The very first category that C.A.S.T., the Universal Design for Learning clearinghouse, describes as a way of constructing environments for variable learning is:  (1.1) ”Offer Ways of Customizing Display of Information.”  We can see the wide range of possibilities available, for example, when customizing the reading of text within Microsoft Word.  Here are 15 ways...Read More

The concept of neurodiversity emerged in the 1990’s as a way for autism advocates to affirm their identity as people with neurological differences rather than as disabled individuals.  The idea has spread as other advocates (including myself) have sought to articulate the ”diversity rather than disability” message to a broader segment of the population than...Read More

Children’s fidgeting has always been the bane of classroom teachers and parents alike. It has been regarded as one of the ”warning signs” of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as measured by so-called ”objective” rating scales used to diagnosed for ADHD, and is part of the diagnostic criteria in the psychiatrist’s bible The Diagnostic and...Read More

This is a blog post that appeared on ASCD’s InService blog, April 19, 2017.  It talks about an article I wrote for the April, 2017 issue of Educational Leadership entitled Neurodiversity:  The Future of Special Education? ”I was a special education teacher for several years back in the 1970s and 1980s.  Although I’d been trained at...Read More

A new study reveals that the strong interests of students with autism should be encouraged, not suppressed.  New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, surveyed autistic adults and asked them reflect on their childhood interests and the way in which they impacted on their current occupation.  Of the 80 participants in...Read More