Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life

by Thomas Armstrong

A new concept on human diversity has emerged over the past 10 years that promises to revolutionize the way educators provide services to students with special needs: neurodiversity. Just as we celebrate diversity in nature and cultures, so too do we need to honor the diversity of brains among our students who learn, think, and behave differently. In Neurodiversity in the Classroom, best-selling author Thomas Armstrong argues that we should embrace the strengths of such neurodiverse students to help them and their neurotypical peers thrive in school and beyond.

This innovative book focuses on five categories of special needs: learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders. For each category, Armstrong provides an in-depth discussion of

* The positive attributes associated with that category,
* Acclaimed neurodiverse adults who have excelled in their chosen fields,
* Computer programs and applications that allow students with special needs to overcome obstacles and achieve success,
* Rich networks of human resources both inside and outside of school that educators can draw upon to support the social and emotional lives of neurodiverse students,
* Innovative learning strategies that are tailored to each student's unique strengths,
* Future career paths for which a student’s particular gifts might be a good fit,
* Modifications in the school environment that allow for seamless inclusion of neurodiverse students in the regular classroom, and
* Timely information about how to integrate the strategies and assessments for each category with the Common Core State Standards.

It's time that we focused on celebrating rather than pathologizing our students with special needs so that they can fully realize their potential in school and life. This practical and thought-provoking book will inspire teachers and administrators everywhere to make sure that all students with special needs get the support and strength-based instruction they deserve.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Psychology

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2012

About the author

I am the author of 20 books, including my latest The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Neurodivergent Brain (Completely Updated and Revised Second Edition), which is a complete rewrite of a book I wrote with a similar title but slightly different subtitle in 2010.

My other books include: The Myth of the ADHD Child, 7 Kinds of Smart, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, and The Power of the Adolescent Brain. I've also written for Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and the AMA Journal of Ethics.

I see myself as a reader as much as, or even more than, a writer. Some of the books which I've enjoyed recently include Joseph and His Sons by Thomas Mann, The Story of the Stone/Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, the complete Arabian Nights (3 volumes), translated by Malcolm C. Lyons, The Studs Lonigan Trilogy by James T. Farrell, and From Here to Eternity by James Jones.

Beyond literature and writing, my hobbies and pursuits include improvising on the piano, doing mindfulness meditation, watching great movies on The Criterion Channel, doing yoga, and cooking Mediterranean cuisine.

Married for twenty-five years, and now divorced, I live in a cute Victorian style home on a hill in Sonoma County, California with my dog Daisy.

Reviews

[Jael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and a good book to come back to in the future. It might already be a bit outdated, but it is still a good foundation for future knowledge!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book with numerous helpful examples on creating a neurodiversity-inclusive and strengths-based classroom.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a graduate class I am taking on special populations. I did learn quite a bit about autism but I felt that this book fell short when talking about other factors that can affect learning in the classroom. Saying gang leaders should be praised for their interpersonal skills was a bit over the top for me.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. This book teaches you the "gifts" and "joys" of each disability, which really helped me better appreciate my son with ADHD and my students with autism. Armstrong explains what gifts they have, famous successful people with these disabilities to use as role models for similarly-struggling students, what jobs they would excel at, and most importantly for teachers, specific strategies to use in the classroom to make use of students with disabilities' strengths, and what types of environments and niches will definitely lead to failure for them. I especially appreciated the sections on assistive technologies for the students depending on their disabilities. Not only will this book help a teacher to be the best he or she can be to reach all students, but parents of children with disabilities may learn to see their children in a whole new (better) light.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that for what it aims to be, it’s a decent book, but it feels somewhat outdated. Unfortunately my context for reading this was the college classroom, and most of the ideas presented are particularly suited for elementary/maaaybe high school education. Still there are some good nuggets and I’m overall glad to have read it; I think I’ll need a different resource moving forward though.

[Randy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as apart of a course I am taking. The text is outdated and very generic. I found that while it helps to review strength based strategies, they should be the standard for educators. I was hoping there would be more strategies or ideas than this text offered.

[Katrina Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of a variety of neurodiverse students and how to work with them. I especially liked the tips on a strengths based approach for each type of student.

[Nancy Sherod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read!!! Made me stop and truly think of the way I’ve looked at things!!! Great great model and amazing insights!!! A must read for all my teacher friends!!!!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Gretchen Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs updating.

[Keegan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Read it for a class.

Pretty sure it said *Brilliant Mind* when it meant *Beautiful Mind* with Russell Crowe.

It didn't have much new information for me. And it felt kind of dated.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reading of this book was perfectly timed. It focuses on looking at disabilities from a positive perspective; focusing on the strengths of individual learners. It paints the picture of the network a team can put in place to help all children be successful in their general education settings. I was able to read it in one day and it's chapters would be a great resource for discussions with colleagues and parents.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely add my professional reading to Goodreads because it's generally dry and unremarkable. I'm adding this one as I appreciated its focus on strength based strategies and it was relatively well written and succinct. I think it may be a good resource for professional development for teachers or for teaching pre-service teachers.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I include this book only to remind myself that I do professional reading as well.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it for a class but a a good read.

[Marguerite · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an overview of the strengths that frequently go hand-in-hand in different diagnosis. It offers ideas on how to allow students to use these strengths to be more successful, and suggests role-models that have been successful despite (or because of) their disabilities. The only problems with the book are: it gets a little repetitive by the end (every chapter follows the same formula), and many of the ideas its suggestion are not available in my schools district.

[Emily Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good insight/inspiration! He gives practical steps for educators and other professionals to take to make a more holistic learning environment. Also has a lot of good further reading suggestions! He is a bit idealistic in his “scenarios”, but I love his positive mentality and push for inclusion.

“Rather, neurodiversity seeks to acknowledge the richness and complexity of human nature and of the human brain.”