I would love to purchase a physical copy of this for the school that I work in! I am a Speech-Language Pathologist that has a neurodiversity diagnosis and works with many neurodivergent students. I love that this affirms their neurodiversity and breaks it down in a digestible manner for all parents and staff.

This book really good to help teacher understand about neurodiversity and what can we do to more accept diversity in classroom

I found this book to be informative and eye-opening. As a social worker in an elementary school, I am often asked to help support students who I believe to be neurodivergent. I have struggled to get everyone on the same page as to how best to provide the correct supports that match the individual students' needs. I wish all staff had to read this book to gain a better understanding as to what might be helpful and what might be harmful. I appreciated how the authors of this book explained the detrimental effects that masking has on neurodivergent learners as I have found myself pushing back against some “norms” of teaching “social skills” because it felt like I would be forcing students to mask who they are and what their needs were. While many educators know about UDL, I don’t think everyone sees how it includes creating a classroom that embraces all students who are neurodivergent and that this does not mean only kids with autism. Since COVID, I have seen many more students with sensory processing needs that are not being accommodated which causes them to struggle, and have more disruptive behaviors, and the reaction is that they are being difficult.

I appreciated how Inclusion was discussed, that we can’t talk about it without acknowledging how the alternative is exclusion and that many classrooms are set up so that students who are neurodiverse do not feel included or that they belong. “True belonging isn’t about being included in spaces you’d otherwise be excluded from. It’s about feeling welcome from the start”. Along those lines, I connected with the social model of disability discussion, that “it’s not neurodivergence that is disabling - it’s systemic barriers, negative attitudes, societal views, and exclusion that create the concept of disability. In other words, it is not the students who are disabled, but the environment-the school-that is disabling”. One of the statements that hit me hard was that “the hard truth is that for many neurodivergent learners, school is an environment where trauma occurs” because of how the environments are not set up to include them but judge them negatively.

I would recommend this to anyone working in a school system, teachers, administrators, mental health staff, paraprofessionals, as well as parents of neurotypical and neurodiverse children.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

This book provides a comprehensive guide to supporting neurodivergent children in the school setting, including a thorough and accessible description of neurodivergent with examples of neurodivergent language, focus on strengths, and examples of ways in which neurodivergent children may mask symptoms. The authors approach the topic in a hopeful and collaborative manner that aims to make small, gradual changes in the classroom over time that will one day lead to classrooms that are structured in ways that benefit multiple types of students.

As a child/adolescent therapist, this guide will be an incredibly valuable tool for me moving forward as I continuously partner with my clients, their parents/caregivers, and members of school teams to advocate for school-based practices that affirm neurodivergence. I am appreciative to have a guide like this one at my disposal when collaborating with school teams moving forward. I was especially appreciative of portions of the guide which included information on trauma practices; an entire chapter on emotionally competent classrooms; an entire chapter on strengths instruction; guidance on how to incorporate sensory needs into the classroom, which can be intimidating to school teams at times; and another entire chapter on mental health needs as related to neurodivergence! Additionally, the chapter focused on explaining IEPs and 504 Plans is written in a way that is easy to comprehend for those who may be unfamiliar with the legal side. This section will be helpful once again in my clinical practice when sharing new information with clients and parents/caregivers. Overall, this book is a great addition to the library of any teacher, school counselor or school psychologist, other school personnel, therapists, other providers who work alongside children and families, and the families and caregivers of children in general!

Thank you to NetGalley and Free Spirit Publishing who provided a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is an absolutely amazing resource with a wealth of information. It is such a well rounded guide to neurodiversity affirming practices from the culture of the school down to the individual needs of the student.

I love that it is digestible and accessible for a range of educators. It explains the how’s and why’s of masking, what behaviors are associated with profiles like demand avoidance and rejection sensitivity and how to look at everything from an affirming lens rather than a conforming lens.

IEPs and 504s can be tricky to write from a strengths based, affirming perspective as they are often written to consider “deficits.” This is full of suggestions and recommendations of how to be affirming within the systems that we have.

It goes beyond the academic expectations and the expectation of teaching neurodivergent students to fit within societal norms and includes chapters on creating an emotionally competent classroom, meeting sensory needs, neurodiversity affirming communications, and more.

I have already encouraged many of my colleagues to pick this up and will absolutely be recommending it to anyone who works within the realm of education and working with neurodivergent individuals.

I really enjoyed how informative this book is. I am currently in a Masters of Special Education program and plan to use some of the things I learned from this book in the classroom. I recently was diagnosed with ADHD and reading through this was very validating for me as a person as well as an educator.

A really useful book for anyone in education to read. Full of well presented information to make school a more positive place.

Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin have done a marvellous job of blending research and their own lived experiences into this resource that I think all educators should read.

As a late diagnosed neurodivergent person, who was in school this millennium, I actually find professional development days some of my hardest as an elementary teacher. A huge issue I struggle with is the outdated language and strategies that are still being considered as "best practice". I know deep down they do more harm than good and I want so much better for my students. I love how the authors approach this and provide actual strategies I can genuinely see myself using and working, that I am excited to try. The examples, tools, and reflection prompts throughout will make this really actionable and easy to share with colleagues whether it be those who visit my classroom or during staff meetings.

The approach to meeting sensory and executive functioning needs is something I explored last school year personally. I was met with little support from those around me, so I relied on viewing others online experiences to help inform and review goals for my students. I am thrilled to be able to bring this resource to support my desire to meet these needs in my general ed classroom.

This book will be one I will refer to for the rest of my career and Kircher-Morris and Morin will be authors I follow for as long as they wish to share.

