Online College and Graduate Students with Neurodivergence

Students who are neurodivergent often face more difficulties in college than their neurotypical peers. In fact, among students who are neurodivergent, only 41% make it to graduation for their bachelor’s degree compared to 59% for neurotypical students. Juggling academic and work obligations, maintaining or building social connections, and staying organized and motivated all pose especially unique challenges when you are neurodivergent. Establishing a routine to provide consistency and choosing a program with the right support is crucial to their success.

With the right plan and support, neurodivergent students can achieve anything their neurotypical peers can. The growth of virtual learning and greater understanding and acceptance of neurodivergence gives prospective college and graduate students a plethora of online options to choose from. This guide overviews common types of neurodivergence and how these brain differences can lead to challenges in school. It also offers solutions and resources available to help overcome these challenges.

When the way someone processes information significantly deviates from that of the “average” or “typical” individual, they are neurodivergent. Their brains simply work differently, and this modified cognitive functioning can create struggles in communication, learning, and perception that a neurotypical person might not experience. For example, a typical graduate student might quickly read a chapter in a textbook and understand what they read. A neurodivergent person, however, may have trouble concentrating enough to finish the chapter, or they can concentrate but processes letters and words differently and take much longer to finish reading that chapter.

There are many types of neurodivergence. Some of the most common include:

Attention–Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) manifests in various ways, but it often affects concentration and attention. This can make communicating and managing time and tasks harder for someone with ADHD. Despite its name and common symptoms, many people with ADHD often show high levels of concentration and efficiency, especially when working on tasks of particular interest to them. ADHD is also commonly associated with creative and innovative ideas resulting from busy and bold ways of thinking.

Also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), autism is a well-known form of neurodivergence. Common challenges faced by those with autism include multi-tasking, social communication, and reading other people’s emotions. Individuals with autism may also exhibit repetitive behaviors. Autism is difficult to characterize not just because of the wide range of symptoms but because these traits can present themselves in varying degrees. Students with autism often show substantial levels of logical thinking, attention to detail, and recall of extensive amounts of information, especially about a particular topic of interest.

The most common type of learning disability, the most common neurodivergence, is dyslexia. Generally, dyslexia is difficulty reading and spelling accurately. Other types of learning disorders include dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and auditory and language processing disorders. Dysgraphia is trouble with handwriting, spelling, or expressing ideas with written words, while dyscalculia relates to processing numbers and completing mathematical calculations. Auditory processing disorder is a learning disability where a person might have normal hearing but struggle hearing the different sounds in spoken words, and individuals with language processing disorder struggle understanding written or spoken language and/or using written or spoken language to express themselves.

Sometimes known as developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia relates to a person’s movements and spatial awareness. Someone with dyspraxia may have trouble learning to write or have poor hand/eye coordination. Even though dyspraxia relates to body movement and balance, it sometimes exhibits characteristics of other types of neurodivergence like trouble concentrating, communicating, and remembering information. People with dyspraxia tend to have an easier time empathizing with others and thinking outside the box to solve problems.

Tourette syndrome is a condition of the body’s nervous system that causes involuntary tics. Tics may include repeated body twitches, sounds, or other movements. Someone with Tourette syndrome may be able to stop their tics but only temporarily. Unlike how Tourette syndrome is portrayed in the media, most people with this condition are not significantly affected in their daily lives. Because a tic can draw unwanted attention, however, a person with this disorder may worry or experience social anxiety. Many who have Tourette syndrome also have other mental, behavioral, developmental, or anxiety disorders.

Epilepsy, one of the most common types of neurological disorders, manifests through unprovoked and recurring seizures. A seizure occurs when the brain experiences an abnormally high level of electrical activity. Seizure signs range from someone staring blankly for a few moments to convulsions affecting the whole body. Most people effectively treat their epilepsy using medications. Treatment may be required for the rest of a person’s life. For many, though, especially children as they grow and develop, the seizures eventually go away.

The public has become more aware and accepting of chronic mental illnesses. In severe cases, mental illness can be debilitating. Mental illness is often described as an invisible disability. While having the benefit of not being readily obvious to others, it can make obtaining accommodations and treatment more difficult. The most common types of mental illness include bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, and depression. With the right counselor, doctor, and therapist, most people can effectively treat their mental illness with medication and/or therapy.

One of the best ways educators can support their neurodiverse students is through flexibility. Because their brains work differently, offering as many instructional and support options as possible to neurodiverse students can help ease the graduate school transition process and improve learning outcomes. Below are some of the ways online learning can benefit neurodivergent graduate students.

Some neurodivergent students need additional time to learn. This includes needing more time to learn the materials, but it also may mean spending time to find the best routine and learning strategies for a given subject or class. In some situations, neurodiverse students are able to learn a topic faster than their peers. Since many online classes are asynchronous, students can learn at their own pace, finish a class and move on, or take additional time to complete the course requirements.

