What is Inclusive Education? Supporting students with diverse learning needs

Understanding special education needs and disabilities

Are you new to the education game or an old hand? Doesn’t matter really – when it comes to students with diverse and additional learning needs, they’re all unique in different ways.

When I was first asked to write this article, I was excited to sink my teeth into the topic, but my eyes boggled slightly, and I asked my editor:

‘Special needs in the classroom –
how on earth do you want me to narrow this down and angle this article??? 
I could write a dissertation on this topic!’

Physical, developmental, or psychological?

Mainstream or special needs?

Lower primary, upper primary or secondary school?

Special needs in education, such a non-specific, generalised term! 

If you have a student in your class who has a physical condition, such as epilepsy, you can train and upskill yourself.  Student with diabetes? Same thing! A student who uses a wheelchair – you would start measuring the gaps between the desks and check ramp accessibility.

But what if we’re talking about a student who falls under the umbrella term of Neurodiversity?  

Having been involved in education for most of my life, I know that there are so many professional development courses on this subject. Everyone has the “magic answer”. 

Well, there isn’t a magic answer! Just teachers doing their best against increasing numbers of students with diverse needs, interests, and an ever-changing curriculum.

There are lots of ways in which a student can fall under the neurodiversity umbrella, but the ones you are most likely to encounter are probably;

• Autism
• ADHD 
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia 
• Dyscalculia

I’m hoping your training better prepared you for special needs in the classroom – I know mine didn’t! I was given half a lecture in my four-year degree (which was on Down’s Syndrome) and off I was sent, like a lamb to the slaughter, apparently ready for the mainstream school environment and the wealth of different needs that would face me in every single classroom that I entered.

With (ahem) well over a decade of teaching under my belt, I now take my trained therapy dog Ziggy into special needs and mainstream schools to work with students who, with the help of my fabulous furry friend, can learn skills that allow them to better navigate the school environment, no matter their background or special education needs. 

There is a wealth of different diagnoses that students could have in your classroom, and the ways to manage and support them are as diverse as the conditions and the students who have them.

The importance of inclusive education for all students

I came across Puneet Siinghal, who put this so well:

“Allowing a student with a hidden disability (ADHD, Anxiety, Dyslexia) to struggle academically or socially when all that is needed for success are appropriate accommodations and explicit instruction, is no different than failing to provide a ramp for a person in a wheelchair.”

Puneet Siinghal

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Australian schools are required by law to provide support systems for those who have specific needs arising from a disability; however, those with unseen disabilities can often go undetected and left to struggle.

Accommodations aren’t special treatment. They are the tools that students need to achieve success.

Common challenges faced by students with special needs

Students have often been told (in very serious voices by well-meaning adults) that they have a disability. 

I instead choose to say to them that they are a part of a team now – a tribe, if you will – and that all they need to do is work out how their brain works best. 

If you see neurodiversity as just a different way of thinking (and that is all that it is!) and are cheerful about it – then chances are they will too.

Autism

Autism isn’t something that you can say ah yes- the student has a red throat and a cough: that’s tonsillitis – Autism is a spectrum or a sphere. 

What this means in a practical sense is that there is no sure-fire way of saying ‘ah yes, definitely student X has Autism’. What you more likely get is a series of indicators, things like;

• Difficulty with social interactions,
• Difficulty in understanding what others are thinking or feeling,
• Lack of engagement with subject matter or peers,
• Tendency to take instructions or information literally,
• Challenges with communication,
• A keen interest in certain activities or subject areas, 
• Sensory needs such as overstimulation in loud or crowded environments or harsh lighting,
• A need for repetitive movements or behaviours, 
• Limited eye contact.

This is far from an exhaustive list. But they are the most common that you are likely to see in your classroom.

It’s really when these things are getting in the way of the student being the best that they can be in school, and in life, that diagnoses, support, and medicine may need to be considered.

While observing one of these behaviours might not lead to a sure-fire diagnosis, when a series of these types of behaviours is exhibited by one student, then it is worth delving deeper and seeing what else might be going on in this student’s world. 

While one student might struggle to wear the uniform for sensory reasons, become overwhelmed by loud noises in the classroom, and eat exactly the same food every day, another might be masking the behaviours and behave “normally” with periods of “unexplained” explosive behaviour. 

You may not even see it in your classroom. If students are comfortable and safe with you and/or they are masking at school, then students are more likely to meltdown at home, where they feel safe.

