Dance for Joy Youth with Neurodiversity

K-12 STEAM education

Research (initial work to identify and understand the problem)

I have been an educator for over 35 years, working as a dean my last 6 years at my school. In that role, I was the main source of support for students with accommodations (due to a variety of neurodiversity conditions or mental health challenges). I did quite a bit of professional growth to make sure I had access to the most current information. I have earned my Executive Function coach certificate and have completed a Certified ADHD Professional course. I know that movement is critical for these students -- both in terms of emotional regulation and developing new strategies for use in school and at home. Affluent students have easy access to a variety of resources (coaches, educational therapists, etc.) but we are looking to provide access to a wider range of students.

We would model the Youth Dance for Joy program on our current Dance for Joy program that provides dance, vocal, and acting classes for people with Parkinson's, MS, and stroke. This new initiative would be focused on K-12 students who have been diagnosed with a neurodiversity (or for neurotypical students who are interested in exploring neurodiversity), allowing them a space to explore and further develop the brain-body connection that is so critical to managing neurodiversity. We would provide weekly movement classes that will offer physical exercises that target cognitive development that students will be able to use in their work at school as well as completing schoolwork at home. We would also offer a weekly class to teach strategies that will help them be more successful at school; this would also include time for students to share with each other their challenges and successes. This program will be informed through my experience and study; I also have access to Educational Therapists who will be available to consult with and/or come in to lead classes in specific areas outside of my expertise. Our hope is that the program will grow, as our original Dance for Joy program has, as word spreads amongst the schools/students in our area.

Students who may be struggling in our educational system because of a lack of access to resources can come to us to use movement to make brain/body connections and to learn specific strategies for managing their neurodiversity; they will then be able to continue their education more fully and go on to lead more successful lives. "Successful" doesn't refer necessarily to financial success (although that would be great), but more about helping these students see themselves in a positive light and to embrace their neurodiversity as a superpower rather than a liability. The comorbidity of anxiety and depression in people with ADHD, EFD, ASD, and other learning challenges is alarming and something that this program could help address by creating a community that is safe and understanding.

We will be able to measure the impact in broad and detailed strokes. First, we will see its success in having a wide range of students participating and that the student participants continue in the program over time. We will also be able to see its impact in collecting the stories of the student participants -- how the program has helped them at school and at home, how they have shifted their self-image, and how they are paying the program forward by sharing their skills with others. We will also do anonymous surveys with the students, their caretakers, and hopefully their teachers, to assess what is working and where we need to grow.