50 A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE COMPLEX NEURODIVERSE STUDENT Dana Judd, Ed.D. Introduction An estimated 15–20% of the world’s population is considered to be neurodiverse (National Cancer Institute, 2022). The neurodiverse student can be defined as one who struggles with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Oral or Written language disorders such as Dyslexia, Autism, and processing delays as well as emotional challenges and social-emotional behavior struggles (McGlynn & Kelly, 2018). Dyslexic students comprise 17–20% of the classroom (Birsh & Carreker, 2018). Comorbidity of learning disabilities, or the simultaneous presence of two or more disorders in the same person at the same time, complicates the challenges of remediation (Birsh & Carreker, 2018). The success seen in neurodiverse students with learning disabilities and other comorbid diagnoses is directly affected by the classroom environment. The neurodiverse student thrives in a school with classroom environments that provide safe places or specially designed classrooms for learning geared directly to meeting the needs of each individual student. The diversity of student needs within the classroom environment is one that particularly suggests further attention to this neurodiverse population of students. A classroom environment that provides an attentive place for learning is one that is responsive to the needs of each individual student (Sullo, 2009). This classroom consists of a teacher who is trained to elicit the very best in the students and who recognizes not only their students’ challenges but their students’ strengths as well. To see the whole child is to recognize the full potential they possess (Brooks, 2002). Each child is Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2024, VOL. 8, ISSUE 1 dbu.edu/doctoral/edd blessed with abilities that expand beyond linguistic and mathematical intelligence, requiring an opportunity to receive instruction and guidance to discover their multiple intelligence giftings as well (Stefanakis, 2002). Overview of Literature The current study presented a literature review of the effects of a specialized school designed to meet the multiple needs of neurodiverse learning-disabled students while also meeting their spiritual needs and acknowledging their strengths and talents. A significant part of the current study focused on the external elements of the classroom, including social and emotional learning and the setting of a comfortable and anxiety-reducing tone. Consequently, the emotional and social struggles that are found in neurodiverse learners are a challenge. One problem is the lack of a full understanding of their needs. A discussion about emotional support dogs and counselors and their impact on the environment is an interesting addition to the current study. A significant connection to comfort and support was attached to the intentional focus on social-emotional learning (Raudys, 2018; Sullo, 2009; Van Fleet, 2008). Additionally, the current study examined the role of relationships and self-esteem or self-efficacy growth. Ellerbock and Kiefer (2014) noted that neurodiverse students struggle to communicate their educational and emotional needs, making their relationships with teachers and staff paramount to their success. Arguedas et al. (2016) discovered a connection between teacher engagement and student success. Birsh and Carreker (2018) suggested that the teacher sets the environmental tone, allowing the
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