Supporting neurodivergent students in pharmacy education: an educator checklist

Teaching activity summary

Inclusive teaching checklist for planning, assessment, and dialogue with students.

What

This educator checklist is a pragmatic companion for planning, teaching, and assessing with neurodivergent learners in mind. It combines universal design for learning with reasonable adjustments and translates research on barriers and effective supports into concrete prompts instructors can act on before and throughout a course.

Why

Neurodivergent students in higher education can encounter barriers associated with conventional teaching and assessment, as well as social pressures that affect well‑being and academic progress (McDowall & Kiseleva 2024; Sedgwick‑Müller et al. 2022). Evidence indicates a need for practical, inclusive supports to address these challenges and improve persistence (McDowall & Kiseleva 2024; Butcher & Lane 2024). Adopting flexible, reasonable adjustments aligned with universal design principles can help meet diverse needs without lowering standards (Butcher & Lane 2024).

How

Use the checklist as a practical aid across key stages of a course (planning, starting, during, and after) to reflect on inclusive design, communication, assessment, and feedback. It is intended for iterative use, drawing on existing research and university guidance, and supports reasonable adjustments and universal design approaches without prescribing a single method.

Impact

Courses built with these principles produce clearer expectations, fairer assessments, and better persistence for neurodivergent students, with benefits that extend to all learners through UDL-aligned practice. Iterative use of the checklist supports transparent, rigorous adjustments that help students succeed on their own terms while meeting professional standards.

References

  • Butcher L, Lane S. Neurodivergent (Autism and ADHD) student experiences of access and inclusion in higher education: an ecological systems theory perspective. Higher Education. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01319-6

  • McDowall A, Kiseleva M. A rapid review of supports for neurodivergent students in higher education. Neurodiversity. 2024;2:1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241291769

  • Sedgwick‑Müller JA, Müller‑Sedgwick U, Adamou M, Asherson P. University students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a consensus statement from the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN). BMC Psychiatry. 2022;22(1):292. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03898-z

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