“Walking the Talk” in Special Educator Preparation for Neurodiversity

Abstract

This chapter presents a model for the preparation of special education teachers for supporting the learning and development of neurodiverse children and youth as well as neurodiverse future special educators. The model is anchored by three inclusive learning frameworks that are as important for teacher educators to implement in preparation programs as they are for teacher candidates to learn as emerging special education professionals: universal design for learning, person centered planning and adaptive expertise. This call for teacher educators to “walk the talk” of inclusive teaching provides research evidence and practical examples for implementation across coursework and fieldwork experiences for teacher candidates. Interdisciplinary applications of the model for enhancing the preparation of professionals in other fields for meeting the needs of neurodiverse individuals are also discussed.