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Engineering Education and Neurodiversity
Engineering Education and Neurodiversity
Prior to joining Mizzou, Dr. Chrysochoou was the Principal Investigator of the project IUSE/PFE:RED Innovation Beyond Accommodation: Leveraging Neurodiversity for Engineering Innovation, which aims at creating learning environments that empower all students, including neurodiverse learners.
While neurodiversity is often understood through the lens of medical diagnoses such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, the project embraced the ecological model of neurodiversity, which views neurocognitive variations as natural and needed for human adaptation (Chapman, 2021). In the context of education, this means that the design of the educational system should be flexible and adaptive to such variations, considering the strengths that come with different neurocognitive profiles. Simply put, teachers should empower all students to bring their unique skills to the classroom and beyond.
Dr. Chrysochoou’s work in this area can be found in the following articles – all accessible to the public:
Redesigning Engineering Education for Neurodiversity: New Standards for Inclusive Courses
Board 347: Positive Predictors of Neurodiverse Students' Sense of Belonging in Engineering
Neurodivergent Student Characteristics and Engineering Course Outcomes
Dr. Chrysochoou is building programs and collaborations with colleagues at Mizzou who are also passionate about celebrating neurodiversity and creating supportive teaching and research environments. A few can be found in the (non-exhaustive) list below.
Neurodiversity at Mizzou
Neurodiversity at Mizzou
The Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopment is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to clinical service, research, and training to improve the lives of individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
PAWS (Preparing Adults for Work and Society) is an Inclusive Post Secondary option for students with intellectual disabilities.
Foundational to the work of our research lab is the belief that each child, regardless of disability status, current level of mathematics achievement and any other factor, not only deserves access to quality mathematics support necessary to be successful but also has the potential to make robust gains in mathematics understanding.
Dr. Erica Lembke and her colleagues focus on data-based instruction, including use of technically adequate assessments (both screening and progress monitoring) to support instructional decision making for educators. With federally funded projects in academic areas like mathematics and writing, her lab also focuses on development of evidence-based interventions that can be utilized with students who have challenges in academic areas.
Noah Glaser is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s School of Information Science & Learning Technologies, where he is also the director of the Information Experience Lab. He is particularly known for his work on developing innovative, immersive learning systems for neurodiverse learners.
Annette Kendall spearheads initiatives that emphasize the understanding and promotion of innovation, particularly in rural regions. A significant aspect of her work centers around empowering neurodivergent individuals. She is passionate about encouraging neurodiverse students to envision entrepreneurship as a viable path to shaping their futures.
Lea Ann Lowery is a clinical professor of occupational therapy in the College of Health Sciences. She is also a faculty fellow for Interprofessional Education, co-faculty director of MU OT SWIM (swimming and water instruction modifications) for childen with ASD and a core faculty member of Missouri LEND grant Training in Interdisciplinary Partnerships and Services for Kids (Tips4kids.org).
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