As India positions itself as a global hub for science, technology and innovation, an important conversation is gaining urgency within classrooms: are our STEM systems truly designed for all kinds of minds? While policy debates often focus on access, infrastructure and outcomes, the question of neurodiversity — how differently wired brains learn, think and innovate — remains largely under-addressed in mainstream education.
Neurodivergent learners, including students on the autism spectrum or those with ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia, bring cognitive strengths that align naturally with STEM disciplines — from pattern recognition and systems thinking to creative problem-solving and hyperfocus. Yet, rigid curricula, sensory-heavy classrooms and assessment models built for speed over depth often marginalise these learners.
In an exclusive email interaction with MediaCatalyst, Ms. Nidhi Thapar, Vice President – Academics at Ryan Edunation, shares deep insights into why inclusive-by-design STEM education is critical not just for equity, but for strengthening India’s long-term innovation pipeline. She also outlines how Ryan Edunation is embedding inclusivity as a systemic strength rather than an afterthought. Here is the excerpt from the interaction:
How do you define neurodiversity in the context of school learning, particularly within STEM education, and why is it essential for today’s classrooms to embrace it?
Ms. Thapar: Neurodiversity recognises the difference in the way a human brain operates. In case of Autism spectrum, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or other neurodivergents, differences in cognitive response are not abnormalities of the human sort, but normal ones. In STEM education, this would imply that a students’ understanding will always be logical, creative, and problem solving in dissimilar neurological pathways.
Contemporary classrooms should be able to accept neurodivergent students as the world that students are geared to is the one that upholds diversity in thought processes and not just knowledge. Creativity, analytical thinking and innovation are all part of STEM learning which is conducive to diverse cognitive angles. An example in point would be a student on the Autism spectrum can be good at pattern recognition and precision, while an ADHD student can inject fresh energy, creativity and flexibility into the process of problem-solving. When an inclusive classroom culture is established, we promote not just equity, but improve the overall quality of learning outcomes. Acknowledging Neuro diversity can help to shift our teaching approach to the average towards cultivating individual potential that is the core of the 21st century education.
What are the key barriers in the current STEM ecosystem in terms of curriculum design, infrastructure, or assessment that prevent neurodivergent learners from fully participating?
Ms. Thapar: The biggest obstacle to inclusive STEM education is the fact that the one-size-fits-all approach of traditional instructional models are still dominant. A majority of STEM programs are structured in a straight line that assumes the same cognitive pace and single senses in all students. As a result, this model fails to support the students who have access to multimodal engagement, longer processing time or non-verbal learning strategies.
In terms of infrastructural requirements, a large percentage of the number of classrooms and lab space are not designed to minimize sensory distraction; bright lighting, background and ambient sound and visual clutter often compose a significant number of distractions in neurodivergent learners. In addition to this, criteria of assessment have a disproportionate effect of focusing on quick recall and procedural fast over the depth of analysis and creative problem-solving, thus discriminating against students who use more reflective, though slower, cognitive processing.
These problems are enhanced by the systemic lack of faculty preparation. The current deficiency in the teaching of neuro-inclusive pedagogy places teachers in an inadequately prepared position to contrast instruction or successfully implement assistive technology. All these structural and educational deficiencies negatively affect neurodivergent learners working with STEM material or presenting their intellectual abilities in a concise way.
Neurodiverse students often possess exceptional strengths such as pattern recognition, hyper focus, and divergent thinking. How can educators identify and channel these abilities effectively within STEM subjects?
Ms. Thapar: Teachers need to start by monitoring learning behaviours and not just school performance. Neurodiverse advantages are often characterised by an increased level of interest, unique approach to problem-solving or a consistent interest of a student in a specific area of subject. A perfect example would be a hyper-focused student who would spend hours on robotics or data-analysis projects that are beyond the general expectations of the classroom.
Flexible project-based learning, open-ended work, and collaborative problem-solving are some of the methods that can be used by educators to highlight such strengths. Such settings allow neurodiverse learners to express their creativity and logical thinking in a manner that cannot be reflected in traditional methods or settings.
When diagnosed, these talents can be developed with the help of individual mentoring and differentiated instruction. As an illustration, a leader can use group work that relies on solid visual-spatial skills, or introduce problems that involve coding and design to utilize capabilities in pattern recognition.
These characteristics when developed at an early age promote self-esteem and improved interaction within classrooms that celebrate diversity in thought as opposed to promoting conformity.
From your perspective, what practical measures can schools adopt to make STEM learning inclusive by design for example, modular assessments, sensory-friendly labs, or adaptive learning tools?
