth talks about AI and robots, she doesn’t speak about whether they will replace human tasks or facilitate more efficient teaching and learning. Instead, she discusses the ways in which AI and robots can help us better connect with one another as humans. 

A doctoral candidate working at the Yale Social Robotics Lab in Connecticut, Ramnauth has dedicated her career to building robots as tools for understanding how people work. A key part of her research is studying how robots and AI can be used to support people better in general, but specifically people with autism. 

Ramnauth discussed her work and this promising branch of AI and robotics research as the keynote speaker at the NYC Schools Tech Summit 2024 in March. In a followup interview, she shares what inspired her interest, the success the work has had so far, and the implications for educators. 

Using AI and Robots To Help Students With Autism: A Personal Connection 

Ramnauth’s interest in this field was inspired by her younger sister, who has been diagnosed with autism. 

“I saw how she grew up, and some of the difficulties that she faced,” Ramnauth says. “Making friends looks different for her. Things that we take for granted, like engaging in small talk, or going on a date, or being interrupted by an alarm, or an ambulance running across the street — these are everyday situations, but she sees the world very differently in each of those contexts.” 

Inspired by her sister, Ramnauth decided to study ways in which socially assistive robot education tools might be developed. This was an ambitious undertaking as most assistive technology research has focused on physical assistance. Ramnauth and her colleagues, however, are making great strides when it comes to social assistance. 

A Pilot Study Full of Promise  

One area that Ramnauth decided to look in was eye contact, which can be something many with autism struggle to maintain. 

In a small pilot study, Ramnauth and colleagues loaned robots to children with autism and their parents in Connecticut. “The robot did something very simple, it just looked at the child, waited until the child made eye contact, and then looked at the parent and then looked back at the child,” Reamnauth says. “The idea was that the robot would be modeling attention sharing, and that, hopefully, the child would look at the robot and then turn to look at their parent and be willing to engage in some sort of conversation.”

Ramnauth and her fellow researchers found that the children who received the robots engaged in more natural and spontaneous conversations with their family, and that these interactions were statistically significant. 

This was remarkable, Ramnauth says, given that the robots were fairly basic: essentially screens with eyes that could swivel. The robots also only utilized basic AI technology for facial recognition.

Next Steps For Research

This pilot study was small with only 30 participants, and it's hard to make sweeping generalizations, yet the results are compelling enough to suggest future areas of research. 

“It's a large enough sample size to say something about how we should design technology and that there is a potential for this technology to be useful,” Ramnauth says. “These are interesting enough outcomes that there are clinicians who are starting to pay attention to this technology.” 

She adds that after the success of this project they’ve heard from various institutions looking to use these robots, including a pediatric center to interact with kids who are experiencing lots of stress as well as a school in Brooklyn working with various children with different needs. “They’re building a sensory room for their ICT classroom,” she says, which will be a space where students can go and detox from the traditional learning environment. "But [they said], ‘We want something there that's not just toys. We want something that engages them and kind of lights their brain up in a way that toys or books just can't.’” 

Other Opportunities For Robots In Schools  

The educational implications of AI-powered robots to connect socially with students and facilitate learning go beyond Ramnauth’s specific research. Previous research has found that children respond to robots in a similar way they would to other social interactions as long the robot has eyes and moves in the world physically, Ramnauth says. The types of social interactions robots that meet these requirements can provide are extensive. 

“We've done studies that range from teaching deaf infants sign language to teaching English to non-native English speakers, or just basic classroom instruction, like teaching math skills or reading skills,” Ramnauth says. 

Additionally, robots can facilitate more than just subject matter learning. “The thing that I find more interesting is the social implications," Ramnauth says. "It can encourage the quietest kid in the classroom to speak up more when there's a robot in her group. Or there's a lot more teamwork. We've seen students be far more likely to ask for help when they see a robot ask for help.” 

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Offering a wide variety of experiences and enrichment activities in and out of the classroom for students of all abilities is key to leveling the playing field. Esports, in particular, can provide engaging opportunities to help all students build skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving. 