Distance learning tools give access to a much larger selection of schools and programs. This applies not just to academic offerings but to student support services as well. Remote learning offers a far more convenient way to attend class without worrying about logistical considerations or whether a classroom has the necessary accommodations. This is especially helpful for students with mobility issues.

Instead of attending class on campus, students can learn from a location conducive to their learning style with characteristics the student can control. Examples include at home, in a quiet spot in the school’s library, or in any location with an internet connection. Instead of having to ask a professor or school administrator to modify a classroom to meet their needs, a student can do what is necessary to find a flexible learning location.

One of the characteristics that many neurodivergent students have to cope with is increased anxiety levels or feelings of anxiety that are slow to subside. Online education gives students more leeway in dealing with their anxiety. This includes creating a classroom and study environment that’s less likely to trigger anxiety as well as learning flexibility that alleviates certain fears and concerns.

Whether it’s the presentation of class materials or taking proactive steps to receive needed accommodations, having a say in how you learn does a lot to improve the graduate school experience. Online students have greater control over when and how they learn, making the academic process more effective and leading to increased student satisfaction.

When attending in-person graduate school, a student must provide necessary documentation and evidence to support a request for learning accommodations. After submitting an accommodation request, you must then wait for the school to respond. With online learning, however, a neurodiverse student may not have to formally request an accommodation because it’s naturally built into how the course is presented.

Schools recognizing the special needs of their neurodiverse students respond in a variety of ways, including through implementing special initiatives and creating dedicated departments or programs. At some schools, the programs help professors better teach and accommodate their neurodiverse students. Other schools have programs specifically intended for direct student assistance. Below are several notable neurodivergent support programs and what they do to help students, especially those attending class online. While most of these are specific school programs, many schools offer comparable or similar services.

With the right attitude, planning, and hard work, neurodivergence should not keep you from earning your degree. Still, everyone, neurotypical or not, can benefit from resources and assistance. The resources below include assistive technology and apps tailored to neurodiverse students to make earning an online master’s degree a bit easier.

Q. Tell us about your college experience as a neurodivergent student.

A. When I was in undergrad at the University of Lynchburg, I took classes in person and advocated to get accommodations that would meet my needs. I was allowed extra time on tests/assignments, able to take tests in private/quiet areas, given permission to type my notes in real-time during class, and not penalized for grammar or spelling errors. The small classroom sizes, personal relationships with my professors, and accommodations allowed me to see for the first time what my educational potential could be, and I started to truly believe in myself. 

I went on to attend the University of Maryland’s graduate program and was provided the same accommodations as I had in undergrad. However, my graduate program was predominately online, and I found that during the first semester I didn’t really utilize the accommodations that I had needed during in-person learning. All of my notes were typed and professors would even provide their notes to students to use for reference. Tests did not have a time limit, and I could take all my tests quietly/privately since it was done remotely. During my second semester, Covid happened, and lockdowns were nationwide. As such, the teachers and school provided grace in terms of submitting papers on time and when it came to spelling/grammar mistakes. The graduate program was never in-person again due to covid, so everything – including graduation – was remote. 

Q. What was the most difficult part of the graduate journey for you?

A. Online classes were by far the most difficult part. It is really hard to be remote and have recorded lectures where you are not able to ask questions in real-time and often have to wait days to get a response to your question as the primary way you are learning material. In some of the classes, it felt like I was having to teach myself. While there are advantages to online classes – quiet setting, flexible schedule, etc. – when someone has a learning disability or difference it can be very isolating and more challenging than it otherwise should be. Plus, it is hard to develop those personal relationships with classmates and professors that can really enrich an educational experience.

Q. What accommodation did you find most helpful and why?

A. I found that having extra time to complete assignments was the most helpful. With my dyslexia and ADHD, my brain would frequently fill in words that I mistyped or didn’t type at all when I would read through my paper. Often it would take days of putting the paper down and coming back to it to re-read it to find mistakes I had missed before. Plus, the additional stress of Covid increased my anxiety. The additional time really helped ease some of the unnecessary but uncontrollable anxiety I experienced when writing my papers and completing the assignments.

Q. How difficult was it to get the accommodations you needed?

A. It was not an easy process to get accommodations for graduate school at the University of Maryland. I had to prove that I had a disability by showing them a psychological assessment I had in middle school and providing a current copy of my ADHD prescription.  I also had to prove I had been on that medication for an extended amount of time and that this wasn’t a new diagnosis. I had to fill out essay-style questions on why accommodations would be helpful, and I was required to interview before they could approve or deny my accommodations. Then I had to reach out to each teacher individually before the semester started to tell them about my accommodations.

Neither the school nor the teachers provided guidance on which accommodations would be beneficial to meet my needs based on classroom design. This was my first time receiving online instruction, so suggestions on additional accommodations that could meet my needs would have been appreciated. The most frustrating part was I had to repeat the approval process every semester if I wanted ongoing accommodations. It felt overwhelming and like they were purposely trying to discourage accommodations with such a policy.