How is AI a significant tool for teachers in a neurodivergent classroom?
Learn how Artificial Intelligence is transforming inclusive education by personalizing learning experiences and significantly reducing teacher workload.
This insightful blog is written by Akshita Yadav, a BBA student at the Indian Institute of Management Bodhgaya. The article draws its conceptual framework from the Dhwani – Teachers’ Resource Manual, published by Bookosmia and powered by EkStep, which explores inclusive education, differentiated instruction, and effective support for neurodiverse learners.
1. How is AI a significant tool for teachers in a neurodivergent classroom?
As well stated in Dhwani, the primary role of AI is to act as a facilitator of differentiated learning. The text highlights that the biggest hurdle for teachers is the “time constraint” of preparing unique materials for every learner.
From the screenshots, AI assists the teacher by:
Mapping Learning Profiles:
It helps the teacher understand a learner’s preferred style and cognitive level to generate the right form of material (worksheets, audio, etc).
Sensory Guidance:
It acts as a guide for the teacher to identify a learner’s sensory profile and suggests the “optimal ways to deliver learning.”
Scaffolded Planning:
It creates differential learning plans and visually organized information like mind maps or T-charts, which are essential for neurodivergent students who may struggle with executive functioning.
2. How can teachers use AI tools to drive a truly inclusive classroom?
To use AI effectively, teachers must move beyond basic automation and embrace the “Intelligence Unleashed” philosophy. As established in the 2016 Pearson report, “Intelligence Unleashed: An Argument for AI in Education,” thoughtful integration of AI facilitates differentiated instruction and enhances student engagement by addressing varied learning profiles.
Generic approach to using AI in class:
Content Adaptation:
Input standard curriculum into the AI and prompt it to “simplify the language” or “provide three different cognitive levels” for the same topic.
Multimodal Delivery:
Use AI to turn text lessons into audio scripts or visual checklists to meet different sensory needs.
Real-Time Scaffolding:
Use AI as a “teaching assistant” that provides hints or breaks down complex tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. Platforms like Incloodle help explain how neurodiverse learners process, respond, and engage differently. When neurotypical students also understand how things work for neurodiverse peers, it builds empathy, reduces friction, and normalizes diverse learning styles. This reduces the teacher’s load.
3. How do assistive apps like Incloodle work?
Incloodle follows an adaptive learning approach, but with a stronger focus on contextual understanding and peer-aware learning.
The Learning Logic:
As students interact with Incloodle’s activities, the platform observes how they engage with concepts i.e whether they grasp ideas better through stories, visuals, repetition, or real-life examples shared in simple language.
System Adaptation:
Incloodle continuously adjusts how content is presented based on each child’s interaction patterns. If a student shows higher engagement and comprehension when concepts are explained through peer-simulated dialogues, social stories, or step-by-step visual cues, the system prioritises those formats. When conventional text or direct questioning leads to disengagement, Incloodle shifts toward inclusive, context-driven explanations—signalling to teachers which adaptive pathways best align with the student’s cognitive and social learning needs.
The Result:
Incloodle doesn’t focus on assessing performance; it helps teachers see which explanation styles and inclusive interactions reduce cognitive load- offering insight into how awareness of diverse learning styles can support neurodiverse students more effectively.
Other Essential Tools for Inclusion:
ChatGPT / Gemini: For drafting differentiated lesson plans and worksheets instantly.
Khan Academy AI Tutor (Khanmigo): For personalized, student-led learning paths that adapt to the user’s pace.
Synthesia: For creating visual/AI-avatar-led lessons for auditory and visual learners.
4. How can AI and technology track and support the mental well-being of the teacher?
In an inclusive classroom, the mental load on the teacher is immense. In moments of overload, AI-based tools can offer non-judgmental, immediate support- such as reflective prompts and grounding exercises, especially during late hours when human support may be inaccessible. AI-enabled journaling and mindfulness-based applications can support teachers through structured reflection and momentary grounding practices.
Guided journaling helps externalize emotional load, identify recurring stressors and build self-awareness without requiring clinical intervention.
