Rethinking Literacy Instruction: The Need for Neuro-Inclusive Design

Prevailing literacy curricula often emphasize standardization over individualization, inadvertently marginalizing students with neurodevelopmental variations such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. These students frequently encounter instructional approaches that do not align with their cognitive processing styles or cultural contexts. In response to these challenges, the authors—educators and practitioners at Cage Free Voices—developed a model integrating Universal Design for Learning with the Science of Reading. This framework emerged from ongoing work in classroom, afterschool, and community

The instructional design is structured around five pillars developed through fieldwork and iterative refinement:

1. Cognitive Literacy Integration – Instruction is informed by neurocognitive profiling, emphasizing individualized strategies for attention, memory, and executive functioning.

2. Multisensory Engagement – Lessons are constructed to activate visual, auditory, and kinesthetic channels, allowing students to process text through a variety of sensory pathways.

3. Expressive Arts and Language Development – Music, spoken word, and visual arts are used not as supplemental activities, but as integral elements of literacy instruction, enabling students to construct meaning in dynamic ways.

4. Cultural Identity as a Literacy Resource – Students' cultural narratives and lived experiences are positioned as foundational texts, creating relevance and increasing motivation to engage with academic materials.

5. Public Demonstration of Learning – Opportunities such as performances, student-led instruction, and podcasting serve as platforms for learners to externalize and share their literacy development.

Observed Outcomes

The framework has been implemented in both formal classroom and out-of-school settings, with reading assessments and qualitative observations used to measure its impact. Among the key findings:

- Reading Proficiency Gains: Participants demonstrated between 0.5 and 4 grade levels of reading growth within instructional periods of 4 to 10 weeks.

- Improved Fluency and Engagement: Approximately 85% of neurodivergent learners made measurable gains in fluency, particularly when expressive arts were embedded in instruction.

- Increased Participation: Students previously identified as disengaged or “non-readers” began initiating participation and expressing increased ownership of learning.

Contextual Applications

Nigeria (Community-Based Pilot): Students facing school interruption due to economic and sociopolitical instability participated in literacy instruction built around oral storytelling, role play, and collaborative reading. Significant improvements in both reading and self-confidence were observed.

United States (Afterschool and Hybrid Models): In urban programs based in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., students experienced between 1.5 and 3 years of reading growth within a single academic quarter. These settings also documented reduced behavioral disruptions and increased student persistence.

Toward a Broader Definition of Literacy

This model posits that literacy development should begin not with remediation of perceived deficits, but with recognition of learner strengths—whether cognitive, cultural, or creative. By integrating UDL with culturally sustaining pedagogy and the arts, this framework offers a pathway for re-engaging students too often left behind by traditional methods.

Written by Bathsheba Smithen, M.S. Founder & CEO, Cage Free Voices

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