Structures and Strategies to Support Neurodiverse Educators (Charlottetown)

Neurodiverse educators contribute unique perspectives, cognitive strengths, and pedagogical approaches that enrich learning environments for all students. While their presence is an asset to the profession, challenges can emerge that impact participation in classrooms. In this session, participants learn the importance of designing schools, classrooms, and workplaces that allow neurodiverse educators to participate fully and meaningfully. We will discuss how neurodiversity can impact educators in a classroom and share concrete strategies to help educators support their success. The focus of this session will be on the early childhood classroom, although many of these strategies transfer to the K-12 system. 

Terri is an assistant professor at the University of Prince Edward Island. As an educator with over twenty years' experience across diverse educational roles, including classroom teaching, resource support, post-secondary instruction, and academic research, her personal and professional experiences shape her work. Her career has been shaped by a deep commitment to inclusive, equity-oriented education, and this commitment informs the lens through which she engages in scholarly inquiry. Much of her work in K-12 education focused on creating responsive, inclusive classroom spaces for learners with diverse needs. As a new scholar in the field of inclusion, her work endeavors to build teacher capacity with the aim to improve outcomes for all learners. As a neurodiverse person, she recognizes that her positionalities influence the questions she asks, the data she interprets, and the conclusions she draws and is cognizant of the privileges she enjoys as a white woman.