Dr. Janet Fike, superintendent of the Morris-Union Jointure Commission in New Jersey, as well as her passionate team (including Evan Abramson and Denise Smallacomb) at the Development Learning Center of Warren, discuss adding esports to the Center’s impressive offerings for students with autism and autistic-like behavior. 

 Esports & Autism: If You Build It, They Will Benefit!

It is one thing to create innovative programming that can be adapted for students of all abilities, but inspired by a dream of what could be, Fike’s team put their grant money where their mouth was and built an esports arena to give students the full experience.

“We were the grateful recipients of a $50,000 grant and whenever we get donations, we like to put it to purposeful things we can remember, that are evergreen and last forever,” says Fike. “We started to talk about building a dream—building an esports arena. Last summer we opened this amazing facility. All typical kids play, the goal was to be able to give the students an option for something that’s normal.”

It was this type of progressive thinking and belief in students that led to the country’s first arena dedicated to esports for kids with autism and autistic-like behaviors. 

“There are so many things people think our students can’t do, so they are immediately discounted,” says Fike. “But some of our students are very fluent in technology and became enthusiastically involved in the project. For me it became a leveler. Our kids can compete. It’s been wonderful. Our kids proved all the naysayers wrong, as they often do. If we listen to naysayers, we are never going to be better than we are. We didn’t and I credit it to Evan Abramson who kept saying. ‘We can do it, they can do it!’”

A Dreamer Become a Designer 

New to the district, Abramson had no preconceptions about what could or couldn’t be done and fully believed in the students from his earliest days. 

“He bonded with students and talked with them—they already knew the lingo and he kept telling them we are going to build this and the kids got so excited,” says Fike. “The important thing is we can’t listen to people who say our kids can’t do things. We have to keep pushing that envelope.”

“They jumped in immediately,” says Abramson. “We had to first get our staff to believe our students were capable. We approached the teachers first and got them excited about the program. We brought them out to a college esports to actually play so they could see what was possible. Once they believed, we had each teacher bring their kids up into the lab. Certain students would be really successful, some would be okay, some it just wasn’t a fit which is fine and what we expected.”

The district averages 60 to 65 students coming into the arena on a weekly basis. 

“A lot of people told us we were crazy when we started doing this, that we had no idea what we were doing,” says Fike. “We heard a lot of ‘they can’t do it’, what are you thinking, it’s a waste of money. We just quietly said, ‘We’ll see, just watch us.’”

Start Small for Success 

An important element of successfully rolling out the esports program was to involve all students in the effort, regardless of age or level. After all, even MLB players don’t walk into a 30,000 seat stadium to first try their hand. 

The district has two buildings, one serving PreK-5 and the other grade 6 and up, which is where the arena was built.

“We built a “training center” in the PreK-5 building,” says Abramson. “We wanted to get our students building those soft skills involved in being on a team from a younger age— teamwork, communication—skills they might not typically get to do on a daily basis. In the training center, we use Nintendo Switches. They are playing collectively on a much smaller scale so when they do go to the Warren arena, they are ready to go in and play.”

This approach allows the district to prepare students for a future comfortable experience in the larger arena, devoid of too much stimuli which could be distracting or create a stressful environment. Younger students who are excelling can also visit the large arena.

It Takes a Village to Build an Esports Program 

An integral part of DLC-Warren’s success has been partnering with others in their own community and others. 

“Denise has connected with other schools in the area who have esports teams and they come over and engage with our students,” says Fike. “This is right in so many elements. And our students can finally go home and do something that their typical sibling engages in.”

“We never know what the potential of our students is until we try it,” says Smallacomb. “Society tends to not offer everything to all students equally, so we need to. It lets us see where a child’s interest lies, because it is very easy not to offer access to the same things as their peers. We can then see where they can go with it.”

Smallacomb says simply playing esports is not the only avenue to find success or enjoyment for students. Even if they can’t be fully independent in playing, they can watch a meet or take part in other ways. 

