Navigating the education system with a neurodivergent (ND) child, like those with ADHD and ASD, can feel overwhelming. As a parent, understanding the challenges your child faces and advocating for the right support is crucial to their success—both academically and emotionally. Below, we explore common struggles ND children face and offer practical adjustments you can request from schools to help them thrive.
Common ASD & ADHD Traits and Challenges
For the purpose of this blog, we have not separated the traits into distinct categories; instead, we have combined them into a single list.
This approach reflects the reality that many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may not yet have a formal diagnosis, but neurodiversity is suspected. Recognising the traits that cause them to struggle in school, we can implement necessary accommodations even while navigating the diagnostic pathway.
Attention and Focus:
- Easily Distracted: ND children can find it hard to maintain focus due to distractions.
- Daydreaming: They may lose focus frequently, affecting their academic progress.
- Difficulty Following Instructions: Breaking down tasks into simple steps is essential.
Behaviour:
- Restlessness: Fidgeting and trouble sitting still are common, especially with ADHD.
- Impulsivity: Interruptions and acting without thinking often occur.
Social Interaction:
- Difficulty Reading Social Cues: This can lead to social isolation.
- Low Confidence: Struggles with peer relationships, often lower self-esteem.
Organisation & Executive Function:
- Disorganised: Losing materials and forgetting homework is typical for many neurodiverse children.
- Poor Planning: They may often need help structuring tasks.
- Difficulty Prioritising: They can struggle to determine which tasks are most important, leading to confusion about where to focus their efforts.
- Procrastination: May delay starting or completing tasks due to overwhelming feelings about the work or difficulty initiating actions
- Careless Mistakes: Rushing or lack of focus often leads to errors.
Sensory Processing:
- Overwhelmed by Stimuli: Children may struggle with noise, light, or touch and smells in a classroom.
- Need for Sensory Input: Tools like fidget toys or movement breaks can help them focus.
Communication:
- Varied Communication Styles: Your child may find it hard to express their feelings or understand others’ emotions.
- Alexithymia: Difficulty identifying and expressing their emotions can lead to frustration.
Other
- Struggling with Emotions: Many ND children experience emotional outbursts or withdraw when overwhelmed.
- Challenging Transitions: Changing tasks or routines can be stressful.
- Emotional Regulation: According to one study, children and teens with autism are four times more likely to have a problem managing their emotions than neurotypical children.
- Need for Extra Time: Extra time on tests or assignments may be necessary due to processing delays or difficulty focusing due to distractions.
- Increased Risk of Anxiety/Depression: The pressure of fitting into a mainstream environment can lead to burnout.
- Masking: Some children suppress their natural behaviours to blend in, which can cause emotional exhaustion.
By understanding these traits, you can work with educators to secure the support your child needs. Schools are required to provide reasonable adjustments to ensure neurodiverse children are included and set up for success.

Accommodations for Children with ASD and ADHD in Mainstream Schools
School Entry and Daily Routines:
Various reasonable adjustments can be implemented to ensure that neurodivergent students have equitable experiences throughout their educational journey. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools, employers, local authorities, and service providers—such as leisure centres—are required to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
This becomes particularly significant when neurodivergence is suspected or when a child is on the pathway to diagnosis, as emphasised by Ofsted.
These adjustments may include:
- Modifying existing processes or practices
- Altering physical environments
- Offering additional support or resources
Implementing these changes can foster a more inclusive and supportive educational environment for all students.
Here are practical accommodations that can significantly improve your child’s school life and wellbeing.
Print this list and work with your child to highlight the adjustments your child needs, then discuss with your child’s SENCO at school.
School Entry and Daily Routines:
- Flexible Arrival and Departure Times: Permit alternative entry and exit times to avoid sensory overload during crowded periods.
- Sensory Adjustments to the School Environment: To reduce anxiety, replace or adjust school bells with visual or softer auditory signals.
- Uniform Policy Flexibility: Relax uniform rules, allowing adjustments to clothing that accommodate sensory sensitivities (e.g., softer fabrics, fewer restrictions).
- Inclusive Attendance and Behaviour Policies: Review policies to ensure they account for neurodivergent students, focusing on understanding behaviours related to sensory, emotional, or executive function challenges.
- Whole-School Neurodiversity Training: Implement regular staff training to foster an inclusive culture where neurodiversity is understood and respected across all roles.
- Adjustments to Exclusion Policies: Ensure exclusion policies do not unfairly penalise students for behaviours arising from their neurodivergence.
Classroom Accommodations:
- Predictable Routines: To prevent anxiety, provide a clear and consistent daily schedule and offer advance notice of changes to routines or classroom activities.
- Instructional Support: Break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps and provide both verbal and written instructions to reinforce understanding.
