Navigating the Storm: Supporting 2e Students Through Political and Systemic Anxiety
- Callie Turk
- 15 hours ago
- 7 min read
We work with hundreds of K-12 faculty from schools all around Silicon Valley each month. If I had to boil down the most common theme that’s come up lately, it’s all about anxiety. In fact, an educator from one of our school partners recently shared that “Anxiety overall has really popped up as a bigger issue.”
Grappling with student anxiety is core to the work of school counselors and school psychologists who are part of our Neurodiversity/2e Collaborative. We meet monthly to talk through problems of practice that our members face. In January, a middle school counselor brought a pressing problem for our group to consider: How could her team support students as they process their anxiety when the news feels heavy and the “macro-system” feels unsafe? Our discussion focused on three main topics:
First, how and why are these anxieties experienced differently by neurodivergent and twice-exceptional (2e) students?
Second, what are some actionable strategies that could be used to approach this topic in a way that considers variation in learner needs?
Finally, how can we help our students understand different approaches to advocacy and action?
Pulling it all together, the answers, ideas, and actionable strategies we brainstormed became an Educator Quick Tip Sheet (link at the bottom of this article) that may be helpful for any school counselor, school psychologist, or other educator considering ways to address today’s climate and the anxiety it can induce across school communities (students, parents, and educators).
We hope this resource serves as a starting point to think about your situation and how you can serve as a guide through turbulent times for your community.
1. Why the Political Climate Hits Neurodivergent 2e Learners Differently
The world can feel like a volatile place. For twice-exceptional (2e) and neurodivergent students, the current political climate, specifically concerns around immigration enforcement, can create a unique “perfect storm” of anxiety. These students aren't just “worried about the news” – they are often processing it through a specific neurodivergent lens, and possibly their own community or family’s experiences.
Many are particularly sensitive to social justice issues. They may possess an intense moral compass. Injustice isn’t just a concept; it’s a visceral experience that can lead to significant emotional dysregulation. For neurodivergent and 2e students with a high sense of justice, being “milquetoast” about the realities of change can actually feel like a form of dishonesty.
And, the confluence of upheaval creates “systemic anxiety”. Macro-level stresses that span changes in governmental norms, the impacts of artificial intelligence, and other post-pandemic challenges filter down through the community and school, increasing anxiety for the adults in the child’s world, that land squarely on the child.
Plus, students are often thinking and talking about issues (like immigration enforcement practices) even when adults don't hear them talking about them. This creates a “hidden” layer of stress that can manifest as unexpected behaviors or withdrawal.
Add to this that neurodivergent and 2e children are already more prone to general, situational, or social anxiety, and these students may both be more tuned into what is happening and primed for action, while feeling more stressed than others may expect because of what is happening across our broader society.
2. Actionable Strategies for School Counselors, School Psychologists, and Educators to Benefit All Students
The Neurodiversity/2e Collaborative brainstormed specific, practical steps for schools to create safe spaces to talk about these unsettled times. By normalizing that it is okay to feel “off” when the world feels loud, and by providing frameworks to handle disagreement productively, we help all learners, in particular those who are neurodivergent and twice-exceptional, navigate the world with both their sensitivity and their passion intact.
Help Students Build a "Fact-Base" for Critical Thinking
One of the best ways to combat anxiety is to provide a sense of intellectual control. And while stressful, the issues raised in our current political climate generate authentic situations to learn critical thinking skills. Social-emotional and other lessons can be integrated to help students understand how to gather information, look at it critically, and develop a fact base to ground their emotional experience and social justice instincts.
Use tools like Ground.news or provide articles with varying perspectives (left-leaning, right-leaning, and neutral). This allows students to use their cognitive strengths to analyze how information is presented rather than just reacting to headlines. To support teachers who feel vulnerable or unequipped, look for grade-appropriate videos (such as from PBS) followed by standardized FAQs for educators to use with students. This ensures all students receive consistent, factual information regardless of the classroom they are in.
