Neurodiversity in higher education: a narrative synthesis
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Neurodiversity in higher education: a narrative synthesis Lynn Clouder 1 & Mehmet Karakus 5 & Alessia Cinotti 2 & María Virginia Ferreyra 3 & Genoveva Amador Fierros 4 & Patricia Rojo 3
# Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term, including dyspraxia, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyscalculia, autistic spectrum and Tourette syndrome. The increasing number of students with learning difficulties associated with neurodiversity entering higher education (HE) poses a shared and growing challenge internationally for teachers and institutional leaders. This narrative synthesis draws together a corpus of international literature on how neurodiverse students experience higher education and the ways in which higher education institutions respond to the cluster of neurodiverse conditions. A systematic review was carried out to search, retrieve, appraise and synthesize the available evidence to provide an original contribution to the literature and significant insights of worth to higher education internationally. An inclusive approach to data extraction was used to ensure that all the relevant studies were included. All stages of the review process, including the initial search, screening, sample selection and analysis, are described. Three main themes and 11 subthemes were identified. Although the majority of publications focus on either dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, or ADHD, some common themes are evident in student experience across learning difficulties associated with neurodiversity. Although support services and technologies are available to meet students’ specific needs, there is an apparent dislocation between the two. Fear of stigmatization and labelling worsens the divide between what is needed and what is available to ensure neurodiverse students’ success in higher education, where good intentions are evidently not enough.
* Lynn Clouder [email protected]
1
Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, UK
2
University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
3
Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
4
University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
5
Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan City, Kazakhstan
Higher Education
Keywords Neurodiversity . Disclosure . Reasonable adjustments . Narrative synthesis
Introduction An increasing number of students with disabilities are progressing into higher education (HE) internationally (Pino and Mortari 2014). As numbers increase, so too does the literature showcasing support strategies and sharing research on how students experience HE. Yet disability comes in many forms. The definition of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities includes ‘those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others’ (UNCRPD 2006, p.4). This narrative synthesis focuses specifically on intellectual impairment but adopts an alternative, nuanced
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