Embracing the Full Spectrum of Neurodiversity in Children
A Self-Directed Approach at Macomber Center
Neurodiversity and Schooling
Neurodiversity is a biological fact: human beings naturally differ in how they learn, think, behave, and experience the world.
Neurodivergence, in contrast, is a socially constructed category. Children are often labeled “neurodivergent” when their learning styles fail to conform to the narrowly constructed “norm” of conventional schooling.
That norm is maintained not because it is grounded in developmental science or research on how children learn best, but because the school system is structured to manage large numbers of students efficiently, prioritizing uniformity and standardized evaluation—bureaucratic imperatives that often overshadow the needs of individual learners.
Age-based groupings, standardized curricula, and rigid schedules reinforce this norm, privileging students who conform while creating stress and disengagement for those whose learning differs.
At Macomber Center, the learning environment is designed to fit the child—not the other way around.
Learning at Macomber Center
At Macomber, learning is entirely self-directed. A typical day can look as many different ways as there are different children.
Our members are free from school-imposed constraints on their natural ways of learning. They have the time, space, and support to figure out for themselves how they learn best and to develop their own unique strengths as learners.
Beyond Labels and Diagnoses
Many children arrive at Macomber with diagnoses and educational labels acquired in conventional school settings. While these labels may have been necessary or even helpful within that system, they quickly lose relevance in a self-directed environment.
Diagnoses often describe how a child struggles in school, with its fixed schedules, standardized expectations, and externally imposed demands, rather than revealing something essential about who the child is or how they learn best.
Once those constraints are removed, Macomber staff members rarely find these labels useful for understanding or supporting the child. Instead of working to manage or remediate a profile defined by a mismatched system, we can focus on supporting each child’s individual interests, strengths, and goals.
Strengths, Not Deficits
Over time, children at Macomber learn to navigate the world in ways that play to their strengths rather than trying to compensate for perceived deficits.
Traits that may have been framed as problems in conventional classrooms, intense focus, unconventional thinking, sensitivity, high energy, or a persistent demand for autonomy, often become clear assets when children are empowered to take control of their own learning.
As members gain experience making real choices, pursuing meaningful interests, and solving problems that matter to them, they develop confidence in their own ways of being in the world. Their neurotypes are no longer something to manage or overcome, but a foundation from which they learn how to thrive, build relationships, and engage with the world on their own terms.
The Role of Staff
Staff members serve as observers, mentors, and facilitators. They guide students when requested, offer new ideas or tools, and create opportunities for meaningful engagement, but they do not dictate what or how children should learn.
This approach cultivates a strong sense of agency. Children learn to manage their own time, set goals, solve problems, and reflect on their progress, building executive functioning and self-knowledge naturally.
What Families Often Notice
Over time, families often notice meaningful changes. Children who once seemed anxious, resistant, or disengaged begin to settle into themselves.
As pressure is removed, confidence grows. Children learn to manage their time, pursue challenges that matter to them, collaborate with others, and recover from setbacks.
These skills emerge not because they are taught directly, but because children are trusted with real responsibility in a supportive community.
When the Environment Fits the Child
At Macomber Center, we see again and again that when the environment fits the child, learning follows.
By honoring individual differences and allowing children to grow into their own ways of thinking, relating, and creating, we support not only academic development, but the deeper work of becoming a capable, self-directed person.