ID Tip: Designing for Neurodiversity

Did you know? According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a majority of college students with disabilities at both 2- and 4-year institutions do not inform their college of their disability — which means you’re likely teaching students who qualify for accommodations but haven’t asked for them.

Structure and Navigation

When students can predict where things are, they spend less time confused and more time on the actual work — which means fewer “where do I find this?” emails for you.

• Keep your module layout consistent week to week. If Week 1 opens with an overview, a reading, and an assignment, follow that same pattern throughout. You don’t have to be rigid about it — just predictable. A clear and consistent organizational structure reduces the cognitive resources students use to navigate the course.
• Break up long instruction pages. A page that has an overview, three links, an embedded video, and assignment instructions all in one place is a lot to parse. Separating them — even just with clear headers — makes a real difference.
• Write descriptive headings. “Week 4: Argument and Evidence” is more helpful than “Week 4 Content.” It takes two extra seconds and saves students (and you) a lot of back-and-forth.
• Put deadlines somewhere obvious and consistent. Many students who are neurodiverse have not been formally diagnosed and may be managing executive function challenges without any support in place. If due dates live in the same place every week, students learn to look there.

Content Delivery

You don’t need to redesign your course — just think about how students are actually taking in the information you’re already sharing.

• Add a short intro video at the start of each module if you can. Even two minutes walking through the week’s expectations helps students who struggle with written instructions. It also just makes the course feel more personal. (And if you’re already recording lectures, you’re halfway there.)
• Number multi-step instructions. If an assignment has four steps, list four steps — don’t describe them in a paragraph.
  Example Instead of “Download the template, complete the reflection questions, and submit as a PDF by Sunday” — just make it a numbered list. Students with ADHD may read a paragraph three times and still miss step two.
• Give content some breathing room. Shorter paragraphs, section breaks, a little white space — these small things make pages less exhausting to read, especially for students with dyslexia or visual processing differences.
• Be specific about what you expect. Vague instructor expectations and ambiguous assignment instructions exhaust students’ mental energy that should be spent on learning. A word count and a quick description of what a strong response looks like tends to improve submissions across the board.

Assessment and Flexibility

You don’t have to overhaul your assessments. Even one or two small adjustments can meaningfully reduce barriers — without adding to your grading load.

• Where your objectives allow, offer a choice in how students respond. UDL strategies benefit both neurodivergent and neurotypical students, improving cognitive and emotional engagement.
  Example “Submit either a 500-word written analysis or a 5-minute recorded discussion of the same prompt.” Same rubric, same grading — just two paths in.
• Build in a low-stakes checkpoint before major assignments. An ungraded outline or draft submission gives students a chance to course-correct before it counts. It also tends to improve final submissions, which can save you time on the back end.
• Think twice about timed assessments when speed isn’t the point. If the learning objective doesn’t actually require speed, a time limit may be creating a barrier without adding anything to the assessment. This is especially relevant for students who need extended time accommodations.

Resources

• CAST UDL Guidelines The foundational framework behind these practices
• Understood.org for Educators Practical, accessible research on learning differences