“There are so many careers related to esports and in the esports world,” says Smallacomb. “Our students can have a hard time being out in public or doing things with a lot of stimuli or unfamiliar people watching. What is really great about esports is they can produce a game or moderate a tournament from the comfort of their own home and environment. It’s perfect for our students, they can be successful in a way that feels good for them.”

The district is also trying to form a partnership with a local university who has video production equipment as well as connect with the local public school district discussing how students can write about matches in the school newspaper or learn about marketing of the team, with a goal of becoming a fully productive esports team. Being able to go into an arena at that university level and even watch it offers an excitement for students almost as much as actively playing it. 

“The conversations they have with each other when they are playing on the same team with each other, it's so gratifying to see,” says Smallacomb. “When our parents came in for the opening, the parents and siblings of the students eyes were really opened and you could see them almost tear up— it was the first time they could see their sibling as someone they could play with on the same level skillswise, exposing them to so many different avenues.”

“It’s all about innovation,” says Fike. “We don’t want our kids left behind, and if we continue to play Candyland and board games, it makes them look different from everyone else. We have been creative and tried to be innovative with not only esports—our kids do yoga and martial arts.”

Simply, they let the kids play. 

“They might do things differently, they might struggle in some areas where typical kids would not, but they can get there in their own way,” says Fike. “I see a lot of people buying into ‘they can’t do this.’ To listen to that would be taking away an opportunity for these students they will never have again to show what they can do.. We blew the stereotype out of the water and I am so proud of that.”

Dr. Janet Fike will be a presenter at Tech & Learning’s upcoming regional leadership summit in New Jersey.  

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Extraordinary Attorney Woo (or 이상한 변호사 우영우) is a hit South Korean TV drama currently streaming on Netflix. The 16-episode series features the story of Woo Young-woo (played by Park Eun-bin), a lawyer with “autism spectrum disorder,” as she navigates professional and personal situations while dealing with the challenges of autism. 

Woo has genius-level intelligence and a photographic memory, yet struggles to communicate, handle sensory input, and process emotion and intellectual nuance. She also is obsessed with whales, speaks and moves awkwardly, and has certain physical affectations and compulsive tendencies. Consequently, despite graduating law school with top honors, she is not able to find employment until Han Seon-young (Baek Ji-won), CEO of the high-powered Hanbada law firm, gives her an opportunity, which is where the show begins. (We’ll avoid spoilers as best we can!)

The feel-good, uplifting K-drama has become a global sensation, notching some of Netflix’s highest ratings ever for a non-English show. (All dialogue is in Korean with English subtitles.) The show has garnered high praise from autism advocates for Eun-bin’s realistic portrayal of an atypical young woman with autism as well as its respectful approach of presenting the challenges involved for a person on the spectrum, particularly in a nation that is not as progressive in accepting autism. (Eun-bin originally declined the role, citing concerns over playing a character with autism as she is not on the spectrum, and did not want to potentially offend those who are.)

As a parent of someone who has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum yet is academically high-achieving and also pursuing a career in law, the show resonates personally. In addition, there are many positive moments throughout the series that can provide lessons for anyone working with or teaching students with autism.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Autism is a Spectrum 

In an early episode, Woo’s law firm takes on the case of a young man with autism who is charged with assaulting his older brother. Woo is asked to join the defense team, specifically to help communicate with the defendant, whose autism manifests in severe communication and mental age challenges.

At first Woo is reluctant, noting that autism is a spectrum, and expecting her to somehow be able to communicate with someone very much unlike her despite a common diagnosis isn’t realistic. Nonetheless, Woo does find a unique way for her team to communicate with the young man who is obsessed with Pengsoo, a popular Korean animated character.  

Students with autism can present very differently, which can range from the academically gifted Woo to those who have significant difficulties learning. Just as with students without autism, trying different communication approaches until discovering the one that best connects with a specific student may often be necessary. One teaching style does not fit all those on the autism spectrum.

