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FCPS hires nation's first neurodiversity specialists
Fairfax County Public Schools is leading the way when it comes to helping students who learn differently. FOX 5's Jacqueline Matter reports on their efforts to be more inclusive.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Fairfax County Public Schools is leading the way when it comes to helping students who learn differently.
The school district is the first in the nation to hire neurodiversity specialists.
They focus on students who may learn differently — maybe they have autism or dyslexia — and their goal is to help them reach their full potential.
"We've got to do something to really change the model if we're going to support our students long term," said Fairfax County School Board Chair Rachna Sizemore Heizer.
Instead of focusing on what students can’t do, the district is hoping to show the world what they can do.
"We're losing out a lot in our society of the strengths of these folks," Sizemore Heizer said.
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"Our school system was built as a circle and when we have squares, triangles, what we end up doing is trying to force them into a system that was not built for them," said Kristen Haynor, the neurodiversity specialist hired for Fairfax County Public Schools.
Three neurodiversity specialists have been hired to work with students, teachers and families.
"It's one of the great privileges of my life," Haynor added. "It is a passion and purpose-driven job for me, and it's more than a job."
(L-R) Kristen Haynor, Nonye Oladimeji and Rachel Rubio meet each week to discuss and plan their work. Photo Credit: FCPS
"Most times, those kids can tell you everything they know because they are very smart," said Nonye Oladimeji, the Twice Exceptional Education Specialist hired for FCPS. "But when it comes to processing all that information and putting it down in writing, that's where the challenge comes."
Sizemore Heizer was the driving force behind the additions. As a mother of a neurodiverse child she feels this effort is long overdue.
"Often, our students with disabilities and students who have needs, sometimes they get to be seen only for their disability or only for their need and not really for their ability or their strength," she explained.
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Out of the 181,000 students in Fairfax County, nearly 20% have an individualized education program, but it can be hard to track neurodivergent students for a variety of reasons.
"More than 50% of students are neurodivergent in some ways, and some are receiving special education services and some are not," Sizemore Heizer said.
"I think it will be a little while before we are ever able to come back and have a more representative statistic until we create that safe sense of belonging where people can say, "Yeah, I am autistic, or I have ADHD," Haynor said.
These women hope their efforts can help change K through 12 education nationwide to be more inclusive.
Oladimeji and Rubio, who began their positions this academic year, are excited to change the direction of FCPS's work. Photo Credit: FCPS
"It's going to take us going beyond a district to change the mindset of those at the state level in order for us to start truly seeing these kids thrive and not survive in our school setting," Oladimeji said.
On April 28, Haynor will be hosting a webinar for high school families of neurodiverse students.
Registration for that event is encouraged and can be found here.
More FCPS resources below:
https://www.fcps.edu/event/neurodiversity-high-school-how-can-families-partner-schools
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/special-education-instruction/dyslexia-handbook