Neurodivergent young people have been at the center of spaces that the connected learning community has studied and supported over the years, ranging from anime fandom to online games and maker spaces. Participants recognize how these interest-driven communities can be havens for people with autism, ADHD, and other learning differences. Yet research at the intersection of neurodiversity and connected learning has been relatively sparse. How can we better understand and lift up opportunities for neurodiversity inclusive connected learning environments? I’m delighted to share a report and a policy brief that addresses this question.
Over the past three years, I’ve been working with scholars and educators in Japan and the U.S. to build community, review research, and develop new collaborations at the intersection of connected learning and neurodiversity. We’ve organized events, ran an online study group, and supported an international school in Tokyo for neurodiverse children. This work has connected the dots between my research interests in fandom, learning and Japan studies, as well as my personal experiences with neurodivergence in my family.
Here I offer some highlights and excerpts from the report and brief, co-authored by members of the Neurodiversity Potential Study Group: Kohei Kato, Ayumi Oishi, Daisuke Okabe, Kathryn Ringland, Katie Salen Tekinbas, Youka Watanabe, and Rua Williams. Both publications are available open access on the Connected Learning Alliance website in English and Japanese.
Supporting Connection, Learning and Development through Shared Interests and Play
The two publications center on the concept of neurodiversity oases, environments that grow out of organic communities of interest—media fandoms, creative practices, and games—while intentionally layering in educational approaches that support inclusion, learning and development. These spaces function as refuges where neurodivergent young people can recharge, connect, and learn through socially comfortable and energizing modes of interaction, rather than being asked to conform to dominant norms.
In neurodiversity oases, play, creation, knowledge sharing, and social connection grow from shared interests and passions for media content that is both knowable and deep. One autistic young person described his role playing game group as an oasis where he could find sustenance and escape from the desert of social life and adult-driven learning of school. This contrast between an oasis and a desert provides a powerful metaphor for understanding the experiences of neurodivergent young people in these supportive activities and communities centered on shared interests and play. The report includes five cases of Neurodiversity Oases in action:
- SunPro TRPG: A table-top role playing game group for neurodivergent young people, authored by Kohei Kato
- Autcraft: A Minecraft server for autistic children and families, authored by Kathryn Ringland
- FabLab Free School: A creative making program in a digital fabrication lab, authored by Youka Watanabe
- Hobby Talk: A meetup for children with tokusei (a Japanese term for individual characteristics or distinctive traits) to share their hobbies and passions, authored by Kohei Kato
- BTS Army: Neurodiversity inclusive affinity groups within a global fandom, authored by Kathryn Ringland
Key Elements and Approaches of Neurodiversity Oases
The key elements and approaches of Neurodiversity Oases can be understood through their design of activities, learning supports, and community practices.
Activities
- Participatory, creative, and interest-driven Neurodiversity Oases are spaces of participatory engagement, focused on play, sharing interests, and creative production. They are also centered on the individual passions and interests of children, reframing neurodivergent traits often pathologized as “restricted interests” or “hyperfocus” as strengths.
- Low stakes, playful and “safe enough” Neurodiversity Oases provide “safe enough” environments for neurodivergent young people—where social risks are lower, failures are repairable, and conflicts become opportunities for learning rather than exclusion.
- Accommodates sensory, executive function, and learning differences Neurodiversity Oases accommodate varied styles, pathways, and pacing for learning and engagement, as well as offering support for learning and sensory differences, including tailored support for executive function needs.
Learning
- Support for learning and development Unlike interest groups that come together for purely social or recreational purposes, Neurodiversity Oases are explicitly designed to support learning and development by drawing in newcomers, and challenging participants to explore, create and grow.
- Supports learner agency and choice Even while pushing for learning and development, Neurodiversity Oases do not take the top-down approach of traditional schooling. Instead, they see learner agency and choice as essential to building on the strengths of neurodivergent children.
- Recognizes young people’s expertise and contributions Supporting learner agency also means recognizing their expertise and contributions, and building opportunities for leadership and voice. This can mean offering opportunities for young people to share their knowledge and creations, and to act as mentors themselves.
Community
- Inclusive and peer-to-peer Neurodiversity Oases, like fandoms, gaming, and creative communities, are participatory spaces of peer sharing and learning, rather than environments where children are passive consumers of knowledge.
- Transparent communication of norms, values, and expectations While Neurodiversity Oases make an effort to clearly communicate the shared values, rules, and social norms, supporting shared understanding and psychological safety for neurodivergent children who often have experiences of diverging from implicit neurotypical social expectations.
- Defined and diverse roles and ways of participating Neurodiversity Oases accommodate diverse forms of learning and participation, such as different roles in a creative project or a game, or defined roles such as an activity facilitator or supporter. These roles can create a permission structure for children to participate and engage socially that opens up communicative or social opportunities.
Policy Recommendations for Neurodiversity Oases Development and Extension (NODEs) in Japan
In addition to the report outlining the key features and offering case studies of neurodiversity oases, we developed a policy brief that suggests ways to support neurodiversity oases within the context of Japan.
- Creating 2.5 places within schools: Drawing from the concept of “Third Places” that are distinct from the “first places” of home and the “second places” of school and work, Hideki Suzuki and Makiko Saito, in Unlock Learning, describe 2.5 places within schools. 2.5 places include, for example, resource rooms, pull-out classes (通級 tsūkyū), and school health rooms where children can engage in interest-driven activities. 2.5 spaces represent an opportunity to create an intermediate zone within schools and school systems for activities outside of the classroom for more flexible, interest-driven participation.
- Institutional recognition of Free Schools (alternative schools in Japan): Free schools in Japan are non-accredited educational settings that serve children who are not attending traditional schools. Free schools are currently institutionally and financially unstable, and are generally viewed as alternative or temporary refuges for school-refusing children. Positioning free schools as public educational infrastructure supporting learning, development, and social participation would establish a new understanding: that learning based on children’s interests and strengths is not a mere supplement to “real” learning, but rather an essential foundation for learning, development, and social participation.
- Incorporating Free School functions within university campuses: Universities are knowledge hubs that generate theory and return it to society. However, research and practice in neurodiversity and learning are not yet well integrated. Incorporating NODEs free schools within campuses would also offer opportunities to develop new models that integrate practice, research, and professional development through near peer mentorship and research-practice partnerships.
These policy recommendations for Japan are an exploration of the ways in which neurodiversity oases could be integrated within educational systems, while still retaining the interest and youth-driven qualities of informal learning environments. I look forward to continuing to develop these ideas in collaboration with the connected learning community.
Post by: Mimi Ito.
This work was supported by Chiba Tech’s Henkaku Center for Radical Transformation and by the Social Science Research Council’s Abe Fellows Network Collaborative Grant with funds provided by the Japan Foundation New York.
