HomeBlogStudent-Faculty Partnership Reflecting on my Experience as a Neurodivergent Learner by Ben KrasnowOctober 22, 2024 Share: Section NavigationSkip section navigationIn this sectionBlog Home AI and Engaged Learning Assessment of Learning Capstone Experiences CEL News CEL Retrospectives CEL Reviews Collaborative Projects and Assignments Community-Based Learning Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity ePortfolio Feedback First-Year Experiences Global Learning Health Sciences High Impact Practices Immersive Learning Internships Learning Communities Mentoring Relationships Online Education Place-Based Learning Professional and Continuing Education Publishing SoTL Reflection Relationships Residential Learning Communities Service-Learning Student-Faculty Partnership Studying EL Supporting Neurodivergent and Physically Disabled Students Undergraduate Research Work-Integrated Learning Writing Transfer in and beyond the University Style Guide for Posts to the Center for Engaged Learning Blog I recently started my role as a CEL Student Scholar for the 2024–2026 Research Seminar on Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students. As a neurodivergent student myself, I was able to provide an important perspective for the participants, but I also learned so much from their academic expertise. Throughout the course of the seminar, I heard conversations about common challenges faced by neurodivergent students. I also heard ideas of how schools offer support, or fail to do so, for those students. Before the seminar, I never would have considered that school policy, course curriculum, or even space design (I could go on) impacted my experiences. I had viewed my experiences and challenges as personal, and did not take a step back to look at the bigger picture. Even during the seminar, I didn’t really have the time or energy for proper reflection. Luckily, since the conclusion of the seminar I’ve had ample time to reflect on my own experiences in education. I did not find out that I was neurodivergent until after I had graduated from high school. While I was grateful for the knowledge and understanding of how my school experiences may have been impacted by my brain, I struggled to reconcile this new aspect of myself with my existing identity. To put it simply, it can be hard to feel different. It can feel especially hard as a new college student. Coming into my first year at Elon, I decided that I did not want to go through the process of getting an official support plan. I had developed skills to help me be an active and effective student, and the process of getting support would just be too tedious (I don’t know if that’s true because I never looked into the process). I don’t think I was mentally and emotionally ready to take on everything that could come up throughout the process. I questioned whether the journey of processing my neurodivergence was worth even starting. My strategy was to ask professors individually if I needed support, and I chose not to share the reason that I was asking for support. I am not sure why, but I was not comfortable sharing that I am neurodivergent with anyone. Looking back at my first year as a college student with my neurodivergent identity in mind, I think it went . . . OK. There were certainly challenges that I did not handle well, and I have plenty of room to improve. It can be very taxing to put all of this responsibility on my own shoulders, especially knowing that it is not necessary. With that said, I was mostly effective in using the skills I developed over the course of my life. I got through the year, and I handled the few academic hiccups that arose. As I am getting ready for my second year, I am wondering what my strategy for academics will be, and how I will consider my neurodivergence. I am certainly more comfortable with my identity at the present time than I was last year. However, I still have a lot of questions that I will need to reflect on further. My strategy last year was effective, do I even need more support? What would that support look like? Although I am more comfortable with my identity, am I actually ready to handle everything that comes with sharing my neurodivergence with others? One question I do have an answer to is that this is a journey I am ready to start. I am a different person than I was a year ago, and the experience of participating in a CEL Seminar has taught me that I am ready to start considering my questions. I have no clue where my reflection will lead me to, but I am excited to find out. About the Author Ben Krasnow is a 2024-2027 CEL Student Scholar collaborating with participants in the 2024-2026 research seminar on Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students. He’s majoring in Human Service Studies. Learn more about the current student scholars. How to Cite This Post Ben Krasnow. 2024. “Reflecting on my Experience as a Neurodivergent Learner.” Center for Engaged Learning (blog), Elon University. Ocober 22, 2024. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/reflecting-on-my-experience-as-a-neurodivergent-learner/.