Ms. Thapar: The best way to establish inclusion in the STEM subjects is by actively and carefully designing curriculum and assessment systems. We should relook at the retroactive accommodation strategy. Schools need to implement more open methods of teaching and assessment. Students should be encouraged to explore knowledge across various forms, such as projects, visual tasks, or oral practices, instead of using a more standardized, examination-based system. By permitting learners to express competence differently, the institutions will serve a wider range of cognitive profiles and will also help facilitate the equitable involvement.
Creation of sensory-friendly laboratory and classroom environments, involve the inclusion of suitable lighting, reduction of background noise and inclusion of spatially-organised space is one of the factors that help to reduce cognitive overload. The use of adaptive learning and modular systems of assessment, further, allows educators to adjust the rate of learning and content delivery to individual learning patterns, thus supporting inclusive pedagogic processes that honour neurodiversity.
It is also fundamentally important that educators develop professional and competent identifications of neurodiverse learning requirements and also in applying the concept of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) in the day-to-day teaching. Teacher training programs must focus on how to build inclusive design into the initial phases so that education environments can be sensitive to the diverse learner profiles and the policies of the institutions can demonstrate readiness to provide high-quality and accessible STEM education.
How is Ryan Edunation embedding inclusivity into its STEM pedagogy and institutional framework to ensure that every learner, regardless of neurotype, can thrive?
Ms. Thapar: Inclusivity is considered part of scholarly excellence in Ryan Edunation. The STEM syllabus is based on the assumption that a multiplicity of opinions leads to discovery and innovation. As a result, instead of putting forth different paths to neuro diverse learners, we make all parts of the curriculum, pedagogy and institutional culture inclusive.
We have implemented a differentiated learning model where lessons have been designed to have various points of entry to support various learning styles, including visual, kinaesthetic, and analytical. Instructors are trained on how to identify needs of individual learners and also to modify the classroom interactions. As an example, in a science lesson, one group of students can be involved in practical experiments, whereas another group of students can use digital simulations or concept mapping.
Digital learning ecosystems are also utilized in order to keep with student advancement and provide immediate feedback. Simultaneously, we focus on collaborative and experiential learning encouraging teamwork supported by different problem-solving strategies.
Pedagogy in Ryan Edunation does not end there. This institutional framework supports counselling and mentorship programs, peer-support systems, and free communication channels with parents, thus making any student, irrespective of their neurotype, feel appreciated, encouraged, and motivated in achieving his or her potential in STEM and beyond.
How do you see technology — particularly AI and EdTech — enabling more personalized and accessible STEM learning for neurodiverse students in the coming years?
Ms. Thapar: Technology is a leveller in the education industry, especially in STEM subjects, where it has brought an element of transformative power to inclusiveness. Artificial Intelligence, especially, allows to proceed with a shift of the reactive mode of educational activities to the proactive one, predicting needs of the learners and providing them with individual educational paths.
The smart systems can analyse interaction of an individual student with learning material, thus identifying the strength and weakness. This can then be reconstructed to adjust the difficulty of teaching or the form of delivery. In the case of neurodivergent learners, whose cognitive profiles often include some unique strengths in pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, or sustained attention can make the full potential of this cohort to come true.
Also, the assistive technologies, including speech-to-text, text-to-speech, eye-tracking and affective computing, are increasingly breaking down accessibility limits. In STEM systems, engaging virtual and augmented reality simulations can enable students with sensory sensitivity or motor disabilities to be involved in the process of the experiment in a safe and efficient way.
Ryan Edunation already seeks partnerships with leading EdTech innovators in order to introduce these technologies in our teaching environments in a substantive way. We are predicting a pedagogical approach that prefigures equilibrium; although artificial intelligence personalizes the learning experience, the teacher still plays an important role, offering empathy, direction, and human interaction. Technology enhances inclusiveness but its long-term effectiveness depends on the teacher.
In the long run, how can embedding inclusivity in STEM education contribute not only to educational equity but also to strengthening India’s innovation and talent pipeline?
Ms. Thapar: Inclusion in STEM education is not just a priority of education, but a need of the Indian economy and innovations. The neurodivergent learners often have greater abilities in systems thinking, logic, design, and creative problem solving. Through these strengths, India will be able to harness a large pool of underrepresented talent that can drive its innovation economy.
Inclusive classroom is a design that contributes to the creation of an environment where each learner feels safe to think outside the box, ask unusual questions, and experiment without fear of being judged. This heterogeneity of thinking directly creates additional interdisciplinary innovation the one needed to respond to the complex global issues of technology, sustainability and healthcare.
Additionally, the concept of inclusivity facilitates equity in education, which opens opportunities to more students with different neurotypes and backgrounds to work in STEM fields. This strengthens the human capital of the country and also portrays the spirit of democracy that is the foundation of our education system; opportunity should be availed to everyone.
At Ryan Education, we value inclusivity as an inducing factor to compassion and competitiveness. We are not changing our classrooms; we are creating the future of the Indian innovation environment by enabling all learners to succeed in their pursuit.
