Rethinking Special Education: Why Neurodivergent Students Deserve More Than Compliance Training
Bridgette Hamstead
Special education has long been framed as a system designed to provide individualized support for students who learn differently. However, in practice, many special education programs focus more on controlling behavior than on fostering genuine learning and personal growth. Too often, neurodivergent students—particularly autistic and ADHD students—are subjected to compliance-based models of education that prioritize conformity over meaningful engagement. These approaches fail to recognize neurodivergent students as whole individuals with unique strengths, interests, and learning styles. To create an equitable and affirming educational experience, we must rethink special education and move beyond a model that prioritizes compliance over curiosity, autonomy, and critical thinking.
The Problem with Compliance-Based Education
Many special education programs are built on behaviorist principles that seek to make neurodivergent students more "manageable" in traditional classroom settings. Techniques such as token economies, behavior charts, and rigid reward-and-punishment systems are commonly used to reinforce neurotypical expectations of behavior. Autistic students, in particular, are often subjected to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) or similar compliance-based interventions that seek to reduce "undesirable" behaviors—such as stimming, avoiding eye contact, or speaking in unconventional ways—without considering whether these behaviors serve an important self-regulatory function for the student.
These interventions send a harmful message: that success in school is not about learning but about appearing neurotypical. Instead of recognizing stimming as a natural coping mechanism or understanding that eye contact may be distressing for some autistic students, compliance training demands that neurodivergent students suppress their natural tendencies to fit into a rigid and exclusionary system. This prioritization of conformity over autonomy can have long-term negative effects, including increased anxiety, burnout, and a loss of self-confidence in one's own learning abilities.
The Impact on Neurodivergent Students
Compliance-based education does not foster a love of learning. Instead, it creates an environment where neurodivergent students are conditioned to associate education with control, punishment, and external validation rather than curiosity and intrinsic motivation. Many autistic and ADHD students experience trauma from being forced into learning environments that do not accommodate their needs, leading to school avoidance, disengagement, and long-term struggles with self-advocacy.
Moreover, compliance-based models disproportionately impact students with higher support needs and those from marginalized communities. Black and brown neurodivergent students, for example, are more likely to be disciplined for behaviors related to their neurodivergence, reinforcing the school-to-prison pipeline. Rather than providing meaningful support, special education systems often become another avenue for systemic discrimination and exclusion.
What Special Education Should Look Like
A truly inclusive and affirming special education system would focus on empowering neurodivergent students rather than controlling them. This means rethinking not only classroom strategies but also the fundamental goals of special education itself. Instead of compliance training, education should emphasize:
Student Autonomy: Neurodivergent students must be given the agency to shape their own educational experiences. This means providing choices in how they learn, communicate, and engage with materials rather than forcing them to conform to neurotypical standards.
Strength-Based Learning: Instead of focusing on deficits, special education should identify and nurture each student’s strengths. Many neurodivergent students thrive when given opportunities to engage with their special interests or explore nontraditional learning methods.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): UDL principles prioritize flexible learning environments that accommodate diverse cognitive styles. This includes offering multiple means of engagement, expression, and representation so that students can access learning in ways that work for them.
Sensory and Emotional Regulation Supports: Many neurodivergent students experience sensory sensitivities that impact their ability to learn. Schools should provide sensory-friendly spaces, offer alternative seating options, and allow for movement and breaks as needed.
Self-Advocacy and Disability Justice: Neurodivergent students should be taught about their rights, how to advocate for accommodations, and how to challenge ableist systems. Special education should empower students with the knowledge and tools to navigate an often-inaccessible world.
The Role of Educators and Policymakers
Educators play a crucial role in reshaping special education, but they need support to do so. Teacher training programs must incorporate neurodiversity-affirming education, moving away from outdated deficit-based models. Schools must also provide educators with the resources, flexibility, and administrative backing to implement inclusive practices. Additionally, policymakers must shift the focus of special education legislation from compliance and standardized testing toward holistic, student-centered approaches that honor neurodivergent ways of thinking and learning.
Moving Toward a Better Future
The future of special education must center the needs and voices of neurodivergent students themselves. For too long, decisions about special education have been made by neurotypical professionals without meaningful input from the very students and communities affected. By dismantling compliance-based approaches and replacing them with affirming, student-centered models, we can create an education system that values neurodivergent learners not as problems to be fixed but as individuals with unique contributions to make to the world.
We must reject the notion that education is about making neurodivergent students easier to manage. Instead, it should be about making schools more accessible, flexible, and responsive to the needs of all learners. Only by shifting away from compliance training and toward empowerment, autonomy, and meaningful inclusion can we ensure that neurodivergent students receive the education they truly deserve.