The Connection Initiative
Research Question:
How do the systems for educating neurodivergent students better equip them for their future endeavors? Are educators properly equipped to educate neurodivergent students in a traditional classroom setting?
Background:
With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been increasingly difficult to proceed with the transition out of the virtual world and toward normalcy. As the world begins to progress away from the fears and uncertainties of this pandemic, communities must remain conscious of the health threats and concerns that come with the lingering pieces and safety concerns that remain. This plan looks to incorporate a safe plan to address a concern plaguing many schools across the country: preparing members of the neurodivergent community for their future endeavors while pursuing their primary education. The options are endless for students with special needs after they graduate high school. Some look to pursue further education within specific programs in colleges across the country, others may go straight to the workforce with a preliminary job, and many stay at home with their families because of limited opportunities and resources at their disposal. Opportunities after graduation become limited if programs within the schools of these students do not do enough for them. Many schools across the country do not have the resources to supply neurodivergent students with the reinforcement and the educational infrastructure to build upon the skills that are needed most for future endeavors. This proposal looks to guide schools in producing a program that builds on the skills that are needed most by students with special needs and create a more inclusive community in which they can grow and prepare for their post-graduate endeavors.
The Connection Initiative:
The Connection Initiative, in essence, looks to build on the social, cognitive, and inclusivity that is demanded by the parents, educators, and students of the special education community. The intent of this program is not to create a club within these schools, but rather to create a network in which inclusivity, belonging, and social skills can grow and thrive within an educational setting. The program looks to include neurodivergent students in many of the activities that occur in primary schools and give them a seat at the table where they can naturally build social skills that cannot be encapsulated in the traditional classroom setting. These activities include things as simple as going to the movies or the high school football game. Presenting low-risk environments for these students where they can engage with one another, and other students is imperative for the development of these skills. This network looks to bring students out of instruction of a teacher and into school environments with other students. By fostering these conditions, it will also create advocacy and inclusivity among students across the district. By choosing to include in these situations it is creating an instance where the things that make these students different are being looked past and forgotten. If these students are shown that they are included in the environments across schools, they can better interact with other students and communicate more effectively without stress.
Many things are required to make this concept a reality. The Connection Initiative is not possible without support from the school board, superintendent, principal at the respective school, staff that would be willing to take on the project, and the prospective students that would be willing to assist with the project. When implementing any new program, club, or organization at a school there are always many different hoops that must be jumped through to initiate the project and bring it into fruition. Coming out of the pandemic, this process should be made easier as students will need an outlet to interact in person. Students must be able to engage in programs like this because of the time that they have missed in virtual school and without human connectivity. Building social skills cannot be done if a student is isolated at their home and joining classes through a window on their laptop. Real connection is built within the classrooms and face-to-face with educators and fellow students. Simply having students next to one another to interact is essential in this process, and in the wake of the global pandemic this process became far more difficult than it once was. The need to get these students into social environments where they can build these skills is even more vital to make up for the time that was lost in their development process. The first and most crucial steps away from COVID-19 begin with the engagement of students in classrooms.
One of the biggest setbacks when researching special education programs across the country is the lack of funding and resources that they possess. Wealthier communities can provide neurodivergent students with more resources to build skills and learn within schools, but not all schools have this luxury. This setback creates a barrier where students are not receiving the best education that they possibly can because of things that are out of their control. The implementation of a project like this requires a decent amount of support from the community within the school district, but in terms of funding it is extremely cheap to implement. There is no extra staff or technology that is needed to engage with students, and the utilization of community events and things occurring within the school creates the ability for these students to learn and grow within their community. This experience, if adopted by a school, is an inexpensive way to create the best potential educational environment for their students. The cost-effective program should be incorporated into schools because it allows them to retain the current special education curriculum while filling the gaps that it misses, giving the cheapest and most well-rounded education that a neurodivergent student can receive in their respective community.
This network is the potential steppingstones for the foundation of changes needed within the special education system, and by implementing it on a small scale, it could greatly benefit the special education system and community.