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

Can you hear my teeth grinding here? Another D word!

These are the kids who stereotypically can’t sit still and focus, but you might also see;

• An inability to time manage – constant lateness to class or with tasks,
• Inattentiveness (their brain is busy elsewhere),
• Impulsivity,
• Restlessness or fidgeting,
• Blurting out answers and/or
• Interrupting others.

Again, this list is not exhaustive but may indicate ADHD behaviours.

This does not mean that you excuse all behaviours such as these in your class (there would be total chaos), but it does mean that there might be a reason behind them.

It also might be that

1. The student is young and their brain is still developing, and/or
2. That the student’s diet and sleep patterns might be worth investigating. 

Autism and ADHD often go hand in hand; behaviours may cross between the two conditions. 

Dyspraxia

This condition typically presents as problems with coordination and movement, which might look like;

• Difficulty with gross motor skills
  • Difficulty navigating the school or classroom,
  • Clumsiness, and/or
  • Difficulty in gross motor-focused classes, such as physical education. 

• Difficulty with fine motor skills
  • Difficulty with writing or mouse/keyboard skills, and/or
  • Difficulty in fine work subjects, such as chemistry and art.

Again, this might be an age or developmental delay, depending on the age and specific student situation, but it might also be worth keeping an eye on to see if the school can assist with occupational therapy strategies.

Dyscalculia

Simply put, this means that the student will struggle with maths or numerically-based tasks. 

This might look like;

• Struggling to tell the time,
• Counting on their fingers rather than using processes such as skip counting, 
• Difficulty with
  • Mental mathematics,
  • Mathematical symbols, place value, and vocabulary,
  • Sequencing issues, and/or
• Inattention and distractibility.

It might also be as simple as a student saying to you: “The numbers keep jumping around the page,” or “all the numbers are a blur when they’re on the page”.

It could mean that they just need further

Dyslexia

Much like dyscalculia, but with words (reading, writing, and spelling in particular).

This might look like;

• Spelling and reading issues (beyond normal boundaries and age-related challenges),
• Coding and comprehension difficulties,
• Word substitution, and/or
• Work avoidance.

Students have often given me clues such as “the words jump around on the page” or “but that’s what it says!”

Again, it might just be a developmental delay or something that hasn’t been focused on in the past, be it at home or in prior classes, or the student might be dealing with something more complex. 

Anxiety and depression

These often go hand in hand with neurodiversity. 

Anxiety can manifest in a range of different ways

• Nail biting (or other repetitive and potentially destructive behaviours),
• Anger (masking shame and frustration),
• Explosive and aggressive behaviours (masking the things that cannot be said or frustrations that have been held in),
• Freezing and/or fleeing the classroom (the body’s way of coping when “cornered”),
• Problems focusing in the classroom (brain is elsewhere or overwhelmed),
• Head and stomach aches (holding in stress), and/or
• School refusal (avoid the situation altogether).

Depression can also be rife and not always easily seen

• Feeling tired, low energy, and disengaging from others or activities that they have previously loved,
• Having negative thoughts about themselves, their abilities, and the world around them (this can also link to self-harm and suicide),
• Feeling unhappy, numb, empty, irritable, or angry, and/or
• Changes to “normal” student behaviours. 

As a general rule of thumb, if students are having more bad days than good, you should seek help. There is a huge range of online and in-person options available.

If you are unsure, err on the side of caution and start the process of getting help. It can be a tricky topic to broach with students, but a very important one – you might be, quite literally, saving a life. 

Male vs female diagnosis

These types of neurodiverse behaviours are often more externalized and diagnosed in male rather than female students. 

Female students are often more able to mimic those around them in order to “fit in”, making them harder to diagnose. However, I have also experienced males who mask when they are in a comfortable environment with people they can trust. 

Inclusive learning in the classroom

Primary school

In some ways, you face the trickier end of students’ school lives, as this is the part where 

• Behaviours might be missed as they are often mistaken for developmental delays and/or
• Students might be in the process of being diagnosed. 
• You will be answering 101 questions from parents who
  • Only want the best for their beloved offspring,
  • Are navigating this new path alongside their children or
  • Simply do not believe (for whatever reason) that their child might be neurodivergent. 

Your job is to do what you do best – get to know every student in your care. What are they good at and challenged by? What their motivations might be, as well as their triggers.  