Mindfulness-suggesting apps may offer brief body-scan exercises, breath awareness, or sensory-reset prompts tailored to transitions between classes, helping teachers recalibrate during the school day. These tools emphasize regulation and reflection, not diagnosis.
However, AI must be used with caution. Mental well-being is deeply contextual, and AI cannot interpret emotional nuance or escalating distress.
AI should function as a doorway, not a destination, embedded within robust human support systems with clear ethical safeguards and escalation pathways.
About the Author
Akshita Yadav is an 18-year-old undergraduate student from Nagpur, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at the Indian Institute of Management Bodhgaya (IIMBG). She has a keen interest in public policy and strategy, with a particular focus on neurodiversity and allied social policy domains. Akshita aspires to work in policy research and contribute to the nation’s think tanks through policy notes, strategic analysis, and inclusive governance frameworks.
FAQ’s How is AI a significant tool for teachers in a neurodivergent classroom?
How is AI a significant tool for teachers in a neurodivergent classroom?
AI supports teachers by enabling differentiated learning at scale. One of the biggest challenges educators face is the time required to create individualized resources for diverse learners. AI helps by mapping student learning profiles, identifying sensory preferences, and generating scaffolded learning materials such as visual organizers, audio content, and simplified worksheets—allowing teachers to focus more on meaningful instruction and connection.
How can teachers use AI to create a truly inclusive classroom?
Teachers can use AI beyond basic automation by adapting content to multiple cognitive levels, converting lessons into multimodal formats (text, audio, visuals), and providing real-time scaffolding for complex tasks. When used thoughtfully, AI supports diverse learning styles, builds student empathy, and reduces classroom friction—making inclusion more sustainable and effective.
How do assistive learning platforms like Incloodle work?
Incloodle uses an adaptive, context-aware learning model. As students interact with activities, the platform identifies how they best understand concepts—through stories, visuals, repetition, or real-life examples. Based on engagement patterns, Incloodle continuously adjusts content delivery and helps teachers understand which explanation styles reduce cognitive load and improve learning outcomes for neurodiverse students.
Can AI support teachers’ mental well-being?
Yes. AI-based tools can provide immediate, non-judgmental support through guided journaling, reflection prompts, and short mindfulness or grounding exercises. These tools help teachers regulate stress and build self-awareness, especially during high-demand days.
Can AI replace human support for mental well-being?
No. AI should act as a supportive doorway, not a replacement. Emotional well-being requires human connection, context, and care. AI tools must be used responsibly, with ethical safeguards and clear pathways to human support when needed.
Who is this initiative for?
This initiative is designed for teachers, school leaders, parents, and education stakeholders committed to building inclusive, neurodiversity-affirming learning environments.
Where can I buy the book – Dhwani?
Dhwani is an inclusive, mindfulness-based initiative designed to support the emotional well-being of teachers and students while fostering truly inclusive classrooms. Rooted in research from education, psychology, and neuroscience, Dhwani recognizes a simple truth: regulated teachers create safe, inclusive learning spaces.
At its core, Dhwani focuses on self-regulation, awareness, and emotional literacy. The curriculum equips educators with practical tools—such as grounding exercises, breathing techniques, and reflective practices—that can be used in real classroom moments, not just in theory. These tools help teachers respond with curiosity rather than control, and empathy rather than assumption.
Dhwani believes inclusion is not a checklist or a one-time intervention, but an ongoing journey. By supporting teachers’ mental health, Dhwani helps reduce burnout, unpack unconscious bias, and build resilience—making inclusion sustainable rather than exhausting.
Through simple, age-appropriate practices, Dhwani also empowers students to understand their emotions, feel safe, and stay engaged, creating classrooms where every child is seen, valued, and supported.
In essence, Dhwani begins with the teacher’s well-being—because inclusion starts from within.
Dhwani I Voices of Practitioners Driving Inclusion in Classrooms
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This article is published by Bookosmia, India’s #1 publisher for and by young people. Bookosmia publishes stories, books, podcasts, events, TED-Ed talks, workshops, bedtime stories and more related to kids and young adults.
Photo Credit – AI generated images from Chat GPT and Magic Media from Canva .
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