1. General Information on Neurodivergence

Contents: General information, summary and conclusion.

Demonstrations are available of selected barriers that may arise when using digital materials in the context of various impairments. Please visit the ‘Simulate’ section for this.

The concept of neurodiversity describes differences in mental functions – which are important for perception, thinking, learning, memory, planning and communication – as natural expressions of human diversity.

Neurodivergence

Neurodivergent people (e.g. those with ADHD, with autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia or giftedness) often think, learn and communicate differently from neurotypical people. However, these differences only become a disability when environmental factors – such as time pressure, sensory overload, unclear communication or a lack of technical support – make it difficult to utilise existing abilities.

Attention Functions (e.g. in ADHD)

People with differences in attention often experience stimuli more intensely or find it difficult to filter them out. This can make it harder to concentrate on a task or to carry out actions in a planned manner.

In high-stimulus or unstructured environments, this can lead to mental overload.

Supportive environmental factors:

• clear structure and visual cues;
• break areas and quiet spaces;
• flexibility with timings;
• focus tools or task management apps.

Language and reading Functions (e.g. in Dyslexia)

Factors relating to altered processing of written language information (e.g. dyslexia) often affect the recognition, storage and retrieval of words and sounds.

In heavily text-based learning environments, this can create barriers – for example, due to dense blocks of text, a lack of read-aloud functions or unclear structures.

Supportive environmental factors:

• Accessible typeface design (sans-serif, sufficient line spacing);
• text-to-speech and voice output functions;
• spelling support;
• audiovisual learning materials.

Mathematical and logical Functions (e.g. in Dyscalculia)

Differences in the processing of mathematical information can affect the understanding of quantities, numbers and arithmetic operations. Barriers arise when mathematical content is presented exclusively in symbolic or abstract form.

Supportive environmental factors:

• Visualisations, diagrams and concrete examples;
• interactive or tactile learning methods;
• individualised learning pathways with a step-by-step structure.

Social and communicative Functions (e.g. Autism Spectrum)

People on the autism spectrum process social, sensory and communicative information differently – for example, when recognising implicit social rules, or reacting to sounds, light and movement. Barriers arise primarily from unpredictable sequences of events, ambiguous communication or sensory overload.

Supportive environmental factors:

• Clear, direct language;
• predictable sequences, routines and structure;
• low-stimulus learning and working environments;
• acceptance of different communication styles.

Summary and Conclusion

Functional neural differences are a natural part of human diversity. They affect functions such as perception, learning, planning and communication – in other words, fundamental processes through which we understand our environment and interact with it. These functional capacities can be enhanced or limited depending on the situation and environment. An environment that promotes learning and is inclusive is characterised by its provision of structured information, sensory consideration, flexible learning pathways and respectful communication. Such conditions reduce barriers and enable genuine participation – regardless of how someone thinks, learns or expresses themselves.

When digital learning spaces and educational programmes take the diversity of cognitive functioning into account from the outset, it is not just individual groups that benefit, but all learners. In this context, accessibility means designing learning processes so that they are flexible, comprehensible and supportive – regardless of individual circumstances.