Many times the discussion around learning and neurodiversity is deficit based. While it is important to consider the very real learning challenges that many neurodiverse students face in higher education, it is equally critical to highlight the numerous strengths associated with different neurotypes such as ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, mental health challenges and consider ways to help students leverage strengths for learning. This workshop will provide participants with an overview of neurodiversity and explore what a strength based and neuroaffirming perspective entails. Participants will consider how learning environments can interact with neurodiversity to mobilize strengths or heighten challenges, and explore neuro-affirming instructional strategies to lower unintentional barriers to learning. By the end of this workshop, participants will be prepared to:

• Describe the tenets of a neurodiversity affirming paradigm and some neurodiversity related strengths and challenges
• Identify some neuro-affirming instructional strategies that can help to mobilize neurodiversity-related strengths and lower learning barriers
• Analyze your current instructional approach for neuro-affirming strategies that you currently utilizing or could integrate into your teaching

Instructors

Melissa Tamas, Stanford University
Savannah Pham, Stanford University

Workshop Schedule

This one-session workshop meets online in Zoom on Thursday, November 20th at 11pm-12:30am Gulf / 2-3:30pm Eastern / 1-2:30pm Central / 12-1:30pm Arizona / 11am-12:30pm Pacific.

Audience

This workshop is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral instructors who want to shine a light on the strengths of neurodiversity and consider ways to mobilize it for learning. No previous experience with neurodiversity is required.

Registration and Enrollment

**Registration closed on Thursday, November 20th**

Registration will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and registrants from CIRTL member institutions or alumni of CIRTL member institutions will receive priority. Once registration closes, all registrants will be notified of their enrollment status.

Accessibility

If you have access needs, please let us know what they are. Contact Zoe Zuleger (zmzuleger@wisc.edu), who is supporting this workshop, to let us know how we can help you have a successful experience. In addition to meeting individualized needs, we will also take measures throughout the workshop to support accessibility for all our students:

• Using alt-text on images in reading materials
• Sending pre-session reminders to all students
• Sharing materials for synchronous sessions with students (slides, activity instructions, etc.)
• Enabling live captioning in synchronous sessions
• Incorporating multiple modes of interaction into synchronous sessions

About CIRTL Programming

CIRTL Network programming is designed to develop future faculty committed to implementing and advancing evidence-based teaching practices to create undergraduate educational experiences that are accessible to all learners. Participants can explore our programming in any order, and to whatever extent supports your own teaching development needs and interests. To help participants understand what they can expect across all our programming, all CIRTL programming aligns with four broad learning goals; within those goals, programming might provide participants with an introductory, intermediate, or advanced learning experience.

This course supports the following CIRTL learning goals at an introductory level:

• Goal 1: Develop evidence-based teaching knowledge. See more Goal 1 programming.
• Goal 2: Connect with community to enhance teaching. See more Goal 2 programming.