SHOULD SCHOOLS ADAPT TO STUDENTS?

What New Research Says About Neuroinclusive Schools

Excellent Educator, 3(13), 3-4, 2026

WHAT RESEARCH FOUND

Many efforts to support neurodivergent students focus on helping individual children adjust to existing school routines. This study proposes a different approach: schools should be designed to fit learners, rather than expecting learners to fit schools. The researchers developed a Neuroinclusive School Model that shifts attention from the child’s diagnosis to the features of the school environment that encourage participation and well-being.

Although the project began by examining the experiences of autistic students, the researchers concluded that the model should benefit a much wider group of neurodivergent learners. The resulting framework identifies nine characteristics of supportive school environments. Among the most important are creating safe and caring relationships, celebrating neurodiversity, reducing unnecessary sensory overload, offering meaningful choices in learning activities, and building on students’ interests and strengths rather than focusing on limitations.

The study also highlights that inclusion cannot be achieved by classroom teachers alone. School leaders, therapists, families, and educators need to work together to create learning environments where every student feels respected, participates meaningfully, and develops a sense of belonging. The model is intended as a guide for improving school environments rather than a fixed programme that every school must follow.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Many schools still define inclusion as placing students with diverse needs into mainstream classrooms. This research argues that genuine inclusion happens when the environment changes, not just the learner. Small improvements in classroom design, routines, relationships, and teaching practices can remove barriers that affect many students—not only those with identified disabilities.

CLASSROOM REALITY

TRY TOMORROW

Look around your classroom through a student’s perspective.

1. Identify one source of unnecessary sensory distraction.
2. Make classroom routines more predictable by displaying the daily schedule.
3. Offer students two ways to complete the same learning task.
4. Notice and intentionally praise students’ strengths rather than only correcting difficulties.

CAUTION

Including students in a regular classroom does not automatically create inclusion. Participation, belonging, safety, and meaningful engagement require thoughtful changes to classroom practices and the wider school environment.

ONE KEY TAKEAWAY

Inclusive education succeeds when schools adapt to learner diversity instead of expecting every learner to adapt to the school.

Keywords: neuroinclusive schools, neurodiversity, inclusive education, school environment, student participation, belonging

Reference:
Rajotte, E., Grandisson, M., Couture, M. M., Desmarais, C., Chrétien-Vincent, M., Godin, J., & Thomas, N. (2025). A Neuroinclusive School Model: Focus on the School, Not on the Child. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 18(2), 281–299.