On Friday, April 25th, Director of Education & Training for University Life, Prithak Chowdhury, spoke about the unique challenges that neurodivergent students face in higher education in a rescheduled event from Integrity Week 2025.

The word neurodivergent is increasingly used in mental health spaces, internet discourse, and academic circles. In his presentation on Neurodivergence and the Academic Experience, Chowdhury unpacked what this complex term means and its implications for a high-pressure institution of higher education like Columbia. 

Chowdhury began by explaining that neurodivergence is an umbrella term comprising individuals with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, dyspraxia, and more. Putting this diversity of lived experiences in one category “can be dangerous,” Chowdhury acknowledged. 

Instead, he stressed the importance of the concept of neurodivergence posited by sociologist Judy Singer, who coined the term in the 1990s. She reframed these developmental “disorders” as existing within normal variations in the human brain. Chowdhury paired Singer’s claim with the social model of disability: that many impairments, both physical and cognitive, primarily stem from the social environment and are not intrinsic to a given condition. The modern workplace and classroom are “designed for people with a certain mind type,” he claimed. 

To explain how these invisible barriers function in academia, Chowdhury used his experience being diagnosed with ADHD in graduate school. A professor told him that if he gave his “100%,” he could be the valedictorian. But the professor believed his track record of turning assignments in late reflected a “lack of commitment” to his studies. 

In reality, this consistent inability to manage all of his tasks was causing panic attacks so severe that Chowdhury checked himself into the emergency room because he thought he was having a heart attack. He eventually made his way to a psychiatrist who told him he was experiencing panic attacks as a result of executive dysfunction stemming from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. 

Chowdhury had never considered that the chest pains and poor task management might stem from a common cause: “Why did no one tell me this? I always thought something was wrong with me,” he said. 

Chowdhury’s experience is far from uncommon among neurodivergent people. 15-20% of US adults are neurodiverse in some way, but the number is likely higher because so many are undiagnosed and unsupported. 

This lack of support extends into the academic sphere, as demonstrated by Chowdhury’s story. He cited inflexible teaching styles, stigma, and lack of accommodations as the root cause of many obstacles neurodivergent people face in the classroom. Lecture-heavy teaching, timed exams, and rigid participation expectations are also incompatible with many neurodivergent learning styles.

Columbia is far from exempt from these problems. Although Chowdhury did not have time to discuss Columbia’s role in depth, the challenges he discussed resonated with me as a CC transfer student. 

At my previous institution, even introductory classes incorporated discussion, collaborative learning, and non-traditional learning methods. My British Empire class was almost exclusively discussion-based, with optional weekly discussion posts for those who found in-class discussion difficult or anxiety-inducing. My Introduction to Comparative Politics class, although more lecture-based, incorporated frequent simulations where we had to write a constitution or form coalitions in parliamentary scenarios. For the most part, professors assessed performance using essays, not exams.

These more flexible teaching and assessment styles catered to my strengths as a student diagnosed with ADHD. The prevalence of high-pressure exams and the large lecture-hall style of teaching at Columbia was and is a difficult adjustment. 

My experience is my own, but other neurodivergent students who attended the event also cited Columbia’s rigid and exam-oriented pedagogical approach as preventing them from performing their best. 

When event participants brainstormed possible solutions, Director of Academic Integrity Victoria Malaney-Brown cited the “choose your own adventure” learning method adopted by some university professors. This assessment style allows students to take control of their own learning and be assessed in ways that play to their strengths. 

This method and the pedagogy of my liberal arts college professors are easier to implement at smaller institutions where professors have more time to design and grade non-traditional assessments. But many smaller Columbia classes are still difficult for neurotypical individuals. In a class of less than 20 people, I anonymously filled out the midterm feedback form, saying I would like to discuss more in class to break up the lecture that makes up the majority of the class. I was told that because the class was not a seminar, discussion was secondary. In terms of exams, the quote identification section of the Literature Humanities exam comes to mind. It is a purely memorization-based assessment that may put some neurodivergent students who struggle to remember small details at a disadvantage. 

As Chowdhury said at the beginning of the event, Columbia is “responsible for creating and removing barriers” that preclude neurodivergent students from “fully participating in the academic experience.” Right now, Columbia has not fully fulfilled that obligation. 

Chodhury recommended Disability Services and Neurodivergent at Columbia as resources for neurodivergent students looking for support. Registration with disability services is not always a straightforward process, particularly for ADHD individuals like myself who struggle to navigate complicated, multi-step problems due to executive dysfunction. The diagnosis requirements are stringent, sometimes requiring multi-thousand-dollar assessments as proof of academic need. But if you get through the registration process, they provide accommodations and workshops that may be invaluable to many neurodivergent students. 

Neurodivergent at Columbia, a club also open to affiliates, is a more accessible option for students who have difficulty meeting Disability Services’ requirements. They provide a space to “connect with like-minded individuals, share experiences, and find support,” according to their Instagram.

In Chowdhury’s concluding remarks, he apologized for not having time to discuss strategies and solutions going forward. He admitted that the event was already ADHD-focused because he did not think he could do the rest of the community justice in the short time allotted. His comment speaks to the need for more comprehensive discussions with administration, students, and faculty about how to better accommodate neurodivergent students and allow them to thrive in Columbia’s community. 

As Chowdhury noted, neurodivergent individuals are not only defined by their impairments but their strengths. ADHD is characterized not only by inattention and disorganization but courage and empathy. People with dyslexia process some types of visual information more effectively than those without it. Autistic people can often be extremely detail-oriented with memories to match. 

The Columbia community is stronger with neurodivergent people in it. It’s up to Columbia to make sure they are supported and heard.

Image via Wikimedia Commons