Neurodiversity in schools: ‘It’s not new, but our understanding has increased’
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
North Canterbury schools say supporting children with conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia and anxiety is ‘‘not new’’, but there is greater understanding of neurodiversity.
A recent report from the Education Hub, an organisation which connects teachers with education research, warned schools were failing neurodivergent children.
It said the education system was broken and heading for a major crisis, and it called for more funding.
Rangiora High School head of student support Tim Heidmann said up to 15% of students had a diagnosis one or more neurodivergent conditions and/or learning difficulties.
‘‘I don’t think having neurodivergence is anything new, but our understanding has increased.
‘‘We have always had people with autism in our society, so that’s not new, but our ability to respond is better."
Heidmann said he regularly met with whānau to discuss a student’s needs and what supports were available, but this was always limited by resources.
‘‘We can be prepared and forewarned, but in terms of having specific supports, it is responsive to the needs of the child.’’
It meant the school needed to be flexible, as each students’ needs were different.
While a diagnosis helped to guide how a student might be supported, it did no excuse ‘‘bad behaviour’’, he said.
‘‘It does help us to understand why a student might be behaving in this way. It might be their way of asking for help.’’
Kaiapoi High School principal Jason Reid said staff worked out a plan to support neurodivergent students based on a range of information from whānau, previous schools and outside agencies.
‘‘If we know what techniques have worked well and what techniques have been ineffective, we can use that to work out a pathway of learning.
‘‘A lot of it is about putting good information in teachers’ hands.’’
Catering for the diverse needs in a modern classroom provides a challenge for teachers, who are more aware than ever that one size does not fit all, Reid said.
‘‘We were discussing the other day whether there is a greater proportion of neurodivergent students than ever before.
‘‘Our group could not agree on a straightforward ‘yes' or ‘no' answer to this question.
‘‘It seems there is a greater proportion of our community who are neurodiverse.
‘‘However, are we just better at identifying neurodiversity, are we more aware of what neurodiversity looks like?’’
Reid said in the past what we now define as neurodivergent may have been identified ‘‘in different ways, or not at all’’.
Community Wellbeing North Canterbury Trust manager Deirdre Ryan advised parents who were concerned about their children to contact their GP for advice in the first instance.
The trust worked collaboratively with local schools offering a range of services, including being a Mana Ake (years 1 to 8) and a Manu Ka Rere (13-24 years) provider.
Both programmes offer mental health support in schools.
Support was also available through Parent to Parent (parent2parent.org.nz), Autism New Zealand (autismnz.org.nz) and ADHD New Zealand (adhd.org.nz).
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
-
48% Yes
-
50.1% No
-
1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
Loading…
