Neurodivergent Affirming Tools – Providing Vital Individualised Support Across Our Schools
There is broad agreement that inclusive communication and sensory friendly environments are helpful to us all because they foster equality and respect for all individuals, regardless of their strengths, differences, traits and needs. This is particularly true for neurodivergent individuals, who may have difficulty processing sensory information from the world around them, which is critical to supporting regulation to better engage in learning and daily living activities.
At Acorn Education, our central, education and clinical teams work together to create these environments within our schools. A key part of that approach is developing neurodivergent affirming tools, which are person-centred to support individuals with different neurodivergent profiles. By supporting their sensory and physical, communication, social and emotional needs, we use these tools to foster inclusion, support individual strengths, differences, traits and needs, and encourage positive self-identity and self-advocacy.
An example of this is the ‘My Sensory World’, a core internal document implemented across the majority of our schools as part of our neurodiversity strategy of Ask, Accept, Develop. It provides an overview of the sensory differences, traits and needs of pupils in our schools.
The ’My Sensory World’ has been developed by our Occupational Therapists, particularly those who have additional training in sensory integration, to form part of our neurodiversity-affirming strategy- Ask, Accept, Develop (AAD), which is clearly focused on the neurodivergent individual, and something which allows our teams to strengthen and continually progress our approach to the provision of care, education and clinical services to those we support. ‘Ask’ is our top priority, ensuring everyone in our schools are consulted about their choices and preferences. ‘Accept’ is all about embracing and understanding neurodivergence, and creating inclusive communities. ‘Develop’ means our staff are committed to teaching new skills and independence, empowering the individual, and helping them to blossom and flourish.
Developed by our Occupational Therapists together with other senior clinicians, ‘My Sensory World’ is an information-sharing tool which gives an overview of a neurodivergent individual’s sensory preferences as well as supports regulation to improve their participation in everyday activities. It is based on the strengths of the individual and, therefore, aligned with AAD. The tool asks individuals about routines and activities that are important to them, strategies that might be employed and their sensory preferences. The information is gathered through communication, observation and awareness of the individual by reviewing their specific likes and dislikes. This is then used in the classroom to support engaging in learning and daily activities and routines, which is reviewed regularly with the team.
Another example used across all our Acorn Education schools is the well-known Autism Level UP! framework by Fede & Laurent (2019), particularly with our pupils in secondary and college.
Autism Level UP! have newly released a manual ‘Energy’, which covers the tools, strategies and logic to support regulation. This is used with our pupils on an individual or class basis to create awareness of how energy fluctuations influence our ability to engage in various activities throughout the day. Following integration into certain schools, individualised ‘energy meters’ were created with corresponding ‘Power Up’ and ‘Power Down’ cards to support regulation and a matching of energy to the requirements of the activity.
To ensure a consistent approach and to help pupils develop a deeper awareness of the impact energy levels have, the framework is integrated across the school day. Doing so helps pupils regularly assess and regulate their energy using the free tools and resources that this neurodivergent affirming framework provides. The pupils also find the personalisation element to Pokémon, Cars, Animals, Scientific elements fun and engaging!
These neurodivergent affirming tools are just some examples of what is used across our services and are different for each individual and vary in different contexts across their day. They empower individuals to thrive by supporting their unique needs and celebrating their differences and make the world more equitable and accessible, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to succeed in their own way.