Do you remember your introduction to high school?
The buzz at finally having made it into the exciting adolescent world of Lynx-infused corridors, timetables, lockers, new friends, and a classroom for every subject. Maybe it was exciting, daunting, even a little frightening. All that change. All at once.
But what if your introduction to high school felt too big, too full-on, too much to absorb? What if the transition from the familiar, predictable surroundings and routines of primary school felt … just plain overwhelming?
As a late-diagnosed autistic person with ADHD, Kiah knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. In high school, but especially her senior years, Kiah found it a struggle to organise, prioritise, manage time, and understand social interactions and different teachers' expectations.
Many students, especially those on the autism spectrum, have needs and preferences that often go unrecognised in schools. Addressing these needs could create a more accessible, productive, and predictable learning environment for all students.
But how do busy teachers accommodate the needs of so many learners?
Enter inclusive education…
Inclusive education, rooted in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, takes students' needs and preferences into account during the planning stages, acknowledging these may evolve over time. By prioritising this approach, we set a positive tone for each student's educational experience.
Creating inclusive classrooms is about ULD
Inclusive classrooms focus on how students think, move, interact, sense, and process information. By addressing the needs of all learners from the outset, barriers are removed, rather than relying on last-minute adaptations. This approach is not about singling students out — it’s about creating learning environments that benefit everyone.
The Autism CRC's educational resource and professional learning platform, inclusionEd, is grounded in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. inclusionEd features over sixty evidence-based teaching practices aimed at helping teachers and schools foster inclusive classrooms, particularly for autistic and neurodivergent students.
In case you missed it…
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social skills, memory, and focus. It encompasses a wide range of traits and behaviours that vary from person to person. These traits and behaviours can differ in intensity and nature over time and across contexts. Likewise, every autistic individual has their own strengths and support needs.
Autistic individuals may have co-occurring conditions, such as ADHD, anxiety disorders, epilepsy, and sensory processing challenges. These conditions can vary in severity and impact in regard to communication, behaviour, and overall well-being.
For many individuals, autism shapes their identity in profound ways beyond being just a diagnosis.
Neurodivergent is an umbrella term for individuals whose neurological development and functioning differs from what's considered typical. Neurodivergence includes conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and others. Neurodiversity-affirming practices, such as creating inclusive classrooms, seek to affirm students' individuality and identity.
Great, but how do I create an inclusive classroom for my students?
A few key ingredients are required to create an inclusive classroom. The term inclusive refers to the physical learning space, i.e. the room, and teaching and classroom management approaches. An inclusive classroom should accommodate learners’ needs while playing to their strengths.
Specifically, student needs may relate to sensory considerations like the acoustics of a room, behavioural support like detecting emotions from body cues, and social and emotional wellbeing like self-regulation, among others
inclusionED is here to help!
inclusionED is designed by educators for educators to support diverse learners from reception to year 12. Its ready-to-use teaching practices are organised into the following categories:
- Classroom management
- Sensory considerations
- Social/emotional wellbeing
- Career and self-discovery
- Adjustments and scaffolds
- Behavioural support
- School connectedness
Inclusive classrooms promote acceptance, respect, and understanding among peers, reducing stigma and isolation.
A final word
With school now a distant memory, Kiah recognises what would have made school a more positive experience and offers the following advice to teachers creating inclusive classrooms:
- provide options and opportunities for choice
- link schoolwork to real-world applications
- explain the purpose behind the learning
- create safe spaces other than libraries and sick bays
- model how to recover from failure or setbacks
- provide structures or frameworks to guide assignments
- address sensory preferences — adjust lighting, use visual timelines and schedules, allow fidgets, and
- break tasks into smaller steps, and
- know your students so you understand their needs and preferences and communicate with them about these.
Crafting learning spaces that allow all students to thrive doesn't need to be complicated, it simply requires good communication, understanding, and a willingness to try new things.
For useful strategies and resources to help you create inclusive classrooms, start browsing inclusionED today.