A Transformative Guide to Building Truly Inclusive Schools

Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools by Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin is a must-read for educators committed to creating inclusive, supportive environments where all students feel valued and understood. As a high school teacher, I found this book incredibly insightful and practical, offering concrete steps to transform school practices in ways that affirm neurodiverse students' strengths and needs.

The authors do a phenomenal job of explaining the concept of neurodiversity and challenging traditional approaches to education that often focus on conformity rather than individuality. They provide actionable strategies to shift from a deficit-based mindset to one that celebrates the diverse ways students think, learn, and interact with the world. The book is filled with examples, tools, and reflection prompts that make it easy to implement their ideas in classrooms, staff meetings, and school policies.

One of the book’s standout features is its emphasis on collaboration and advocacy. Kircher-Morris and Morin empower educators to work alongside neurodiverse students and their families to co-create an environment where everyone feels safe and supported. Their discussion on adjusting teaching methods, rethinking behavioral expectations, and fostering emotional safety is both compassionate and practical.

What I found particularly valuable were the insights into sensory needs and executive functioning challenges, which are often misunderstood in traditional educational settings. The authors provide clear, research-backed suggestions for accommodations that go beyond compliance with laws like IDEA, aiming instead for true equity and belonging.

The authors also include downloadable resources and actionable frameworks that are perfect for professional development sessions or self-assessment as a teacher or administrator. These tools make it easier to move from theory to practice, helping schools implement neurodiversity-affirming approaches at all levels.

If I had to offer one suggestion, it would be to include more examples tailored to high schools specifically, as much of the book focuses on elementary and middle school settings. However, the principles are easily adaptable, and the book’s overall impact is profound.

Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools is an essential resource for educators, administrators, and anyone working with neurodiverse students. It’s more than a guide—it’s a call to action to create schools where every student feels accepted, supported, and empowered to thrive. This is a book I’ll be recommending widely to my colleagues and referencing often in my own practice!

A great reference for schools looking to support all learners. Neurodiversity-affirming schools provide some frameworks and discussions for general educators who received their credentials before the required deep conversations about students with disabilities. Firstly, the authors, Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin, center their discussions on the fact that neurodiverse individuals are already in schools and receiving education. How schools, administrators, and teachers respond to those students and their needs helps provide those pathways of belonging to the school community. Kircher-Morris and Morin also look at the changes in schools since their early teaching days.
Covering the highlights at the end of every chapter, Kircher-Morris and Morin give some key takeaways for every teacher. Not just a treatise on the arguments for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools provide the background to leading not just young children but older students who will eventually either follow pathways to college or careers.
There are ways to improve our public education system, and this is just one pathway to making schools better for all students involved.

This was a very well-researched text that would benefit teachers in gen ed and special education. I found it to be very rigorous and would recommend it for college courses as well.

When reading this book, it seems best to jump to the section that is most applicable to one's situation. For instance, if looking for ways to be more inclusive with autistic students, readers may prefer to read just that section. The book is very dense, so reading straight through gives plenty of information, but one will want to take notes and revisit portions as needed.

I recommend this book for schools, as a professional development resource.

This is a very visually pretty book. It is well organized and written in a way that is inviting and understandable for those who are wanting to be more affirming. It consists of 12 chapters that cover a wealth of topics that would improve confidence, curiosity and skill of those who pick this book up. There are parts of this book I plan to reference as I teach an inclusivity course. The book is full of charts, graphs, examples and an index so you can quickly reference back to helpful spots. This is a great resource to add to any teacher or practitioner's toolbox.

Such an engaging, informative and comprehensive guide. This book has been written to support educators to understand neurodivergence and help neurodivergent students to succeed, although I would argue that many elements in this book are incredibly relevant for parents and other professionals who work directly with neurodivergent individuals.

There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this book, including information about functioning labels, learner variability, universal design strategies, double empathy problem, presuming competence, hidden curriculum, among so many more!

This book is a must-read for all educators, to support true inclusion and to encourage ALL students to thrive!

Many thanks to Free Spirit Publishing, via NetGalley for this digital ARC.

I appreciate the layout of this book, including the points to ponder, what to remember and how easy it is to navigate the book from the contents page, to support re-reading or referencing.

Neurodiversity Affirming Schools by Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin is very interesting but at times I found it difficult to fully understand and grasp the concept. I myself is ADHD and ASD I chose to read this book to learn and understand about Neurodiversity. I feel that not only for school and teachers to read the book to help understand the needs for certain students struggling with learning at school; I highly recommend that this book can be used for lectures and a secondary text for assignments. I highly recommend support workers, youth workers, parents and therapists to learn about neurodiversity and how to adapt lessons and therapy and play

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of neurodiversity in schools, making it a valuable resource for educators. It provides practical interventions and strategies to help teachers better understand and engage their students. An ideal addition to collections for teacher candidates and a valuable tool for ongoing professional development.

📕📚This book is very informative and shares a lot of information about neurodiversity and planning as well as tips for helping scholars grow. I love that this book speaks on planning and how to have us as the teachers, adults professionals adjusting to what the scholars need versus the other way around. I love that we are looking at how we can help make them more comfortable versus confirming them to what the world is. Amazing book.

Yes, yes YES! I wish I could give this to every SPED teacher that gave up on my Autistic children. We've had a nightmare of a time in the public school system and ultimately had to homeschool because so many school lack, well, basically everything this book covers! I took much of this information to heart while adjusting my curriculum for my children. I wish this would become a standard book for all up and coming teacher to read before they begin teaching.