Be Open to Different Thought Processes 

At the beginning of the series, “rookie” attorney Woo is assigned to senior attorney Jung Myung-seok (Kang Ki-young), who is tasked with mentoring her. Very skeptical about Woo’s ability to be a competent attorney, Jung immediately goes to Han and demands to not be saddled with an attorney who has questionable social skills and cannot speak eloquently. Han points out Woo’s impeccable academic qualifications, saying, “If Hanbada doesn’t bring in such a talent, who will?” They agree to give Woo a case to determine if she is actually qualified for her position.

Despite her seemingly odd approach, Woo very quickly proves her legal expertise, dispelling Jung’s initial prejudices and assumptions. He formally apologizes, and as the series goes along, embraces Woo’s unorthodox thinking and solutions.

Many students with autism may focus on details before concepts, versus those without autism who may be more prone to top-down thinking. They may also have fewer challenges processing logic-based arguments while struggling with open-ended questions or understanding that there may be alternative perspectives or ways of thinking. Providing space and opportunity for divergent thinking is often necessary for students with autism. 

Kindness Matters 

One of Woo’s “rookie” colleagues at the law firm, Choi Su-yeo (Ha Yoon-kyung) is a former law school classmate. Although Choi is jealous of Woo’s legal expertise from their school days and is sometimes impatient with Woo’s autism-related challenges, she begrudgingly watches out for Woo, helping her through awkward moments and to navigate social interactions.

Because of Woo’s struggles to acknowledge the emotions and efforts of others, Choi assumes that her actions have gone unnoticed until she jokingly asks Woo to give her a nickname and discovers that Woo was paying attention the whole time. (Warning: Keep a tissue handy in case it gets dusty at your house like it does at mine whenever I watch this scene.)

Although students with autism may have a hard time processing their own feelings, that doesn’t mean they don’t notice how others treat them. Kindness, patience, and grace are necessary, and often deeply appreciated, if not articulated.

Kids on the Spectrum Are Still Kids 

Woo faces a lot of discrimination and outright hostility due to her autism, yet repeatedly tells her father and others that she just wants to be treated like everyone else. 

Enter the irrepressible Dong Geu-ra-mi (Joo Hyun-young). A true BFF, Dong sees Woo for who she is at her core, constantly supports and advises her, and even jokes with and good-naturedly teases her, all of which deepens their friendship. (Dong also has a special enthusiastic greeting with Woo.) In short, Dong is just Woo’s friend, with no special treatment involved. 

Woo repeatedly says she wants to be allowed to fail and make her own mistakes, and learn from it. Although many students with autism have special needs, they also have typical human needs. Balancing that line between making accommodations and treating someone on the spectrum like everyone else can be challenging but is critical to their overall success.

Some Days You’re Just Going to Have to Be Strong 

Although Woo constantly demonstrates internal strength and determination in working to overcome the challenges involved with her autism, maybe no one shows more fortitude throughout the series than her father, Woo Gwang-ho (Jeon Bae-soo). 

The elder Woo raises his daughter as a single father, a task hard enough under normal circumstances, let alone with a child on the spectrum. He makes her special meals, removes tags from clothes, helps her to learn to process emotions, and provides counsel and endless support. Woo’s autism often keeps her mind focused on herself, so he does much of this without appreciation, although that doesn’t deter him.

Of course, you expect a parent to have that kind of love for their child. Lee Jun-ho (Kang Tae-oh), a paralegal at Hanbada and Woo’s romantic interest, also demonstrates extraordinary strength throughout the series.

As Woo herself points out, dealing with and having feelings for someone like her who struggles with feelings can be very hard. Often Woo is blunt and doesn’t understand the nuances of a romantic relationship, forcing Lee into many potentially awkward moments. Despite his frustration at times, he is eternally patient and kind, and supports Woo in every way possible. For example, after witnessing a violent traffic accident, Woo goes into a sensory meltdown and Lee has to comfort her with an exceptionally tight hug. 

While that kind of actual physical strength is usually not necessary in a classroom, having a bottomless reservoir of patience and understanding for one student, especially when there are other students who all have their own needs as well, can be daunting some days. Reaching deep for that extra bit of strength can be a big ask, but remember that a student with autism is often already pushing hard to try and fit in. 

