Neurodivergent Communication Strategies for ND Teachers

Recognizing Neurodivergent Teachers' Strengths and Challenges

This post will highlight some of the common communication challenges teachers with ADHD often face in day-to-day interactions with students, colleagues, and families; as well as to list some techniques that may help decrease anxiety around these areas and increase effectiveness when working with a predominantly neurotypical population.

As a neurodivergent teacher, you have unique strengths and challenges which, for better or worse, follow you to work.

Creativity and passion for the subjects that you teach, the ability to empathize with students, and the ability to work exceptionally hard in order to meet their needs, are just a few of the examples of these immense strengths.

Multitasking by watching a clock, writing a nurse pass, monitoring the chatter, locking the door, and having supplies ready and accessible are part of the daily routine, and there is so much more.

Despite these strengths, many neurodivergent people find the communication demands of daily life to be one of the most delicate, fragile, and impactful areas.

Even though you conceptually understand that autistic students, for example, often have difficulty interpreting social cues, you may struggle to compassionately recognize the impact this trait has for you.

Or you know theoretically that ADHD students can tend to be bullied or experience social difficulties, yet you overlook how strained relationships might be showing up for you and shaping your self-esteem or self-image. 

As much as teachers try to create an inclusive learning environment for all students, regardless of neurodevelopmental diagnoses, you also need to factor yourself into that equation.

Society does not make this easy. Repeatedly admonishing you, for example, to practice ‘self-care' can actually be quite maddening and counter-productive.

Especially given the fact that many teachers are late-diagnosed women, often moms of ND kids, and are really just doing the best to survive with a chronically overly-full plate.

Throw a little rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) into the mix, along with some unrealistic expectations, a strong penchant for perfectionism, and voila! It's…something interesting, alright. 

But, fear not! Here are some different ways you as a neurodivergent teacher can feel more authentic, successful, and empowered at work.

The first step is truly accepting that your brain processes information differently than neurotypical people. Not better or worse; just differently. I know, it's not very shiny.

But alas, it can be so easy to forget that ADHD is highly heritable, just like eye color or height. Remembering that alone can be freeing.

On that note, if you haven't done so already, definitely check out James Ochoa's book, Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD. It is truly a remarkably wise book written with integrity, humor, and grace.

The Audible version features Mr. Ochoa reading it aloud!

Navigating Verbal Communication 

For those teachers who also have sensory processing disorder (SPD) or auditory processing disorder (ASD), you likely already know how exasperating verbal communication can be.

Straining to hear one student's voice over the sea of sounds behind them is exhausting. Attempting to listen intently while a colleague presents at a professional development seminar can be really tough.

Remembering what your next point was in your presentation? Not a given.

Equally hard is that so many are external/verbal processors, so there is a need to speak thoughts out loud in order to organize them.

This can make presenting information to students less effective and even counter-productive, as they learn to tune out, waiting for the relevant points.

What can be done? Here are some tools that might help.

Adapting Neurodivergent Communication Strategies for ND Teachers

The biggest tool that can aid with verbal challenges is to do as much as possible in writing. If your administration has meeting notes or a slide show, use them.

If a colleague sidelines you in the hallway with a request, put it on them to email it to you. (Maybe they will forget! I joke…sort of.)

Instead of improvising your way through your next lesson on the history of jazz, do as much as you can with video clips, audio clips, and visual representations (listening maps) of the music.

Have students follow you silently as you lead them in a body percussion pattern to accompany a piece. Or for older students, simply point to the directions on the board.

If routines and procedures are in place, there is much less of a need for the teacher to talk. If they aren't, it's still amazing how much you can accomplish with your hands, as in a dramatic game of charades. 

When you as the teacher stop talking, it frees up your mental energy to relax and enjoy yourself a little bit. It can also let you notice other things going on that you might have otherwise missed.

Does Juan still have his hand up? Call on him.

Did you write back to that parent? Better do that now.

Less teacher talk is also a welcome relief for all students, but especially the neurodivergent ones. They live in a noisy world with adults talking to them all day, every day.

Wouldn't it be nice for them to have a few minutes of silence as well?

Paradoxically, the less a teacher talks, the quieter the classroom eventually becomes and the more willing the students are to listen. It doesn't always happen quickly. But it can.

There were a few times over the years that I completely lost my voice due to illness. I literally wrote instructions on a little whiteboard and held it up, pointing to my messages.

In another setting, students were watching the interactive panel waiting for instructions. There was a student who said to the others, “Shh! She's typing.”

It was so quiet that day! Ironically those were some of my most effective teaching moments.