If you are observing concerns, speak to the school’s learning support coordinator. Are they also noticing these behaviours? 

Be an advocate for your students.

Secondary school

In some ways, this is the simpler end, and in some ways it can be harder.

• You are more likely to be handed students with existing diagnoses and/or individual education plans. 
• They are older and are more self-aware; they know how they work best, ask them.

If a student asks to complete their work sitting at the side of the classroom (instead of the middle), so they’re not disrupted by other students, why argue? If they’re getting work done and their needs met, isn’t that your objective?

Things to consider:

• Students may or may not have been diagnosed at this point,
• Girls who have been masking for their school career so far may have reached their social extension and be dropping their masking,
• Hormones (enough said!)

Teenagers can be challenging at the best of times, but add in neurodiversity and there’s a whole new level of tangled personalities in the one room.

I have found that asking students to fill in a quick questionnaire (like the one below) is a great way to get a snapshot at the start of the year when I am getting to know my students. 

You will then have a quick and easy starting point for understanding how your class might work best to support neurodiversity and the needs of all of your students. You can adapt as you get to know them better and as their needs change throughout the year.

Collaborating with families and specialists to support students

Families

This can sometimes be a tricky one. But I find the best way to collaborate with families is by:

• Maintaining open, respectful communication that values their insights and experiences,
• Sharing regular updates (meeting in person, phone calls, or messages), shared goal-setting, and transparency.

While some parents are knowledgeable about inclusive education for students with special needs, others may recognise that they need help but are clueless about where to start.

Specialists

Working alongside specialists, such as speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, or occupational therapists, can support you to implement tailored strategies and interventions that align with each student’s individual needs. 

Understandably, juggling educational targets alongside therapies can become overwhelming and sometimes disruptive to your original lesson plan. But these therapies are so important to individuals’ educational development and well-being. 

Embrace a team-based approach to create inclusive learning environments that promote student progress, well-being, and a sense of belonging. 

Medication

This is simple – if the kid needs to go to the school nurse to take their medication, quietly and unobtrusively let them go at the right time. 

No student wants to be ‘that kid’, so just set an alarm if you think you might forget and have a secret signal for your student.

I let students choose their own ringtone on my phone, and when it goes off, I simply make eye contact with that student, or go and place my hand on their desk if they are hearing impaired and/or a student who doesn’t make eye contact, and off they go.

Give them a subtle nod when they come back to acknowledge them, and on you go.

The number of times I have seen teachers calling out students so that the whole class is in absolutely no doubt about who is going to visit the school nurse and why. Or huffing and groaning before telling the student, making it clear that this is such a bother for them. 

This is not fair to the student. It doesn’t need to be a big deal.

Practical classroom strategies to support inclusive learning

1) Listen

Sounds simple, often hard to do. 

We are busy people. It can be really hard to get to know every single student under your care and exactly what triggers them and complete the curriculum and do crazy things like eat and go to the toilet, particularly in secondary school, where you might only get them 5 times in a fortnightly cycle for an hour.

BUT if you are seen as an approachable adult who will take their feelings into account, no matter how nonsensical they might seem (to both them and you), students are much more likely to open up to you. 

Getting to know them will allow you to 

• Better plan for your classes and neurodivergent students,
• Diversify and implement teaching strategies to meet all student needs,
• Meet and exceed curriculum goals, and 
• Make your classroom a welcoming and inclusive environment. 

Win-win!

2) Tone of voice and body language

Neurodivergent students might not always understand these two, but they do know when you are

• Cross because they are late again (this could be due to fear of going to the toilet during lunch, so they went after everyone was in class),
• Frustrated because they haven’t completed their work (this could be due to the fans being too loud and they couldn’t concentrate, Student Y was tapping the back of their chair, and they’re on the verge of a meltdown, or this morning’s class was moved to a different room and they haven’t been able to focus since).

Absolutely, you are human (I’ve definitely been guilty of losing my patience before too), but if you can take a deep breath and really listen, then you are better equipped to deal with student X both in the moment and in the future. 

If you are a safe and trustworthy adult, they are also more likely to open up to you and share what it is that is problematic – making both your and their lives easier, win-win!

3) Collaborate with colleagues

There are other staff members who are also working with this student and class. Schedule a quick meeting to see

• What makes this particular student light up,
• What triggers are being noticed across subject areas,
• If other staff have noticed behaviours that could indicate neurodivergence,
• If particular inclusive learning approaches, seating plans, and/or techniques are more effective than others.

