An important aspect in welcoming neurodiverse kids is environment.

I’ve noticed that in general, we have come to assume that in spaces for children and youth, the more stimulation the better.

We tend to fill the space with as many colors and images as possible. We play background music while they are working, sometimes loudly or we use loud, overstimulating videos of praise music or we include live praise music. For many kids, this is too much stimulation. Think of it as the difference between Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and Looney Tunes. I have had to stop attending some of our church community events because they play loud music constantly. Not only does it distress my neurodivergent grandchild, it stresses me.

So remember this: Less is better. Simplify room décor. Avoid clutter. And use sound intentionally.

Lighting can make a difference as well. The light from fluorescent ceiling fixtures can trigger migraines and hyperactivity and can stress kids with autism. You may not be able to replace the lights in your space, but you can leave the overhead lights off and use lamps instead. Teachers have reported calmer classrooms after making the change from overhead fluorescent lighting to lamps.

Similarly, flexibility is important, too. A trend in classrooms is flexible seating. There are a multitude of seating options available, from floor cushions to stability balls to stools to chairs, benches and sofas. Wiggle cushions, yoga balls, and rocking chairs allow students to move while listening and working. (But remember, a kid with weak core strength will struggle sitting on stability balls or wobble stools for more than just a few minutes at a time.) Finding what seating options benefit your kids and providing choices can enrich your ministry settings and benefit all kids.

Provide choices. Build choices into your classes so that the kids have a way to interact in ways that have meaning to them. Even providing a choice of where and how to sit in your flexible seating classroom can make a difference. Give them choices of materials to use. Let them decide who they want to sit with. I tend to incorporate activity centers in my classrooms and I learned long ago that it worked much more effectively to let the kids choose which center they want to engage with and how long to stay there.

Now it sounds like I have been talking about children here, and we have some teens in our ministries, too.  Most of these ideas will work with teens as well. The environment factor certainly applies. Youth spaces seem to thrive on overstimulation which is counterproductive for many neurodivergent teens. We need to be attentive to their particular needs, just as we do with our kids