Or as Woo’s father says: “If you want good grades, study. If you want to lose weight, exercise. If you want to communicate, make an effort. Methods are always obvious. What's hard is accomplishing them.” Putting in the effort with a student on the autism spectrum often requires extra strength, but ultimately can provide extra satisfaction.

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While software systems and accessible and assistive tech often focuses on specific programs to help special needs students, the world of AV is making learning inclusive through innovative uses of existing features that benefit all students.

Leveling the Viewing Field

Not only do new tech features even the playing field when it comes to students being able to view and enjoy class materials, they can create a new learning space when used in out-of-the-box ways. One benefit of short throw or ultra short throw projectors like the Casio LampFree Laser/LED is the ability to ceiling mount the tech. When viewed on a wall or whiteboard, the educator can remain at the front of the class to ensure students are following the material, without distracting shadows marring the image. Expanded input/output and included WiFi adaptor allows educators to share materials without the need for students to leave their desks.

Reimagining the focus from the wall onto a table allows students with mobility, vision and attention issues to enjoy the lesson with their peers directly in their own workspace. Add an interactive projector to the mix during a geography or history lesson and you’ve given them the world, literally at their fingertips. The tech’s ability to project onto anything means other benefits. It eliminates the need for an additional special whiteboard that would eat up classroom space and resources. The ceiling mounted projector displayed on a tabletop and ideal for children in wheelchairs and those with other physical disabilities, letting teachers avoid disruptive and upsetting transitions to a computer room.

Projectable books, like those from Reading A to Z, can be viewed on the table or workspace and dissected. This allows group work for students of varying levels and abilities; while some circle nouns, others can underline sentences, or choose which type of writing is displayed (tall tale, nonfiction, cultural legend).  Subjects and pronouns and adjectives can be identified, or the book can simply be enjoyed as a story.

This Panel Votes “Yay”

Jeff Terry, Chief Information Officer at Roanoke County Public Schools, feels very fortunate for a supportive school board that replaced their aging tech with new Promethean ActivPanels with ActivConnect and mobile stands for flexibility. The tech also keeps the classroom inclusive. Special needs students who had issues with writing on paper use the panel to visualize and learn to form letters, then transfer that muscle memory back to the pencil and paper.

“There is so much you can do with the panels,” says Terry. “With Connect they become an android device with access to endless instructional apps, but on a 75 inch panel. We had one student physically unable to use the previous board technology, but can now work with touchscreen. These are cases you don’t see every day, but our goal is to give all students every opportunity that others have, and we have definitely achieved that.”

Special Projectors for Special Students

Brooke Turk was impressed by the impact on her autistic students when she began using the Epson BrightLink Interactive Projector in January. “It definitely allows me to see what they’re capable of,” says Turk, who teaches special ed in Beach Park School District 3 in Illinois. “The keyboard gives them a reason to write, because it’s technology. I’ve gotten a greater feel for their abilities, because they are willing to work hard for this incentive.”

Turk has seen heightened levels of excitement and engagement, and through the system, one largely nonverbal student has even started to talk more and interact. “We’ve done a lot with PowerPoint, sorting site words, sharing, taking turns—which is huge. They have to sit and wait and pay attention to what the others are doing.”

The state of Texas recently announced the implementation of House Bill 21 (HB21), a state-funded initiative to provide its districts with evidence- and research-based programs and services for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through this initiative, schools can help teach their students with ASD to tune in on emotions, express empathy, act appropriately in social situations, self-motivate, and reciprocate interactions. RoboKind, creator of Milo and robots4autism, offers schools and districts a solution that meets or exceeds the expectations spelled out in HB21.

RoboKind is providing language for school and district administrators to use to ensure that Milo and the robots4autism curriculum are included in their grant. Schools and districts that take advantage of Milo the robot and the robots4autism curriculum will also have access to data collection and reporting analytics, a facilitator manual, training, IT and related technical support, and school and district customer service support.

HB21 grant applications are due March 8, 2018.

To learn more, visit RoboKind’s information page.

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