51Âþ»­

The challenges faced by young people with neurodiversity have been highlighted in a new film, which premiered at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­). 

Neurodiversity Pathways: Break the Chain is a documentary which hears from several young people, their parents and teachers, about how thinking styles like dyspraxia, dyslexia and autism affect them in the classroom. 

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It examines how pupils with neurodivergences can struggle with conventional teaching approaches and considers what actions can be taken to make mainstream education more inclusive. 

The film was created with help from the Universities Partnership, a collaboration between 51Âþ»­, University of Leicester and Loughborough University, and was made by CoLab Creation. 

Dan Lamoon, producer director on the film – and himself a 51Âþ»­ graduate, having completed a course in media and technology – said the film had been a personal passion. 

He said: “Originally, we had the idea to create a film about educating neurodiverse people in the world of work. But when we met the students, they told us about the lack of understanding and support they are facing right now in education and so the focus of the film changed. 

“I myself am dyslexic and Eleanor Buswell, our video editor, is autistic so we really related to what we were hearing from the young people.” 

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In the film, students talk about being separated from others because of their responses to situations, and of not being listened to when explaining their behaviour. 

There are also powerful contributions from parents, who explain the difficulty children with neurodivergent thinking can have in articulating what it is they find challenging. 

Dan said: “The film is about creating a conversation and I hope that from this conversation we spark actions and ideas people can take away and put into place to try and help create a more inclusive approach to education.” 

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The film was made with support from Pathways, a collaboration between all three of Leicestershire’s universities and two further education (FE) providers, which work with schools and pupils aged between 13 and 18 to provide support and resources for students, teachers, parents and carers to find out more about higher education (HE) and future careers. 

Professor Rachel Thomson, Chair of the Pathways Steering Board, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) at Loughborough University, said: “This is a really important film because as universities, we have many learners with diverse characteristics. 

“We value that diversity and want to raise awareness wherever we can that inclusivity starts with listening.”