- Visual and Sensory Aids: Incorporate visual timetables, task lists, and sensory tools like noise-cancelling headphones or fidget toys, ensuring non-disruptive use.
- Seating Flexibility: Allow students to choose seating arrangements (e.g., near the front, back, or by a doorway) to accommodate their sensory needs or attention span.
- Movement Breaks: Provide regular movement breaks or the option to use standing desks and sensory seating, such as wobble cushions, to help with restlessness and focus.
- Timeout/Exit Cards: Issue a card or signal system allowing the student to leave the classroom when feeling overwhelmed, with access to a designated quiet space.
- Assistive Technology: Offer tools like voice-to-text software, reader pens, or a scribe to support learning, especially in tasks that require significant writing or reading.
- Modelling and Scaffolding Tasks: Demonstrate tasks visually before asking the student to complete them and use peer or teacher support as needed.
- Sensory Diets: With input from an Occupational Therapist, incorporate a sensory diet tailored to the student’s needs, including calming activities or sensory input at scheduled intervals.
- Alternative Communication Methods: Recognise and support varied communication styles, allowing for alternative forms of expression (e.g., visuals, written responses).
- Learning Style Adaptation: Modify lesson plans to cater to the student’s learning style, such as visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic approaches, ensuring lessons are inclusive.
- Calm and Supportive Environment: Encourage teachers to avoid shouting or public reprimands and focus on calm, constructive communication to avoid triggering anxiety or meltdowns.
- Positive Reinforcement: Use positive behaviour reinforcement, avoiding punitive measures for behaviours related to executive dysfunction or processing delays.
- Tailored Group Work: Ensure group work is with familiar, trusted peers to reduce anxiety and foster positive social interaction.
- Inclusive Relationship and Sex Education: Provide clear, inclusive, and neuroaffirmative relationship and sex education that respects the child’s neurotype.
Break Times and Social Settings:
- Structured and Supervised Breaks: Offer structured playtime with the supervision of staff familiar with the child’s needs, ensuring inclusion in activities.
- Safe and Quiet Zones: Provide access to a sensory-friendly, quiet space for eating, relaxation, or decompression during lunch and break times, especially if the dining hall is overwhelming.
- Alternative Dining Arrangements: Allow the child to eat lunch at a different time or in a quieter environment if necessary for sensory reasons.
- Clubs Catering to Special Interests: Encourage participation in clubs that align with the child’s interests (e.g., art, board games, anime) to promote social inclusion and build self-esteem.
- Prompt Reminders: Ensure staff remind the student to eat, drink, and take part in break activities as needed to support well-being.
Exam and Assessment Accommodations:
- Extended Time on Exams: Grant extra time during tests and assignments to accommodate processing delays and allow for careful completion.
- Quiet or Private Exam Settings: Provide a separate, quiet room for exams with minimal sensory distractions to support focus and comfort.
- Classroom Support Consistency: Ensure exam conditions reflect the same accommodations in regular classroom settings, such as fidget tools or preferred seating arrangements.
- Clear Interpretation of Exam Instructions: Ensure the child understands exam wording, potentially offering additional clarification or simplified language.
- Use of Assistive Devices: Permit the use of laptops, voice-to-text software, and other assistive devices during exams to support writing and comprehension.
Homework and School Work at Home:
- Limited or No Homework: Minimise homework expectations or provide options to complete work in school where appropriate, reducing stress and workload at home.
- Alternative Homework Formats: Offer flexible options for completing homework (e.g., creating visual projects instead of written assignments) to accommodate the child’s learning style.
Ongoing Support and Monitoring:
- Regular Communication with Parents: Maintain an open, collaborative relationship with parents, providing frequent updates on the child’s academic progress and emotional well-being, not just behaviour-related concerns.
- Key Worker or Mentor: Assign a dedicated staff member, such as a teaching assistant (TA) or learning support assistant (LSA), who understands the child’s needs and can provide personalised support.
- Specialised Therapies: Consider incorporating play therapy, Lego therapy, speech and language therapy, or other relevant therapies to support the child’s emotional and social development.
- Transition Support: Offer additional guidance during key transitions (e.g., between lessons, from primary to secondary school) to ensure a smooth process and reduce anxiety.
By implementing these accommodations, schools can provide neurodivergent children with an inclusive, supportive environment that allows them to succeed both academically and socially.
Resources for Caregivers
Supporting your child is a journey, but you don’t have to do it alone. Below are some trusted UK-based resources.
It is imperative that every child feels safe, supported, and understood in their school environment. By recognising and implementing the individual accommodations each neurodiverse child requires, we can foster a setting that nurtures their academic success and enhances their mental wellbeing.
If you believe your child could benefit from mentoring to better understand themselves, develop self-esteem, and identify specific triggers and accommodations, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
We encourage you to follow, like, and share our content on social media to spread awareness and support for all children in need.
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