Don’t reinvent the wheel. It might be as simple as a group email or a quick coffee in the staff room, but something as simple as keeping student experiences consistent across their day might be the key to having a better experience with that student or class, and/or them engaging better with their peers and your subject matter.  

4) Build and maintain a routine

Avoid forced compliance and behaviour charts wherever possible – they tend to backfire! – but do ensure that you give students time to transition between one subject or place to another.

• Ensure students are familiar with the routine and stick to it as much as possible,
• Give warnings when students need to transition –
  • ‘5 minutes until we move to the library, 
  • 2 minutes before we go to the library, 
  • 1 minute…’ 

It might sound simple, but it allows students time to regulate themselves before transitions. (It is also super handy for neurotypical students anyway.)

Encourage positive behaviours and verbally reward students for exhibiting these behaviours rather than discouraging or punishing negative behaviours. You will have a more positive and peaceful class.

5) Consider your seating

It might not be a problem for you, but things like

• Being seated next to the fish tank (can’t filter the noise),
• Sitting next to student X (anxiety or fear), or
• Being seated in a certain space (too loud, triggering lighting)

might be extremely triggering for certain students.

Use the What I’d Like My Teacher to Know document regarding how students work best. If student X needs to work at the front, where they can hear better with their hearing aid, why wouldn’t you move student Y away from the noisiest part of the class or give them a wobble chair to self-regulate?

6) Movement breaks

Some students are super active, whether they have special needs or not, so make this part of your classroom practice. 

Absolutely, you need to get them used to more sustained periods of education, but rather than fighting your students to keep them at their desks, why not incorporate a balance of physical and mental activities?

This could be as simple as having a student stand on one leg and try to sign their name with their foot, or singing a song like their ABCs, complete with movements. Allow high school students 5 minutes to chat or stretch their legs. 

7) Brain breaks

Allowing students to take brain breaks during class will result in more focused and productive sessions of work both before and after. 

I have seen teachers with;

• A corner of fun, quiet activities set up that students can have access to at designated times (think puzzles, drawing, craft),
• A grid that students can use where certain activities are crossed off and can only be used once, so that student X tries a range of different brain breaks rather than being reliant on only a select few. 

8) Anticipate behaviours

When you know your class, this is so much easier.

But if you can get to know student triggers – be it the harsh noise of the bell or the fact that it is Thursday and he/she/they have sport after your lesson, which is triggering for them – then you can put some of the tactics covered in this article in place beforehand. This will assist the student to regulate, allow them to feel supported, and hopefully allow them to move more easily through their day. 

Things that may be triggering, 

• Hunger before breaks,
• Fear of social interactions before lunch,
• Moving from one parent’s house to another, or
• The feel of the formal uniform on their skin vs the soft sports uniform

These things might appear simple and unimportant, but do not dismiss them. For a neurodivergent student, this might be the difference between a meltdown and staying focused in the class.

When neurodivergent brains become hyper-focused on something, they are often unable to think of anything else and/or concentrate on anything other than what they have been focused on. It can also be very hard for them to remove themselves from the environment. If you can anticipate behaviours and assist students in developing regulation skills, you will have a much more productive and calmer classroom.

Practise self-awareness in your classroom, be it primary, middle, or high school. This will allow students to develop much-needed skills that will long be used outside of your classroom.

9) Build mindfulness into your day

This might sound like yet another thing to pack into an already crowded day – but by incorporating mindfulness into your classroom, I guarantee you will reap the rewards!

Losing 5 minutes of class time can result in 

1. More focused students 
2. More positive students and 
3. A calmer classroom environment.

This could be as simple as

• Lowering the lights and playing calming music for 5 minutes of meditation after the craziness of lunch,
• Creating a calming corner with
  • Colouring in,
  • Origami and other crafts,
  • Lego or other building implements and/or
  • Fidgets.
• Practising yoga at the end of the day,
• Have calming (non-lyrical) music playing in the background during independent work,
• Dancing out excess energy, before returning to work,
• Having the day’s schedule displayed at the front of the class, and/or
• Giving 5, 2, and 1-minute warnings as a part of your practice so that students are aware of what is happening, what is coming up, and that they need to prepare themselves to transition. 

