Study finds health courses underserve neurodivergent students

Neurodivergent students training for health care careers are facing stigma, uneven support and difficult disclosure processes in Australian higher education, according to Deakin University research. The findings matter for universities and health systems because the study says current teaching and placement models can create avoidable barriers for future clinicians.

The study, led by Associate Professor Laura Gray of Deakin’s Damion Drapac Center for Equity in Health Professions Education, surveyed 183 graduate students at universities across Australia. Deakin said participants were enrolled in health programs including occupational therapy, nursing and medicine, with many reporting autism or ADHD diagnoses.

The research was published in Teaching and Learning in Medicine. According to the study, many neurodivergent learners described classroom and clinical settings that were built around neurotypical assumptions, leaving them to seek help through systems that were not easy to use.

Disclosure can bring support and risk

Deakin said formal accommodations were often tied to disability access and inclusion offices. The study found that route did not fit all students, because some neurodivergent students did not identify as disabled and some found disclosure difficult.

According to the researchers, disclosure sometimes opened the door to needed accommodations. It also could expose students to skepticism from educators, lower expectations about their abilities or limits on learning opportunities, the study found.

One student told researchers that asking for accommodations in a clinical setting backfired, with others assuming the student was at fault and making the environment harmful. Another student said extensions helped in some ways but also left them feeling behind, stressed and separate from classmates, according to the study.

Gray said educators should reduce the burden on students who must identify what they need and then argue for it. Deakin said the study calls for systems that help students recognize their learning preferences and use their strengths without forcing them through unnecessary hurdles.

Researchers call for more flexible teaching

Gray’s team examined how social interactions, course design, learning settings and wider attitudes toward neurodivergence can help or hinder health students, according to Deakin. The researchers said stigma and deficit-based thinking can make education systems less flexible and less responsive.

Gray said universities should question assumptions about what makes a good health practitioner. According to Deakin, she argued that students who learn and work differently can bring lived experience, patient connection and other strengths to health care.

The study also found that students responded more positively when neurodivergence was recognized through a neuro-affirming approach. Deakin said participants described self-advocacy as powerful once they understood their own needs, and many advised future students to seek supports they are entitled to use.

One surveyed student said health care education and health systems need a more positive understanding of neurodivergence to support neurodivergent workers. The student also said neurodivergent health care workers are present across the profession, including in leadership roles, according to the study.

Gray said the research was not meant to fault individual students or educators. Deakin said the goal is to help educators understand neurodivergent students’ experiences and adapt teaching, clinical training and support systems so those students can succeed.

This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.