These slides were developed for a face to face session in spring 2025.
Here’s the session overview:
Neurodivergent-Friendly Schools: Beyond Inclusion, Towards Belonging
Creating a truly neurodivergent-friendly school goes beyond inclusion—it requires intentional, proactive change that fosters a genuine sense of belonging for all students and staff. In this inspiring and practical talk, Pooky introduces a clear, actionable framework to help schools create environments where every learner thrives, not just those with diagnosed needs.
Through six key focus areas, you’ll explore why neurodivergent inclusion matters, what works in different settings, and how to create meaningful change. Using Pooky’s Start, Build, Grow approach, you’ll leave with a concrete action plan to take practical steps to help every student thrive.
The Six Key Areas of a Neurodivergent-Friendly School
- Our School is Predictable & Accessible
- Sensory Needs are Understood & Met
- Executive Function Challenges are Supported
- Neurodivergent Communication is Valued
- School Culture Fosters Strengths & Self-Identity
- Families & Staff Feel Included and Supported
If you were there, I hope these are a helpful aide-memoire. If not, I hope they make enough sense without me to be useful. If you’d like to download them, you can do so via this page on patreon.
Further Resources
Here are some further resources I developed to support the session:
- DOWNLOAD: Neurodivergent-Friendly School Action Plan
- DOWNLOAD: Comfort Audit
- DOWNLOAD: What Helps Me Thrive
- DOWNLOAD: Pre-Hand-In Checklist
- DOWNLOAD: Task Planner – for autistic/ADHD students
- DOWNLOAD: Equipping Autistic Students for Secondary School Life
- DOWNLOAD: Non-Verbal Check-In Cards
- DOWNLOAD: Neuroaffirmative Feedback
- DOWNLOAD: All about me sheet
- DOWNLOAD: Inspiring Female Autistic Role Models
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***For more information about my speaking and training work,take a look at my speaker pack below, check out my speaking page or email my lovely agent Ellie.***
