Lesson 2: Neurodiverse Conditions and Stigmas
Skills and Strategies in Focus: Spontaneous conversation and orally justifying a response
Age and Level: High school, B2-C1
Length of Lesson: 90 minutes
Materials Needed:
“Mythbusters” clip discussion guide (Appendix A)
Lecture Powerpoint (Appendix B)
Teacher needs access to a computer and projector.
Students will also need access to a computer or smartphone for research.
Mythbusters worksheet (Appendix C)
Mythbusters teacher’s guide (Appendix D)
Chalkboard and chalk/whiteboard and markers
Lesson Introduction:
This lesson aims to help students understand and debunk myths associated with neurodiversity and better familiarize students with specific neurodiverse conditions.
In this lesson, students will:
Watch a clip of the show "Mythbusters" and have a small group discussion.
Listen to a very short presentation about neurodiverse conditions
Research neurodiverse conditions in groups and share what they learned with another group
Complete a critical thinking activity and make connections to their school setting
Brainstorm how they can help support the neurodiversity movement
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Explain how myths connect to stigma
Conduct research in a specific subject and provide a summary of their research
Identify and debunk stigmas surrounding neurodiversity
Orally justify a response using either previously learned information or inferencing
Use critical thinking to connect myths to larger implications
Pre-teaching info
Before giving this lesson, it might be helpful for the instructor to do some of their own research into the concepts of myths and stigmas in society. Some informative resources include:
Warm-up
Activity: Real “Mythbusters”
Time: 20 minutes
Materials:
"Mythbusters" clip discussion guide (Appendix A)
Instructions:
Ask students if they have seen or heard of the popular TV series “Mythbusters”. (Allow a few minutes for share-outs, if needed.)
Tell students that they will be watching a short clip* of an episode from the series, where the creators of the show (scientists) make a plan to debunk (disprove) commonly known features of popular video games.
Play the video clip from 1:18-3:11. (Can play multiple times, if necessary)
Once the clip has played, ask students to turn to a neighbor and discuss the following (possible responses to these questions are listed under Appendix A):
What “myths”** are the scientists in the show trying to disprove?
How are they going to try to disprove these myths?
Why do you suppose they are trying to disprove these myths?
After letting students discuss for several minutes, bring the class back together for a group discussion.
Ask for volunteers to share-out what they discussed with their partner(s) (use Appendix A to help guide, if necessary).
Ask students to try to think more generally about myths, and ask the following: Why is it important that common myths are debunked? Allow students to think for ~10-20 seconds about possible answers to this, then ask for any volunteers to share their thoughts.
Conclude the discussion (and the activity) by reiterating some key take-away points:
Whether they be about things we play (like video games), places we go to, or people we know, many assumptions exist in our minds, even if we may not realize it.
Like the scientists in the video, we can think and act critically in order to examine these assumptions, such as by doing research, putting ourselves in the situations of others, and even just talking about the assumptions/“myths”.
Transition to the next part of the lesson by telling students that they will soon be doing a deeper investigation into common assumptions/“myths” about neurodiverse individuals.
Notes
*Video contains some features of gun-related violence that may be triggering to some students
**Briefly introduce concept of “myth”, if students are having trouble understanding (can be as simple as saying that a “myth” is a something that is assumed to be true, but might not actually be true)
Presentation
Activity: Short lecture
Time: 7 minutes
Materials:
PowerPoint Lecture (Appendix B)
Computer and projector
Instructions:
Present the PowerPoint to students. (Appendix B)
This should not be a long, detailed explanation. This is just to give students a brief overview of what kinds of neurodiversity exist and their defining attributes. Detailed research will come in the Practice part of the lesson.
Students do not need to take notes on this presentation.
Make PowerPoint available for students to reference later (e.g., on a course page, if applicable).
Practice
Activity: Research
Time: 25 minutes
Materials:
Students need access to a computer or a smartphone.
Whiteboard and markers or a chalkboard and chalk
Instructions:
Put students in small groups, ideally two or three students, but groups could be up to 4-5 students, depending on the size of the class. They will work in these groups today and in the final lesson on a group project.
Once in groups, assign each a neurodivergent condition. (There does not have to be a specific order to the groups.)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Tourette’s syndrome
Dyslexia and dyscalculia,
Dysgraphia and dyspraxia
We will call the above groups their project groups.
Instruct students to use their phones or computers to research their assigned condition(s). They should, at minimum, find the answers to the following questions:
What are the symptoms of the condition?
How does it affect people?
How many K-12 students have the condition?
Additionally, what kinds of myths might people believe about their assigned condition?
Tell students they will have 20 minutes to work together to answer the above questions, and afterward, they will give a short summary of what they have learned to another group.
Students should be advised not to allow themselves to get stuck on a question. If they can’t find an answer within a few minutes, they should move on to the next questions.
