Beyond Accommodations: Why Schools Need to Be Designed for Neurodivergent Success
Bridgette Hamstead
For decades, educational systems have treated neurodivergent students—those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other cognitive differences—as problems to be managed rather than as learners with unique strengths and needs. The traditional model of schooling, built around rigid schedules, standardized testing, and one-size-fits-all teaching methods, is fundamentally inaccessible to many neurodivergent students. While accommodations, such as extended time on tests or individualized education plans (IEPs), are essential for many, they are often band-aid solutions applied to an inherently exclusionary system. Instead of forcing neurodivergent students to fit into a structure that does not serve them, schools must be fundamentally reimagined to support their success from the ground up.
The Limits of Accommodations
Accommodations are often framed as a solution to the challenges neurodivergent students face in school. While they can help, they do not address the deeper issue: schools are designed with neurotypical students in mind. Many accommodations are reactive rather than proactive, implemented only after a student has struggled significantly, faced disciplinary action, or been forced into the exhausting process of self-advocacy. Moreover, accommodations often require extensive documentation, medical diagnoses, and bureaucratic approval processes, which disproportionately disadvantage students from marginalized communities who may lack access to formal diagnoses or advocacy resources.
Additionally, accommodations do not fundamentally alter the structure of schooling. They may make an individual test more manageable or a classroom slightly less overwhelming, but they do not change the fact that schools are often noisy, crowded, and overstimulating environments where students are expected to sit still, process auditory instruction, and adhere to rigid schedules. Accommodations may allow a student to wear noise-canceling headphones or take sensory breaks, but they do not change the underlying reality that the standard school environment is inherently exclusionary.
The Need for Universal Design in Education
If we truly want neurodivergent students to succeed, we must move beyond accommodations and toward Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a framework that proactively designs educational environments to be accessible to all students, rather than retrofitting accommodations for a select few. This means creating classrooms that allow multiple ways of engaging with material, expressing knowledge, and structuring the learning process.
For example, instead of requiring students to sit through lengthy lectures, schools could provide multiple modes of instruction, including visual, auditory, and hands-on learning. Instead of relying exclusively on standardized tests, students could demonstrate understanding through projects, presentations, or creative expression. Instead of punishing students for fidgeting or needing movement breaks, schools could create classroom environments with flexible seating, standing desks, or designated movement areas that recognize the natural need for self-regulation.
When schools adopt UDL principles, they do not just benefit neurodivergent students—they create a better learning environment for everyone. Many so-called "special" accommodations, such as visual schedules, written instructions, and movement breaks, help all students by providing clearer communication, reducing anxiety, and fostering engagement. Just as curb cuts and ramps designed for wheelchair users benefit parents with strollers and delivery workers, designing schools for neurodivergent students benefits all learners by making education more flexible and accessible.
The Harm of Compliance-Based Education
One of the biggest barriers to neurodivergent success in schools is the emphasis on compliance over learning. Many traditional classroom management strategies focus on making students conform to neurotypical behavioral expectations rather than recognizing different ways of engaging and learning. Neurodivergent students are disproportionately punished for "disruptive" behaviors such as fidgeting, needing to move, speaking out of turn, or struggling with transitions—all of which are natural aspects of neurodivergence.
This compliance-based model does not just harm neurodivergent students; it undermines their ability to develop self-advocacy skills, self-confidence, and intrinsic motivation for learning. Instead of being supported in ways that respect their needs, many neurodivergent students are subjected to behavioral interventions, detentions, or even exclusionary discipline measures like suspensions. Black and brown neurodivergent students, in particular, are more likely to be criminalized rather than supported, feeding into the school-to-prison pipeline.
A truly inclusive education system would move away from punitive discipline models and toward restorative practices that recognize neurodivergent ways of interacting and communicating. This means training teachers to understand neurodiversity, implementing classroom policies that support different sensory and cognitive needs, and fostering a school culture that prioritizes flexibility over rigid behavioral expectations.
Rethinking Success in Education
Another fundamental problem with traditional schooling is its narrow definition of success. Many schools prioritize standardized test scores, grades, and compliance with rigid academic structures over genuine learning and growth. Neurodivergent students are often penalized for struggling with executive function, sensory processing, or social interactions, rather than being recognized for their unique ways of thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
A neurodivergent-friendly school system would expand the definition of success beyond grades and test scores to include skills like creativity, self-advocacy, resilience, and problem-solving. Instead of forcing all students to follow a linear educational path, schools should offer multiple pathways to success, allowing students to pursue their strengths and interests at their own pace. Project-based learning, hands-on experiences, and individualized learning plans should be the norm, not the exception.
The Role of Educators and Policymakers
To create schools that are truly designed for neurodivergent success, educators and policymakers must take a proactive role in reforming the education system. This means investing in teacher training programs that prioritize neurodiversity-affirming practices, rethinking curriculum design to allow for multiple ways of learning, and funding programs that provide genuine support rather than bureaucratic hurdles for neurodivergent students.
Schools must also move away from deficit-based models of special education that focus solely on "fixing" neurodivergent students and instead embrace strength-based approaches that recognize their potential. Neurodivergent students do not need to be made "normal" to succeed; they need educational environments that respect and nurture their natural ways of thinking, learning, and engaging with the world.
Conclusion: Building Schools for All Learners
Accommodations alone are not enough to ensure neurodivergent students thrive in school. While they provide necessary support in an exclusionary system, they do not challenge the fundamental inaccessibility of traditional education. Schools must be designed from the ground up with neurodivergent success in mind, embracing flexibility, Universal Design for Learning, and strength-based approaches that respect the diverse ways students learn and grow.
Education should not be about forcing students to conform to a rigid system; it should be about creating environments where all students—neurodivergent and neurotypical alike—can reach their full potential. By rethinking how we structure classrooms, evaluate success, and support students, we can move beyond accommodations and toward true inclusion, ensuring that neurodivergent students are not just surviving in school but thriving.