The Hidden Curriculum of School: The Rules Neurodivergent Students Are Expected to Know But Are Rarely Taught
There are two sets of lessons every child learns at school. The first is obvious. Math. Reading. Science. History. Teachers plan lessons. Students complete assignments. Tests measure what they’ve learned. The second set of lessons is much harder to see. No one writes them on the board. They’re rarely included in an IEP. You won’t […]
Stop Chasing Perfect: What Neurodivergent Students Really Need
Every school year seems to come with the same unspoken expectation. Show up. Work hard. Get good grades. Stay organized. Don’t fall behind. And if something isn’t working? Try harder. As a mom of a neurodivergent child, I’ve learned that those expectations aren’t necessarily bad. They’re just incomplete. Because somewhere along the way, we’ve convinced […]
Why Preparation Matters More Than Perfection
Every August, it happens. Parents start buying school supplies, teachers start setting up classrooms, students begin adjusting their sleep schedules (or at least pretending to), and social media fills up with perfectly organized backpacks, beautifully color-coded homework stations, and lunch boxes that honestly belong in an art museum. And every year, I catch myself thinking […]
Getting Started is the Hardest Part: A Real Talk on Task Initiation
Task initiation is the ability to start a task — not just knowing it needs to be done but actually beginning it. It’s a key part of executive functioning and involves overcoming the inertia between “I should” and “I’m doing it.”
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