Granted, doing this without losing your voice can be tricky, but it is definitely possible with practice. 

Brainstorm ahead of time three key transitions in your lesson. What is the shortest, most concise way you can communicate your directions?

Remember, less is more. The more you talk, the less they listen.  

For example, instead of saying, “Attention! (Clap, clap, clap-clap, clap!) Students! Take your papers, bring them to the bin, then go wash your hands so we can get ready for snack. Then get your snacks, eat them, throw away the trash, and line up for recess.”

By this point, students will have already tuned you out, if they had even tuned in to begin with. This can lead some teachers to feel even more inadequate and start spiraling.

Instead, if students have already had plenty of direct practice with routines and procedures, all you have to do is ring a bell, wait a minute, then point to the visual prompts.

“Begin room reset,” you say, to a rapt audience, and students scatter around quickly like a time-lapse movie, moving items from point A to point B with no issue. Pure magic.

Best of all, maybe your brain gets a little breather.

Responsive Classroom, although it certainly doesn't work for every school or every teacher, does offer excellent methods for laying down those proverbial train tracks for instruction, especially at the beginning of the year.

Although designed for elementary students, much of the content can be adapted for older kids as well. You just might have to disguise it a bit more.

Small Talk in the Teacher's Lounge 

If the thought of social interaction in the teacher's lounge fills you with dread, you aren't alone.

People who already avoid social situations as a rule undoubtedly struggle more when semi-required to engage in small talk. If someone want a cup of coffee but there's a crowd in the lounge, what do they do?

Some of this depends on the setting, for sure. Some schools might be more open and friendly than others. Some staff may be more approachable as well.

But, do you go in? If you do, how much eye contact do you make?

Do you constantly think to yourself, “How are my facial expressions?”

These are all internal dialogues that some deal with constantly. “What's my body language? How was my tone?” 

Can you relate to this?

What works for some people is to focus on the people with whom they do feel a connection.

Even if it means simply saying hello in the hallway, that can sometimes feel good. Safe bets for small talk can sometimes be complimenting someone on something they're wearing (e.g., earrings) or asking how their day is going.

If you are more introverted, you probably need extra alone time. It's okay to give that to yourself too. If you can find a quiet corner to sit in for a few minutes to recharge, that can help.

Another idea for people who have the flexibility would be to invite colleagues to join them in an activity outside of school.

Someone who enjoys bowling, for example, could invite a colleague to join them one day. Then, the next time they are standing in the teacher's lounge, the conversation can change to talking about that experience; instead of searching for ideas.

Finally, if you have the option to work remotely, this can be a game-changer in a variety of ways.

First, just as email can be a more manageable way to communicate instead of face-to-face, so too can Zoom meetings lessen social anxiety: if, with the huge caveat, cameras are optional.

When communicating remotely via phone or video, it is easier to accommodate one's needs regarding well-positioned visual aids, more easily controlling sensory input by using comfortable clothing, or concealing repetitive fidgeting and body movements (e.g., a bouncy leg).

All of these factors contribute to better communication; and therefore increase the likelihood that all of your hard work in lesson prep, for example, might accomplish what you want. 

Communication Skills: Body Language, Eye Contact, Tone of Voice, and More

While neurotypical individuals may occasionally struggle with congruent communication, where the message in the words matches the body language and tone, for teachers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other neurodivergent conditions, achieving this is an ongoing process and requires expectation adjustments.

While someone might be concentrating on trying to achieve the socially acceptable amount of eye contact, they might not realize that their folded arms may be showing disinterest or skepticism.

Others may perceive this as inauthentic; when actually the person is just trying really hard to cope in a neurotypical world, and simply speaks a different language.

Clearly neurodiverse employees deserve to feel successful, understood, and respected in their jobs just as anyone does.

From acing job interviews, to receiving performance reviews over the long term, you need that support structure.

So, what can be done, besides educating the public and pushing for a shift in cultural norms? Apart from requesting accommodations either directly or indirectly, with or without disclosure?

You can practice ahead of time, looking in the mirror, or working with a communication partner. You can study general rules of effective communication and interpersonal skills.

You can practice using direct language, especially if we are working with autistic students or colleagues.

And then you can relax a little bit and remember that really it is also on the neurotypicals to do a little legwork too.

When needed, neurodiverse people may want to also seek out the help of a licensed mental health care provider who is trained in treating trauma from past experiences. 

More Tips and Tactics Brainstorming

What other tools, practices, or resources do you use on a daily basis to support your sensory processing differences and preferred types of communication? How do these impact your job performance and self-image?