Building Inclusive Classrooms through Neuroaffirming Strategies and Communication Supports for Diverse Learners
Written by Melissa Torres, Chloe Lee, Emily Rendell, Thomas Reynolds, Mancel College by Language Disorder Australia.
In today's educational landscape, creating truly inclusive learning environments requires more than just physical accommodation – it demands a deep understanding of neurodiversity and innovative approaches to support all learners. At Mancel College, our specialist school for students with Language Disorder, we've witnessed firsthand how targeted support strategies can transform educational outcomes. Through our interoception awareness programme and Key Word Sign (KWS) implementation, we've developed frameworks that acknowledge and celebrate neurodiversity while providing practical tools for both students and educators. Our journey has shown that when we embrace neurodiversity and provide appropriate supports, students don't just survive in the classroom – they thrive.
Interoception: Building Self-Awareness and Emotional Regulation
Interoception, often described as our eighth sense, plays a crucial role in understanding and responding to our body's internal signals. For many neurodivergent students, interpreting these signals can be challenging, affecting everything from emotional regulation to classroom engagement. Our approach at Mancel College focuses on developing this vital sense through structured support and individualised strategies.
At the heart of our interoception framework are personalised student profiles that document individual sensory preferences and regulatory strategies. These detailed profiles serve as living documents, regularly updated to reflect students' evolving needs and successful strategies. Each profile includes specific triggers, calming
techniques, and preferred environmental modifications that support the student's learning and emotional regulation. Our teaching staff regularly collaborate with allied health professionals to refine these profiles, ensuring they remain relevant and effective as students develop new skills and face different challenges.
Within our classrooms, we maintain comprehensive sensory toolkits that include various supports such as weighted lap pads, fidget tools, and noise-cancelling headphones, all carefully selected to meet individual student needs while maintaining a focused learning environment. These tools are introduced systematically, with students learning to identify when and how to use each item effectively. This approach empowers students to take ownership of their regulation needs and develop independence in managing their sensory experiences.
As part of our allied health service delivery, we conduct lessons based on Kelly Mahler's Interoception Curriculum, an evidence-based approach that systematically builds body awareness and emotional understanding. This structured curriculum provides our students with concrete activities and experiences to discover, notice, and connect with their internal signals. Students learn to recognise subtle body signals such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, or changes in breathing patterns, and connect these to their emotional experiences. Additionally, our therapists work collaboratively with classroom teachers to embed these learning activities throughout the school day, ensuring students have multiple opportunities to practise and develop their interoceptive awareness.
A cornerstone of our interoception support is our dedicated interoception room, a purposefully designed space that provides students with different areas to meet their varying regulation needs. The room features three distinct zones: a calm corner for quieter, reflective activities; an active area for movement-based regulation; and a sensory space equipped with various sensory tools and supports. This proactive approach, accessed through a referral system, allows students to engage with the space when it best suits their needs rather than waiting until they're in distress. The room serves as a practical learning environment where students can explore and understand their internal signals while developing effective self-regulation strategies.
To support this work, we've developed a comprehensive professional development programme for staff, ensuring they understand the neuroscience behind interoception and can effectively support students in developing these vital skills. Regular training sessions include practical strategies for embedding interoception awareness into daily routines, creating supportive classroom environments, and responding effectively to students' sensory needs.
The implementation of interoception awareness has led to significant improvements in student outcomes. We've observed increased classroom participation, better emotional regulation, and enhanced ability to communicate needs effectively. Teachers report fewer instances of behavioural challenges and note that students are more likely to independently access their regulation strategies when needed. Parents have also reported that their children are utilising language they have learnt through the interoception lessons to articulate their needs and emotions at home.
Key Word Sign: Enhancing Communication Across the School Community
Our implementation of Key Word Sign has enhanced how we approach communication support within our school community. KWS, which combines natural speech with key signs and natural gestures, has proven to be a valuable tool for developing and strengthening language skills across our entire student population. This multi-modal approach to communication supports all students in their language development journey, regardless of their current communication abilities.
Our whole-school approach to KWS begins with weekly pre-recorded videos containing our "Sign of the Week" which is sent to all staff, who are provided opportunities to practise and review in staff meetings. The signs chosen for each week are selected based on their relevance to the school environment and in consultation with teachers and teacher assistants. These videos then form a large bank of signs that staff are able to use, with the videos stored in a database for staff to refer
to. In addition to our "Sign of the Week", we capitalised on various college and community events throughout the year. One-off videos were produced by staff and students, highlighting signs related to different events, and it was fantastic to see the college community get behind and support these videos. These events included Easter, Sports Day, Christmas and Cross Country. It was so engaging for the students to see their teachers, Allied Health staff, and particularly their peers, modelling signs for Easter or midway through a cross country.
We've created extensive visual resources displayed in classrooms and common areas featuring frequently used signs, making communication support readily available throughout the school day. The integration of KWS into daily routines, morning circle time, and learning activities has normalised its use and created multiple opportunities for practise and reinforcement. Additionally, we regularly post these KWS videos on Facebook to encourage parent engagement and extend communication support into the home environment, creating a seamless experience for our students and families. Other additions included a monthly "Key Word Sign Star," where staff could nominate others who had demonstrated innovative or creative use of signs throughout the day, and sing-alongs of songs supported by Key Word Sign.
The implementation of KWS has enriched the language learning environment for all students. By providing an additional mode of communication that pairs visual and kinesthetic elements with spoken language, we've seen increased participation in classroom discussions, improved vocabulary retention, and enhanced engagement in learning activities. This multi-modal approach to language development has proven particularly effective in supporting our students' overall communication skills and confidence.
These initiatives contribute to creating a more accessible and inclusive learning environment that acknowledges the diverse ways our students experience and interact with the world. Through these approaches, we support all students' receptive and expressive communication, as well as create opportunities for students to develop essential life skills to meet their body needs.
Our experience at Mancel College demonstrates that creating truly inclusive classrooms requires a commitment to understanding and supporting diverse learning needs through evidence-based, practical strategies. By sharing our journey and the tools we've developed, we hope to inspire other educators to embrace similar approaches in their own settings, ultimately working toward a more inclusive and supportive educational system for all learners.