Book Reviews

Supporting Neurodiverse College Student Success: A Guide for Librarians, Student Support Services, and Academic Learning Environments. Elizabeth M.H. Coghill and Jeffrey G. Coghill, eds. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. 312p. Hardback, $95.00 (ISBN 978-1-5381-3736-9).

Supporting Neurodiverse College Student Success, edited by Elizabeth Coghill and Jeffrey Coghill, aims to inspire higher education institutions to create more inclusive and welcoming environments for neurodiverse students. The authors achieve that goal by defining neurodiversity and providing concrete examples of how postsecondary learning environments can be adapted to meet the needs of college students with learning differences. Understanding neurodiversity means acknowledging that there is no “normal” brain function; differences are part of expected variations in the human brain. Further, neurodiversity recognizes that differences are not deficits.

The 12 chapters of the book are broken into different topics including academic advising, welcoming spaces for learning, and library services. Throughout, the authors stress the need to create a welcoming environment for neurodiverse students based on the understanding that all students belong. The authors connect the different topics by emphasizing overarching themes of inclusiveness and acceptance of differences. The book is well structured, with a concluding section in each chapter that offers campus essentials for high impact. These sections provide excellent recommendations that librarians and other campus professionals can put into immediate action. Each chapter also includes a campus spotlight that provides real-world examples of programs and initiatives instituted at a range of colleges and universities.

A chapter on library services spotlights the partnership between the Joyner Library at East Carolina University (ECU) and the Supporting Transition and Education through Planning and Partnerships (STEPP) Program. STEPP is a support program that serves students with documented learning disabilities at ECU. The STEPP program is housed in the Joyner Library, and a natural collaboration grew out of this physical proximity. The library participates by providing a library boot camp and one-on-one consultations to students in the STEPP Program. The importance of campus partnerships like this one is another theme that runs through the book.

This chapter also advocates for presenting the library as a “home base” or “escape place” for neurodiverse students, outlining the steps academic librarians can take to transform libraries into more neurodivergent-friendly places. One way to make this happen is by implementing the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a framework for the design of instructional goals, materials, methods, and assessments that are adjusted to accommodate learning differences.1 Librarians can use UDL to modify library spaces to make them more inviting for neurodiverse students. Some aspects of academic libraries like fluorescent lighting and the noise and activity associated with the modern information commons can lead to sensory overload for neurodiverse users, especially autistic students. The authors suggest replacing fluorescent lighting with LED lighting when possible and clearly denoting quiet spaces where students can be protected from overstimulation. The authors also advocate using library instruction methods based on UDL. UDL also features in a chapter on best practices for tutoring sessions, strategies that can be applied equally by librarians during research consultations. Many of these are displayed in a useful table that readers can use to apply some of these best practices to their work with students.

Another useful chapter addresses designing welcoming spaces for learners. The authors discuss how both the effective and ineffective use of space impacts students. They emphasize that educators should focus on changing the space, not the learner. This philosophy is a natural outgrowth of the UDL approach. The authors examine how space designers and educators might consider neurodiverse students when planning learning spaces. They recommend using the Autism ASPECTSS Design Index to help create spaces that are welcoming for neurodiverse students. The principles of ASPECTSS leads to spaces that are organized so that sensory stimuli are limited. These sensory limits offer a respite from the overstimulation often found in campus environments. ASPECTSS was created to help autistic students who are often more affected by sensory stimuli. However, like UDL, spaces that improve the learning experience of autistic students will benefit all students. One simple example is the use of mobile furniture in libraries or information commons areas. Neurodiverse users can take this mobile furniture and create private, quiet spaces without calling attention to themselves.

The book provides many helpful tables and figures with concrete examples. For example, a chapter on academic mentoring and coaching services includes a table of sample learning strategies with accompanying tangible examples. A chapter on self-advocacy uses case studies taken from real-world events to highlight campus adaptations that enable neurodiverse student success. Additionally, each chapter provides a comprehensive reference list that will allow readers to augment their knowledge of each topic. Throughout the book, authors give practical solutions to support and welcome neurodiverse students to college campuses. This support and inclusiveness are imperative because, as Elizabeth Coghill points out in the introduction, 11 percent of college students are neurodivergent.2 As more neurodiverse students enter college, librarians, faculty, and staff will need to create an environment where these students can learn and thrive. This book is one resource that can help with that goal.—Gerard Shea, Seton Hall University

Notes

1. D. Sweeney and R. Zellner, “Universal Design,” in Encyclopedia of Special Education: A Reference for the Education of Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Disabilities and Other Exceptional Individuals, 4th ed., eds. C.R. Reynolds, K.J. Vannest, and E. Fletcher-Janzen (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2013), https://go.openathens.net/redirector/shu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fwileyse%2Funiversal_design%2F0%3FinstitutionId%3D441.

2. A.R. Fleming et al., “Treatment-seeking College Students with Disabilities: Presenting Concerns, Protective Factors, and Academic Distress,” Rehabilitation Psychology 63, no. 1 (2018): 55.