Providing caring, safe, respectful, and inclusive environments in which learning can flourish is a key priority for our kura. Neurodiversity is a valuable form of diversity that we want to support, promote and celebrate at Macandrew Bay School.

At Macandrew Bay School our kaiako and kaimahi work really hard to do our best with the resources we have to ensure we meet the needs of all our learners. Sometimes this involves working with whānau and outside agencies to be able to do this.

Quite often this journey is done together, where staff and whānau are learning alongside one another. Many of our staff are very experienced in teaching neurodiverse tamariki. We strive to ensure that every neurodiverse learner has what they need to succeed, whatever their particular diagnosis or the level of support they require. We wanted to share some basic information, to raise awareness so it helps to build understanding about neurodiversity for everyone.

We hope you find the information below from The Education Hub helpful in defining neurodiversity.

https://theeducationhub.org.nz/

What is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is a term used to describe neurological differences in the human brain. From this perspective, the diverse spectrum of neurological difference is viewed as a range of natural variations in the human brain rather than as a deficit in individuals. The concept of neurodiversity has foundations in neuroscience, with studies of neuroimaging (brain imaging) showing differences between individuals’ neural pathways - those who are neurotypical and those with neurodiversity.

Put simply, this means that humans’ brains are wired differently, and those differences can have a direct impact on an individual’s thinking and learning. These differences are often diagnosed as neurological conditions.

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that includes both conditions that are life-long and those that can develop throughout life. This includes acquired illness or brain injury, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, intellectual disability, mental health and Tourette syndrome.

Where did the concept of neurodiversity come from? The emergence of the term neurodiversity is linked in the research literature to Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, who has autism. In the late 1990s, Singer rejected the idea that autism was a disability and instead proposed that autism was a difference in how the human brain works and a representation of neurological diversity. The term was quickly adopted by the wider disability community, with the term neurotypical being used to represent typical neurological patterns and neurodiversity to represent neurological differences.

Neurodiversity model

The concept of neurodiversity represents a strengths-based model which acknowledges that, while some children learn and think differently, these are simply differences and not deficits. The neurodiversity model shifts the focus away from the challenges that a neurodiverse individual may experience to the strengths that they possess. Designing learning programmes and tasks that allow children to draw on their known strengths can create opportunities for students to access the curriculum in ways that suit their individual abilities. Another benefit of the strengths-based approach of the neurodiversity model is that support can be provided to students who present some of the characteristics of neurodiversity but lack a formal diagnosis.

(Education Hub) https://theeducationhub.org.nz/

At Macandrew Bay School we really value the philosophy of the Neurodiversity Model, seeing the strengths in our tamariki is a priority for our teachers and we pride ourselves on forming really strong relationships with all our tamariki.

Please get in touch with Nic if you have any patai (questions) or if you are a parent of a neurodiverse child and you are keen to connect with other parents/whānau of neurodiverse children.