The DEAR REEL model
Our DEAR REEL model is based on academic research and best practices from experienced educators about what works for these learners. The DEAR REEL model consists of four lenses:
Download THE DEAR REEL Guidebook to learn more about each lens of the DEAR REEL model, including an overview and definitions; personal stories and examples; suggested articles, books, blog posts, podcasts and videos; and additional online resources. We also include detailed lists of practical suggestions by grade level for elementary, middle, and high school.
DEVELOP CONNECTION
Did you know that having a classroom where students feel seen, heard, and valued is critical to the success of neurodivergent students? When connections are developed in the classroom, neurodivergent students feel psychologically safe, enabling them to participate fully, ask for support, and take risks to learn and grow.
What does it mean to “Develop Connection”?
It means intentionally creating a culture of belonging where students feel valued and understood.
When connections are built intentionally, students are more likely to engage in the learning process joyfully. Connection in the classroom can lead to increased motivation and engagement and, ultimately, academic success.
Developing connection relies on a mindset of curiosity about all students, but especially those who are neurodivergent. Educators who prioritize connection:
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Support students through a neurodiversity-affirming lens
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Are curious and try new strategies
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Are mindful about their approachability
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Center student interest & identity
Teachers can start by asking themselves, “How does this kid’s battery work? What charges them up? What drains them? What sustains them?” There are many potential strategies to develop connection with students that can be adapted to meet developmental needs at every grade level. Examples include attending school-wide activities to get to know students outside of the academic environment; modeling mistake-making so students know that mistakes are a natural part of learning and growing; intentionally getting to know students using purposeful activities; and creating time for check-ins with struggling students to connect authentically and positively.
Connection-building strengthens trust and belonging at every stage. Neurodiversity-affirming connections are developed by fostering curiosity and understanding, encouraging honest conversations, nurturing peer relationships, and creating welcoming spaces for all learners. By developing connections with their students, educators lay the groundwork for joyful learning, mutual respect, and authentic engagement in the classroom—making it a place where everyone thrives.
EMBRACE FLEXIBILITY
What does it mean to embrace flexibility? Embracing flexibility means acknowledging students as unique individuals and honoring their preferences for learning. Educators who embrace flexibility recognize that it doesn’t lower standards, but instead enables all students to fulfill their potential. By being mindful of educational goals and providing options that support student success, educators create pathways for students to show up as their best selves.
Flexible educators…
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Use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to provide multiple ways for students to engage with content, process information, and demonstrate mastery.
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Leverage backward mapping to identify core learning goals, then offer students options to show what they know by leveraging their strengths, such as through videos, podcasting, building, coding, art, drama, writing, and more.
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Incorporate varied resources like audiobooks, videos, and modelling tools to make content accessible.
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Design classrooms with neurodiversity in mind, offering flexible seating, movement opportunities, and quiet spaces.
Flexibility can look different depending on the learning situation. In most classes, it might involve providing manipulatives, audiobooks, creative projects, and flexible seating options. Being flexible also includes allowing students to demonstrate mastery in ways that align with their strengths while accommodating challenges, such as offering extended deadlines, quiet work spaces, or mastery-based assessments. As students progress into middle and high school, one flexible option is to offer sensory-aware transitions between classes, which allow students who would benefit to begin the class change process a few minutes early.
By embracing flexibility, educators create environments that adapt to students' varying needs, transforming challenges into opportunities for engagement, learning, and growth for everyone.
Would you like to create a classroom environment that meets the diverse needs of learners? Where every student feels they can succeed? Embracing flexibility is key to making this happen. Flexible classrooms allow more students to access content, engage in learning, and fulfill their potential.
ATTEND TO STRENGTHS
Picture a classroom where students feel confident, capable, and excited to learn. Where students experience a love of learning, and feel greater acceptance of themselves and others. This is the picture of an interest—and strength-based classroom!
Strengths are talents and skills at which an individual excels. Every learner has unique strengths. These include both academic
strengths such as math, writing, spatial ability, or creative thinking; and personal strengths such as imagination, resilience, curiosity, integrity or sense of humor. Interests are areas that learners love to explore such as art, science, or gaming, or specific topics that interest them such as animals, transportation, or space. REEL maintains a list of tools to help educators identify student strengths and interests.
What does it mean to be strength-based? Strength-based educators recognize that the foundation of success for neurodivergent and twice-exceptional students is built by nurturing strengths and interests. By weaving strengths into daily learning and accommodations, educators foster self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a positive self-concept, helping students find joy in their day. Strength-based approaches help students build resilience and prepare them for adulthood. In addition, research indicates that neurodivergent students are better able to access and build skills that are sometimes more challenging for them, such as executive function and social interaction, when they are engaged in their areas of interest.
Attending to strengths and interests in elementary school might look like creating interest centers, offering passion projects, and designing flexible ways for students to demonstrate their learning. By middle school, educators can offer interest-based clubs, real-world mentors, and elective programs that align with student passions. In high school, educators may co-teach advanced subjects and offer opportunities for students to lead projects tied to their interests. Across all grade levels, educators can allow students to choose topics of interest within units, providing options for them to show what they know in a variety of creative ways.
Strength-based education helps students build a wellspring of inner resources that they can draw upon throughout their lives. It improves executive function, emotional regulation, and social attention, and most importantly, it just feels good! Those good feelings invigorate students and fill their buckets so they are better able to face challenges and fulfill their potential.
REFRAME BEHAVIORS
Have you ever wondered why some students are distressed, overwhelmed, upset, emotionally intense, or disengaged, and why conventional strategies to address student engagement don't work?
Whether a student’s behavior is more apparent and assertive or more avoidant and anxious, it’s important to look beyond the surface at the learner's underlying experiences for clues in order to reframe student behavior. When we uncover and address the root of students’ struggles - as opposed to simply managing their manifestations - we create a shift to learning and engagement. Involving students in this process enables them to better understand and articulate their own physical, emotional, intellectual, and academic needs.
Educators who reframe behaviors in this way recognize that:
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Students do well if they can. They’re not giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time. Challenging behaviors are a form of communication, signaling an unmet need or underlying difficulty.
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Both internalized behaviors - such as anxiety or negative self-talk - and externalized behaviors - such as outbursts or frustration - indicate a need for support.
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Neurodivergent communication and self-regulation strategies often look different from what’s typically expected. For example, avoiding eye contact, moving during lessons, or direct questioning may be signs of engagement, not defiance or disrespect.
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Many factors contribute to children’s energy. When working to understand challenging situations, extend evidence gathering beyond what immediately preceded a situation, and understand that triggers and individual responses are contextual, specific to the person, and may be invisible to others.
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Collaboration with students, parents, and providers is key to understanding and addressing root causes.
Reframing behaviors at the elementary school level might mean conducting sensory audits to understand hidden stressors, looking for patterns that contribute to student dysregulation, leveraging co-regulation strategies, and using collaborative problem-solving to address struggles.
In middle school, increasingly complex social interactions and executive function demands can lead to dysregulation. Educators can add advisory systems and collaborate with school counselors to uncover underlying challenges, taking into consideration triggers that occur between classes, such as crowded and loud hallways.
By high school, reframing behaviors might involve working on self-advocacy skills, helping students to identify their own patterns of dysregulation, and possibly exploring alternative learning options such as dual enrollment or online courses to increase engagement and belonging.
When we reframe behaviors, the focus shifts from simply managing challenges in the moment to creating a supportive environment that fosters long-term understanding where students feel seen, understood, and empowered to thrive.