How Far We Have Come: FCIDD, and Neurodiverse Education

Neurodiversity in education means viewing differences in how brains work as natural human variation rather than deficits. Key areas include autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Embracing a model for addressing special needs helps schools move past rigid, one-size-fits-all teaching methods to better support all students.

Education is at the FCIDD's core: Tom and Mary McNulty were stunned when they learned how little public special education was available as their son Tommy entered school age, and the first efforts of the Foundation in the early 1950's were directed toward supporting teachers training in that field. This type of endeavor was given top priority because of the importance of recruiting more and more teachers who would be qualified to deal with the unique educational issues for children with an IDD diagnosis. The teaching scholarship program, it was hoped at that time, would lend dignity to the profession of Special Education and induce many teachers to come in to the field as their first career choice.

Fast forward to 2026 and recent news that the number of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms across the country jumped substantially in recent years. The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that there were 1.1 million more students with disabilities in general education classrooms at least 40% of the day during the 2023-2024 school year as compared to a decade prior. That’s a 25% rise. Growth in inclusion was largely driven by the number of children with disabilities who spent at least 80% of their day in classes alongside their typically developing peers, the report found. FCIDD continues to support an increasing number of grant submissions from schools bolstering their neurodiversity programs, and from public education spaces working to provide better inclusion.