Neurodiversity 101:Why scaffolding is important- and why we shouldn't always want to take it down!

Can anyone walk on Day 1.. Of course not.We all require practice and support to do so. We often providing scaffolding or “assistance” to help an individual attain a new skill that may be just outside of their developmental zone.

Vygotsky (Soviet psychologist, best known for his work on psychological development in children) coined a definition of instructional scaffolding that focused on teacher practices.

He defined this as: 'the role of teachers and others in supporting the learner's development and providing support structures to get to that next stage or level' (Raymond, 2000).

What is scaffolding?

This is from Greek kata- "down" (see cata- ), used in Medieval Latin with a sense of "beside, alongside" + fala. It is often seen as a temporary structure.

I want you to think about scaffolding as essentially important in children and adults with Neurodivergent traits. I also see we want to can be too keen to want take the scaffolding down as soon as possible because we think the child or adult should do it ( what ever the skill is e.g. dressing, riding a bike) without it... BUT this is where we go wrong!

What I have learned is that we do things at very different rates and some of us need more scaffolding in some areas of our life than others. We sometimes take the scaffolding down because we use 'neuronormative' thinking and expectations.

What do you use to scaffold yourself on a daily basis?

I use a diary to remind myself of what I need to do. Without it - I would be useless.What about a shopping list even though you probably buy the same food most of the time!

I also recognise that we scaffold for each other. One person may do one task that enables you to do yours. We support each other.

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”― John Holmes

Maximising your cognitive capacity

We all have a finite capacity to focus on tasks. At the same time we know that many people who are neurodivergent have challenges with executive functioning (EF) skills. EF relates to skills associated with planning, time management, and self organisation. It can be more effortful to do some of these tasks.

Using scaffolding techniques can help neurodivergent individuals as it can provide the necessary support and structure to navigate various aspects of life and achieve our potential.

Scaffolding can mean providing structured and tailored assistance to help develop and perform everyday skills more effectively. It may involve breaking down tasks or activities into manageable steps. However, it is often seen that we need to gradually reduce or stop support all together as individuals gain competence and independence. We seem to think once we have achieved a skill once then we need to let all support go.I want to challenge this thinking.

Scaffolding in education could be providing essay plans, or writing frames for example, and in the workplace it could be providing a reporting template or use of Microsoft Outlook task manager tools.

Scaffolding could also be combining techniques such as both reading AND at the same time being able to listen to a book... reading can help with the comprehension, and listening can aid emotional understanding.

Focusing on the important.

The term “scaffolding” was first used in an educational context in the mid-1970s, coined by American psychologist Jerome Bruner.

Bruner described scaffolding as:?

“…the steps taken to reduce the degrees of freedom in carrying out some task so that the child can concentrate on the difficult skill she is in the process of acquiring.”?

Students taking notes in a lecture need to also be able to listen, process organise, and write synchronously, while also contending with the temporal demands of the lecture or lesson. Unlike other academic tasks that allow students to periodically pause to process their thoughts, such as reading a book or composing an essay, the temporal nature of recording notes during lectures or lessons stops students from slowing down because when they do, they risk missing subsequent key points spoken by the teacher. Students end up either listening or taking notes verbatim.

Scaffolding measures could be providing notes before a lesson so that the student can annotate their notes. This can mean they then have enough capacity to listen and process what is going on in the lesson or lecture. I remember watching a child taking down notes word by word. Afterwards I asked what was the lesson about and the student had no idea.The act of writing notes was all they could cope with.

As parents we scaffold

I remember scaffolding for my kids at home when they were in school by packing their bag for them the evening before and getting their clothes out the night before.They could have done this but I acted as their scaffolder because there were other things I wanted them to focus on, and spend their energy and I knew they were tired at the end of the day.

In holiday times they would take on more daily tasks because they had the capacity to do so.

In later years as young adults I still chose to iron their clothes when they could have potentially done it themselves. I chose to scaffold for them at times so they could focus on the tasks they HAD to do....

Scaffolding can allow the person to focus on the aspect of learning or working that is important so that cognitive effort is directed in the right place.

In the workplace scaffolding can be used to help someone starting a new job role to learn the skills, while being provided with some support and guidance. It can also be used to help existing employees develop new skills or adapt to changes in their roles.

This is a hard line to tread as I can hear some people saying again and again.. ' they need to learn to do it for themselves!" I am not disputing that some skills need to be learned but sometimes we can avoid some tasks to enable us to have time to do others e.g. we have a washing machine to wash our clothes; we use a lift to get to the sixth floor rather than using the stairs; we use a keyboard to type our notes rather than using a quill and ink!

How can scaffolding help?

1. Skill development: Scaffolding helps in breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps and can facilitate skill development.
2. Reducing overwhelm: Scaffolding can provide a structured framework that reduces anxiety and helps someone to stay on track.
3. Promoting independence: By gradually reducing support as individuals gain confidence and competence, we can learn to navigate tasks and challenges on their own. But remember if we take down the scaffolding too soon then these skills won't be automated. We also need to understand that sometimes scaffolding needs to remain up long term. Discussing this and making conscious decisions can be useful learning too.
4. Enhancing communication: Using visual supports or social stories can help individuals to understand tasks that need to be completed and the order to do them on.
5. Positive outcomes: Research and practical experience have shown that using scaffolding techniques can lead to better outcomes in education, employment, and daily life for neurodivergent individuals. It may also reduce the anxiety levels when someone is trying to juggle everything.

Some examples of scaffolding tools:

• Graphic organisers pictures, and charts including Visual timetables
• Organisers- paper, and online diary systems
• Auditory reminders e.g. using your phone, setting physical alarms, timers
• Templates for assignments, reports, academic writing etc
• Writing frames

Most importantly we need to realise for some people the scaffold needs to stay there and not be taken down. It means that person can work, can have a relationship.... and much more.

Everyone of us has their own scaffolds which can be tools but remember may also be people around them ( e.g. virtual assistants).

Blog author

I am Amanda Kirby, CEO of Do-IT Solutions a tech-for-good company that delivers consultancy and guidance, training and web-based screening tools that have helped 10s of 1000s of people. We strive to deliver person-centered solutions relating to neurodiversity and wellbeing.

I am a mixed bag of experiences and skills and have 25+ years of working in the field of neurodiversity. I am a medical doctor, Professor, and have a Ph.D. in the field of neurodiversity; parent and grandparent to neurodivergent wonderful kids and am neurodivergent myself.

Theo Smith and I wrote the UK award-winning book?Neurodiversity at Work Drive Innovation, Performance, and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce . My 10th book came out called Neurodiversity and Education in March 2023.Theo and I are writing a new book in 2024 which we hope you will love and share.