Create “Opt-In” and Private Spaces
While it’s important to integrate discussion of how all students are grappling with current events, not every sensitive student wants to engage in-depth in class, in a debate, or in other public spaces, as it can increase their distress. But others will want to dive deeply. Plus, it can be difficult to tell how students feel and what their needs are. Two ways to address this are through:
Lunch Bunches: Host optional lunchtime groups to discuss current events. This gives “high-justice” students a place to dive deep without forcing more sensitive or “internalizing” students to participate. Keep in mind that some students may have intense responses and it’s important to respond appropriately, with supportive statements such as “I see that your sense of justice is really activated right now. Let’s look at how people in history have channeled that feeling into change.”
Anonymous Inquiry: Use “Question of the Day” boards or anonymous drop-boxes where students can share what is surprising or scaring them. This allows counselors to take the “pulse” of the student body without putting individuals on the spot.
Provide Art as an Emotional Outlet
Some students (and even faculty) may feel too overwhelmed for verbal conversation. Some may find that artistic projects provide the outlet they need to process. Provide opportunities for everyone in the community to create art projects to capture their evolving experiences. These projects may allow students to share the heavy emotions they feel around safety, justice, and change, without needing to find the perfect words.
Bring in Real-Life Experiences
Inviting immigrants, survivors of systemic change, and professionals working in social justice spaces to speak can help students move from abstract fear to a grounded understanding of human resilience, as well as provide concrete ideas about ways to move forward. In addition, it can help give them a sense for how adults cope with big challenges and potential jobs that align with their interests to make a difference.
Manage the “Push-Down” Anxiety
Anxiety isn’t limited to students – teachers, staff, parents, and other adults in their lives are feeling it as well, and their anxiety can sometimes filter down to students. Be sure to check the pulse of the adults on campus; if they’re highly anxious about the political climate, the students will absorb it, too. Be sure students know which specific staff members are “safe harbors” for high-intensity political, social justice processing, or calm and quiet spaces.
3. Civic Empowerment: Understanding Ardent Advocacy
While educators can use today’s context to teach the importance of peaceful protest, it may be equally vital to acknowledge that history is often moved by those who stand up with a more ardent, uncompromising spirit. (Check out edWeb’s recent session: We Can Teach Hard Things, Like Civil Rights.)
To help students understand the various intensities of advocacy, we can look at the different philosophies within the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. utilized non-violent civil disobedience as a strategic, highly disciplined tool to reveal the “moral tension” of the status quo. On the other hand, Malcolm X offered a more ardent critique, emphasizing self-defense, racial pride, and the idea that freedom should be attained “by any means necessary.”
With middle schoolers specifically, we wouldn’t expect a 12-year-old to organize a high-stakes demonstration, but they can grapple with the concept that “peaceful” does not mean “passive.” The activists of the past were incredibly brave and often faced great danger.
By presenting both, we aren't telling students which path to take; we are showing them that advocacy is a spectrum. Some movements focus on building bridges, while others focus on demanding the right to exist. This gives students information to find their voice in a democracy. Learning the mechanics of peaceful protest or how to write a letter to a representative can transform “powerless anxiety” into “purposeful action.”
And then consider applying these lessons to the lives of 12-year old, noting that “ardent action” might look like refusing to stay silent when a peer is being targeted, researching the “uncomfortable” parts of history that aren't in the standard textbook, and using their art or writing to speak a truth that others are ignoring.
Keep in mind that students come from different family backgrounds with a range of responses to today’s political climate. Regardless, we can help all learners navigate the increased anxiety in our environment, support those neurodivergent and 2e students who feel anxiety more intensely, provide opportunities to learn advocacy strategies, and channel intense emotions into age-appropriate actions. Our goal isn't to keep students in a bubble, but to give them the tools (critical thinking, creative expression, and civic agency) to feel safe outside of it.
Download this Educator Quick Tip Sheet to share a summary of these strategies with your broader educator team:
Pulling it all together: Educator Tip Sheet for Supporting Neurodivergent and 2e Students in High-Stakes Times1. Identify the “Justice Flare-Up”Recognize that for 2e students, a "behavior" is often a "reaction" to perceived injustice.
2. Implementation: The “Fact-Base” Framework
3. Create “Pressure Valve” Spaces
4. Level Up the Advocacy Discussion
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