Despite growing conversations around neurodiversity in India, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to sit on the margins of classroom inclusion — especially in low-income schools — says Devangana Mishra, Founder of Brain Bristle.
Speaking to MediaCatalyst in an email interview, Mishra says the country is yet to recognise ADHD as a structural education issue rather than a behavioural one. “Children with ADHD are still routinely mistaken as lazy or undisciplined instead of being identified as neurodivergent learners with specific processing needs,” she notes.
A meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2022 placed ADHD prevalence in Indian children at 6.3%, with higher incidence reported in low-income and urban settings.
Mishra identifies two primary barriers that prevent mainstream classrooms from becoming inclusive: teaching that is not paced for different cognitive speeds, and the absence of systematic differentiated instruction. Overcrowded classrooms, rigid curriculum frameworks and limited teacher training add to the exclusion.
“Without accurate identification, planning for individualised pathways becomes impossible,” she says.
Brain Bristle runs after-school interventions and trains social workers to support autistic children. Mishra believes the same inclusive model can enable students with ADHD to thrive in resource-constrained school ecosystems. Structured teaching, scaffolded tasks, visual reminders, timers, modified curricula and emotional regulation tools are critical, she adds, to reduce overload and sustain attention.
Misbeliefs such as blaming technology for ADHD, treating hyperactivity as poor behaviour, or confusing ADHD with autism or learning disabilities continue to obstruct timely diagnosis and intervention.
Mishra points to research showing that even adolescents with undiagnosed ADHD-like symptoms face academic and psychological impact similar to diagnosed cases.
For systemic change, Mishra argues that differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) must become mandatory practices across classrooms.
“Inclusion cannot function as an optional add-on,” she says. “Neurodiversity already exists inside every classroom. Policy must be designed to respond to it — not deny it.”
