SCHOOL, NEURODIVERSITY AND INCLUSION – AN UNDERSTANDING OF ASD, ADHD AND DYSLEXIA AS SINGULARITIES THAT REQUIRE INCLUSIVE, RESPONSIVE AND DIFFERENCE-SENSITIVE PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES

Abstract

In the contemporary educational landscape, marked by the expansion of inclusion policies and the recognition of human diversity as a pedagogical principle, neurodiversity emerges as a fundamental interpretive framework for understanding differences in development and learning. Conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia have historically been approached from medicalized and deficit-based perspectives, which has contributed to exclusionary school practices, labeling processes, and forms of schooling that are insufficiently sensitive to individual singularities. In contrast to this model, the present article is grounded in the understanding of these conditions as legitimate expressions of human neurological diversity, which require inclusive, responsive, and ethically committed pedagogical responses aligned with the right to education. The object of this study consists of analyzing pedagogical conceptions and practices related to ASD, ADHD, and dyslexia in the school context, examining the extent to which schools have been able to recognize these singularities and reorganize their ways of teaching, assessing, and relating to students. The research is guided by the following question: how can schools construct truly inclusive pedagogical practices that recognize ASD, ADHD, and dyslexia as singularities of neurodevelopment rather than deficits, thereby promoting participation, meaningful learning, and a sense of school belonging? Based on this problematization, the article aims to contribute to the debate on neurodiversity, inclusion, and educational justice, strengthening a critical and humanized understanding of inclusive education. Theoretically, the study draws on the works of Freire (2014a; 2014b; 2014c), Singer (2017), Walker (2021), Kapp (2020), Silberman (2015), Bascom (2012), Waltz (2013), Shakespeare (2013; 2018), Davis (1995; 2017), Garland-Thomson (1997; 2009), Snyder and Mitchell (2006; 2014), Mitchell, Antebi, and Snyder (2019), Chapman (2023), Milton (2020), Murray (2008; 2012), Frith (2013), Attwood (2008a; 2008b), Grandin (2006), Hinshaw and Ellison (2016), Barkley (2005), Shaywitz (2005), Reid (2005; 2006), Armstrong (1998; 1999; 2001; 2006; 2012), Ainscow (1999), Florian (2013), Black-Hawkins, Florian, and Rouse (2007), Mantoan (2003; 2010), Ball (1994; 2008), among others. The research adopts a qualitative approach (Minayo, 2008), is bibliographic and descriptive in nature (Gil, 2007), and is guided by a comprehensive analytical perspective (Weber, 1949). The findings indicate that the construction of genuinely inclusive pedagogical practices depends on overcoming medicalized approaches and on the intentional reorganization of teaching, curriculum, and assessment based on the recognition of neurological diversity. It was found that flexible and responsive pedagogical practices grounded in Universal Design for Learning enhance participation and meaningful learning for students with ASD, ADHD, and dyslexia. The results also show that school belonging is directly associated with the quality of pedagogical relationships, affective bonds, and the recognition of students as subjects of rights. The study demonstrates that inclusion is realized as an ethical-political project when schools collectively assume responsibility for educational justice and for valuing the singularities of neurodevelopment.