UM STUDENTS, FACULTY LEAD NEURODIVERGENT INCLUSION EFFORTS
MISSOULA – Each Tuesday night during the fall and spring semesters, a group of University of Montana students gather with peers who have autism, ADHD and related disorders.
The social gatherings have included ice skating on the UM Oval, walks for ice cream and board game nights. The casual environments allow the UM students to connect with their peers and learn more about autism and neurodiversity, while their peers are able to find support and develop friendships.
“I didn’t have an opportunity to interact with many individuals on the autism spectrum in high school so this has been my first experience but it really has changed my life,” said Sophia Boughey, a sophomore from Red Lodge who is double majoring in psychology and communicative sciences and disorders. “I was not expecting to gain so many incredible friendships from this class.”
Boughey and her classmates have planned the Tuesday gatherings this semester in their Autism on Campus Service Learning class. The gatherings also are a feature of UM’s MOSSAIC (Mentoring, Organization, and Social Support for Autism/All Inclusion on Campus) program.
“Having a space for people to come and ask questions about what they are feeling and experiencing with neurodiversity, that’s what we are here for,” Boughey said. “That’s why we go to the class so we can learn these things and help them understand the journey they are on.”
The Tuesday gatherings are part of a larger effort to make campus more inclusive to those who are neurodivergent and have disorders such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia. The effort has gained momentum in recent years, said Dr. Jennifer Schoffer Closson, a clinical assistant professor in the UM School of Speech, Language, Hearing and Occupational Sciences.
“The past two years I have been humbled by the number of people reaching out to me for support on how to make the campus more inclusive,” Schoffer Closson said. “Faculty, staff, and students have shown me that they have feelings that everyone belongs and they are happy to support them.”
Schoffer Closson created the MOSSAIC program 11 years ago and has focused her research and teaching on neurodiversity inclusion. She describes neurodiversity as normal variations of the brain that often result in strengths such as being especially creative and an out-of-the-box thinker.
“It’s the idea that everybody is a unique thinker and there’s no one right way or wrong way of thinking,” she said. “We need those diverse brains to solve the problems of the world.”
Schoffer Closson estimates 20% of the UM campus community is neurodivergent based on national statistics. A recent study found 16% of UM students access services from the UM Office for Disability Equity.
Those who are neurodivergent often face barriers on campus. For example, people with ADHD can get distracted by the flickering of fluorescent lights, and people with autism can struggle with group work because socializing is a challenge.
To support the neurodivergent community on campus, Schoffer Closson secured funding last year for light covers over fluorescent lights and inclusion kits filled with fidget spinners, ear plugs, videos to educate people and signs for students to alert instructors of their comfort level. One sign reads “today I am just listening.”
The inclusion kits are starting to run low and Schoffer Closson is pursuing new grant funds to replenish them.
Other targeted support includes enlisting UM graduate student clinicians to teach people with autism and ADHD how to better organize and plan. At the undergraduate level, the Tuesday night gatherings through the Autism on Campus Service Learning class continues to make a huge difference for the students and their neurodivergent peers, Schoffer Closson said.
“The students work really hard to make it fun and engaging,” Schoffer Closson said, “It’s just a safe and fun place to be.”
UM sophomore Taylor Sadewic, a communicative sciences and disorders major from Sandpoint, Idaho, took the service learning class last fall and experienced the benefits of the Tuesday gatherings.
“From the very first night I knew this was something I wanted to put my all into,” Sadewic said. “All the participants are incredible. It was cool to have this structured environment where we could get to know each other.”
Sadewic found a passion for working with those on the autism spectrum while in high school, where she worked in a special education class and babysat a young girl with autism. She is pursuing her interests at UM, and says students of any major should consider taking the service learning class and join the Tuesday gatherings.
“Part of making the world a more neurodiverse inclusive place is increasing education at the college level across all majors,” Sadewic said. “College students are the future, and they can take knowledge of neurodiversity with them after graduation and make change in every career path.”
The weekly Tuesday gatherings have been a highlight for Sadewic and her classmate, Boughey.
Both students presented information this semester at an event centered around making the outdoors more accessible for people with disabilities. Sadewic and Boughey shared their experiences with their neurodivergent peers. Part of their presentation featured an anonymous note written by a participant in the Tuesday gatherings.
The participant wrote how he looks forward to the weekly meetings and how important it is since he rarely gets other opportunities to socialize.
Boughey carries the handwritten note in her backpack as a reminder that she is making a difference for her peers.
“It was so sweet,” Boughey said. “It’s probably one of my most prized possessions.”
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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.