Journal of K-12 Educational Research 53 important component of the specialized environment was stress relief. Parents and students noted the opportunity to be in an accepting and inclusive space. Stress relief was also a theme that was discovered. Students felt understood and capable of learning within Inspire Academy’s walls. All three groups of participants—parents, students, and teachers—reflected on effective communication in peer relationships and student-to-teacher connections. Research Question (RQ2) explored “What strategies are used to provide safety for students in neurodiverse schools?” RQ2 focused on the strategies that make Inspire Academy “a safe place to learn” academically, physically, and emotionally. Once again, the participants commented on Inspire Academy’s environment, which includes emotional support dogs, counselors, and caring teachers and staff. The Head of School was also mentioned when referring to the school’s culture and tone. Teacher and staff participants mentioned the freedom to teach “outside the box” and meet their students in learning where they needed to be. Teachers and staff members noted they were able to establish safety in learning due to the supportive environment and multisensory instruction to assist them in differentiating their instruction and lessons. Parent and student participants reflected on the educational environment where they felt empowered to attempt hard things and overcome challenges because they were encouraged and appreciated for their strengths. Essentially, they felt safe to try, whereas in their previous schools, they perceived that they often shut down or became behavior problems. Research Question 3 (RQ3) explored the special elements of a neurodiverse school that are present in a Christian school. The researcher noted the overlap of religious aspects throughout all of the themes, which were interwoven into every aspect of the environment. Student participants talked about their ability to pray with teachers and administrators while also studying the Bible and worshiping in the monthly Chapel. Parents noted the biblical basis upon which Inspire Academy was founded, reinforcing what they taught in their homes. Teachers and staff participants pointed to the comfort of working in a Christian environment where students are held to a higher behavior standard but also provided with spiritual support. A significant finding was the underestimated relaxing effect that resulted in a specialized environment that meets students academically, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Most parent participants chose to enroll their students because of the expertise of faculty and staff with neurodiversity but felt the Christian components enriched their children’s learning, creating an inclusive tone. Students commented on how much they appreciated this environment, having underestimated its daily effect on them. Implications The relationship of the reviewed research to the themes from the current study is described below. The results of the current study support previously reviewed research literature. The themes of the study were not surprising based on the research done on neurodiverse students. The relevance of the literature review lends credibility to the thematic discoveries of the current study. Table 2 records the supporting research for each theme. Table 2 Theme Connection to Research
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