If you can read the room and when students become disengaged or fidgety, give them the 5 minutes they need and then return to work. Slowly but surely, you can build up your classes’ stamina whilst maintaining a calm and practical classroom. 

10) Provide regulation tools

This is as simple as finding out what works for your students and ensuring that they have access to them.

Consider;

• Wobble chairs or fidget chair bands (allow movement while seated without distraction for others),
• Fidget toys (remember that there is a huge range of these – find out what works best for your student),
• Access to foam-filled bean bags or sensory body socks (to release oxytocin and endorphins when students are overstimulated or stressed), and/or
• Noise-cancelling headphones or loops (to cancel out excess sound – these are particularly great for environments such as school assemblies and sports events, which are often triggering for students who are neurodivergent). 

Of course, this doesn’t mean your room is filled with giant noisy fidgets and kids running amok in sensory socks. But having a range of smaller, unobtrusive fidgets in pockets and tubs as well as access to other tools and furniture adaptation.

11) Provide alternative activities for those who struggle with break time

Often hard to do, but a unified approach will benefit students across the school.

A designated room or the use of the library is the ideal, but not always possible. A room that has:

• A quiet space
• Different textures for sensory students,
• Alternative play items, such as board games …

I completely understand the need for staff to take breaks, but having this haven will help neurodivergent students. 

12) Teach life skills

Support students in developing life skills by embedding practical, real-world learning opportunities into everyday classroom activities. This includes promoting independence, communication, social interaction, and emotional regulation through structured routines, role-play, and collaborative tasks. 

By developing such life skills, students are better equipped to:

• Engage with peers, participate in activities, and form meaningful relationships.
• Manage emotions, engage positively with learning, attend school regularly, and persevere through challenges.
• Reduce reliance on others and build self-confidence.

Meltdowns

These happen. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. 

Meltdowns might look like 

• An inability to regulate behaviour.
• Verbal/vocal outbursts, such as yelling, screaming, or crying.
• Physical actions such as hitting, pushing, or throwing furniture.
• Withdrawal.
• Self-injurious behaviours, such as hitting themselves or banging their head on the floor/wall.

Top tips;

• Keep them and the other students in your care safe. 
• Try not to engage verbally, as they are often not capable of rational thought. Speak to them rationally after the crisis has calmed.
• Have a unified plan for the student that is as consistent as possible across the school. 
• Have a designated space for decompression.
• They are likely to be tired after a meltdown, so respond accordingly. 
• Students are likely to be embarrassed or ashamed following meltdowns as they have lost control in front of their peers. Respond calmly and appropriately. 

In summary

Often, teaching whole classes about neurodiversity can be incredibly beneficial, whether they themselves are neurodivergent or not. They might have a neurodivergent friend, workmate, sibling, or parent.

If they don’t, chances are they will encounter someone who is at some point in their life. 

If you can normalise and celebrate diversity within your classroom, then everyone will benefit – whether it be religious, cultural, sexuality, gender, disability, or anything else really.

At the end of the day, all of our students are different; it’s just that some need movement breaks, others need visual or auditory learning processes, and that’s ok. We just need to get to know our kids and do what we always do – teach them as best we can!

References

1. Disability Standards for Education 2005. Education Gov AU. https://www.education.gov.au/disability-standards-education-2005
2. ADHD/Autism comparative image. Health Grades. resources.healthgrades.com/right-care/adhd/adhd-vs-autism. Accessed 20/6/25
3. Autism spectrum as a wheel image. Behavioural Education Solutions. facebook.com/BehavioralEducationalSolutionsPc. Accessed 20/6/25
4. Autistic meltdowns triggers wheel image. Lil Penguins Studios. lilpenguinstudios.com. Accessed 20/6/25
5. Knowing our triggers image. The Mom Brain Therapist. home-startspelthorne.org/the-mom-brain-therapist. Accessed 20/6/25
6. Maori word for Autism image. The Autistic Teacher. facebook.com/photo. Accessed 20/6/25
7. Siinghal, Puneet. @puneetsinghal22. X. 4.28am, Dec 29th, 2024.
8. Some kids need movement breaks… image. ASD Reading. Instagram; ASD_reading. instagram.com/asd_reading. Accessed 20/6/25
9. The realities of our education system image. Research Gate. researchgate.net/post/How_should_could_we_improve_the_Educational_System_to_adapt_modern_times_and_future_generations/2. Accessed 20/6/25