Students should also be encouraged to use Google Translate or a dictionary to look-up unfamiliar words before asking the teacher for clarification.
Finally, tell students they will use the information they have learned in their final projects, so they should take notes and bookmark websites.
Note
**If students need help finding reliable resources for their research, Appendix E is a good starting point for finding information about specific neurodiverse conditions.
Assessment
Activity: Mythbuster
Time: 30 min
Materials:
Mythbusters worksheet (one for each student - Appendix C)
Mythbusters teacher handout (Appendix D)
Students will need writing utensils
Instructions:
Students should now be back in a large group. Since they should now be familiar with myths, ask them if they know what a stigma is.
Give students a minute to think or chat with a student next to them.
Ask for volunteers to share what they think a stigma is.
Write a brief definition on the board for students to see.
Once stigma is defined, ask them how they think a stigma comes to be. Steer students towards the idea that some stigmas may come from misconceptions or myths.
Ask questions such as:
“How might someone treat a person that they believed was less capable/intelligent/kind?”
“Would they want to interact with that person at all?”
“What would someone tell their friends about that person?”
“Now, think about if you knew that person had a medical condition you weren’t familiar with. Would you assume that the problems they had were because of that condition?”
Help students understand that someone might associate certain negative traits (unempathetic, lazy, less intelligent) with a kind of neurological condition (autism, ADHD, Dyslexia) and then assume everyone else with that condition embodies that negative trait.
Make sure they understand that stigmas are not necessarily based on reality but instead can be rooted in myths.
Tell students they will now get a chance to explore more myths about neurodiversity.
Assign students to groups by counting off by either 3 or 4 and have each group move to a different spot in the room.
Counting off means pointing at each student and giving them a number. So the first student you point at will be number 1, the second will be number 2, etc. And when you get to the fifth student, you start over at 1 and so on.
Give each discussion group enough worksheets for everyone to have their own copy.
Let students know that they will all be turning in these worksheets, so they should make sure to actually write answers down. (They will get them back after grading).
Tell students that on their sheets are three myths about neurodiverse people. They will use what they have learned in the previous activities and lessons to think critically about two things:
How might a teacher or student who believes this myth treat neurodiverse students?
How could we think differently about the myth to make a positive change in our school community?
Instruct students to work together to fill out the worksheet. Give them at least 10 minutes to work in their groups.
Teacher should walk around to ensure students engage with each other and help guide thinking if necessary. Appendix D has some examples of things students might come up with.
At the end of 15 minutes, have students pass their papers to the front of the classroom.
Have students return to their project groups.
Wrap-up
Activity: Applications and Connections
Time: 8 minutes
Materials: N/A
Instructions:
Now back in their project groups, students should begin discussing the topics listed below for their final project:
Implications (examples):
“How do we debunk the myths we learned today?”
“If we see signs of teachers who are not promoting inclusivity with my neurodiverse peers, how can I/we combat this?”
“What language can I/we use differently?”
Solutions (examples):
“How can we communicate these implications within my school environment (posters, talking to the administration, confronting bullies, etc)?”
“What can I do as an individual to ensure that my neural diverse peers are treated with respect and allyship?”
“How can I approach a challenging situation where a stigma towards my neurodiverse peers impacts their well-being or quality of education?”
Notes
*A point that MUST be clear to these students is that although they have worked to become “experts” on a specific condition, they should not feel pressure to “solve” these stigmas/myths. This should be a fun, while also challenging activity in which students are thinking critically, not trying to completely get rid of the problems they believe are apparent.
*Throughout students' discussion, there should be an emphasis on community building and IMPACT. Some broader questions to consider may include:
How can I apply the knowledge that I learned from this speaking activity (and the previous listening activity) to be proactive in my community with promoting neurodiversity?
What solutions can I make based on the myths that are perpetuated?
How can I promote allyship with my neurally diverse friends?!
*Ultimately, students should be thinking critically and coming up WITH THEIR OWN practical applications of what they have learned today.
*Everything gone over in this lesson plan should prepare the students for the following pronunciation lesson/final project.
Appendices
Appendix A: “Real” Mythbusters Possible Student Discussion Question Responses
“What”
Whether real fruit can be cut with a machete as easily as virtual fruit
Whether someone can really carry so much weight (e.g., amo, medical supplies, food, etc.) and still be able to effectively defend themself
“How”
Create real-life simulations of the video games discussed
*Also (not explicitly mentioned in the video, but still applicable):
Think critically about the myths
Conduct background research about the science behind the myths
“Why”
To provide clarity on what may be common assumptions about physical actions/characteristics shown in popular video games
Appendix B: (Some) Types of Neurodiversity PowerPoint
Appendix C: Mythbusters student worksheet
Appendix D: Mythbusters teacher worksheet
Appendix E: Website w/ reliable info about neurodiverse conditions