Natanya Thrift
Schools now better accommodate the needs of neurodivergent students – those whose brains work differently from the average or ‘neurotypical’ person, writes Will Brodie. But what about neurodivergent staff?
IEU member and neurodivergent teacher Natanya Thrift says we could do much better.
Thrift was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2014 and with level 2 autism in January.
After years of struggle, Thrift had left education and was off work for three months before she found the professional evaluation she needed. She’s back teaching, but it’s been a tough journey.
Thrift spoke to the union because she wanted to help colleagues who are neurodivergent, or think they may be, to avoid such an arduous process.
She says anyone who feels they may be neurodivergent should go to their GP and get a referral to a psychiatrist. She also recommends joining the Neurodivergent Educators Australia Facebook group, 2900 members strong, which offers priceless “solutions, suggestions, and peer support”.
It’s advice that has resonated, because it is estimated that as many as one in five people are neurodivergent.
This means every educator is working with colleagues whose brains are wired differently. Often the staff members themselves don’t understand their conditions; others ‘mask’ their diagnoses, at great personal cost, for fear of ridicule or alienation.
But it is schools, staff and students who miss out if neurodivergent educators are sidelined.
A strength, not a weakness
Kristy Forbes is an autism and neurodiversity support specialist with extensive professional experience as a teacher, integration aide and childhood behavioural and family support specialist. Though she holds multiple degrees, she says her most valuable insights come from lived experience being “formally identified” (diagnosed) with autism, ADHD and pathological demand avoidance (PDA) plus being a parent to four neurodivergent children.
Forbes says we must avoid “othering” neurodivergent staff. “Education systems can do better to accommodate neurodivergent staff by treating us as human beings, not as lesser or ‘other’,” she says. “It’s important to approach our skills with curiosity and a willingness to explore, recognising that while they may seem out of the box or challenging, they are incredibly valuable.”
Forbes says asking what colleagues could do to assist neurodivergent staff misses the point.
“In my field, I’m a leader in advocacy, sought after for my lived experience, alongside my academic qualifications. I believe I could stand in a classroom and educate my neurotypical colleagues,” she says.
“So, the idea that our neurodivergent staff need assistance to excel from neurotypical colleagues perpetuates an oppressive narrative that we need to be taught the right way to be in the world, which I disagree with. Instead, recognising and valuing the unique contributions of neurodivergent individuals should be the focus.”
In the UK, researcher, former teacher, and autism educator Dr Rebecca Wood PhD says neurodivergent staff bring valuable strengths and insights to schools.
Wood has also found that neurodivergent educators often have a unique “tenacity”.
One of her study participants said: “I never gave up on a child because I think probably too many people gave up on me. I could see myself in a lot of the children.”
The 2022 book Wood edited, Learning from autistic teachers: How to be a neurodiversity-inclusive school, reports that a third of neurodivergent survey participants felt they’d been “effectively driven out of the profession”.
In July 2023, Wood’s study of 12 autistic former school staff revealed that five of the participants in the study didn’t know they were autistic when they had their teaching jobs.
Some neurodivergent staff were asked by leadership to hide their condition from parents, thereby making them complicit in “the negative narratives about autism in school”. Wood also found that if neurodivergent staff hear autism being discussed in a stigmatising way, they feel they can’t be open about their conditions or ask for the support they need.
Thrift’s lived experience backs this up: she found it distressing when a fellow teacher snigg*red about a comment from a staff member who “clearly thinks in a different way”.
However, enlightened schools that properly engage with their neurodivergent staff reap the benefits. To reduce her cognitive load, Thrift undertakes a “detailed, step-by-step routine” each workday and conducts all her classes in the same room rather than at three locations.
Wood concluded that autistic-led training was essential to improving support for autistic school staff. School leaders should identify “the role that suits the person”, rather than forcing an autistic school staff member to “be in a role that doesn’t fit”.
Schools truly committed to diversity must create “an atmosphere where staff are comfortable disclosing disabilities”.
Thrift believes this should include professional development for all staff. “We’re in education, after all; it’s all about things being brought to your awareness,” she says. “We could start by encouraging teachers to embrace difference.”
Forbes says instead of focusing only on the supports neurodivergent staff require, we need to ask “what stresses create a need for support and how we can eliminate those stresses”.
“Historically, neurodivergent people have been expected to adapt to neurotypical norms. Yet when we ask neurotypical individuals to extend even a little understanding, curiosity, or exploration toward neurodivergent ways, it often seems too challenging or too much effort, which is both insulting and offensive.”
Schools must actively engage with neurodivergent staff, Forbes says. She calls on schools to ask for neurodivergent teachers’ insights when working with neurodivergent students.
“Reject the idea that our viewpoints are less valid because society labels us as having a disorder – it’s essential not to buy into societal stereotypes about who we are,” she says.
“Remember, every neurodivergent individual has a unique set of skills, and collectively we offer a wide array of perspectives. We are human, fundamentally, and inherently diverse.”
Unique assets of neurodivergent educators
1. Unconventional thinking
Neurodivergent teachers often have alternative ways of thinking, perceiving, and problem-solving. This distinct perspective can be instrumental in challenging the status quo and promoting innovative teaching methods.
2. Empathy and sensitivity
Neurodivergent teachers often possess a heightened sense of empathy and sensitivity towards students’ emotional needs.
3. Advocacy and understanding
Frequently, neurodivergent teachers have first-hand knowledge of the support and adjustments that neurodivergent individuals need to unlock their full potential. They understand exclusion, and can more effectively include and empower pupils who were marginalised and at risk of exclusion themselves.
4. Shattering stereotypes and stigmas
By being visible in the education system, neurodivergent teachers challenge stereotypes and diminish stigmas associated with neurological differences. Their presence alone helps to dispel misconceptions about the capabilities of neurodivergent individuals.
Resources
- Neurodiverse Educators Australia Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/neurodivergenteducatorsaustralia
- The Autistic School Staff Project, co-convened by Dr Rebecca Wood, has published Amazing Autistic Teachers – how to learn from them: autisticschoolstaffproject.com
- Kristy Forbes’ inTune pathways: positive autistic identity, culture and family lifestyle: kristyforbes.com.au/
