NEURODIVERSITY IN SCHOOLS: PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES BEYOND DIAGNOSIS

Abstract

The increasing presence of students with different ways of learning, communicating, interacting, and participating in school life has brought greater visibility to the debate on neurodiversity in basic education. Although diagnosis may contribute to understanding certain developmental characteristics and facilitate access to specific rights and support, its centrality in everyday pedagogical practices may lead to labeling, medicalization, and the restriction of students' learning possibilities. This article aims to analyze pedagogical practices guided by the perspective of neurodiversity that move beyond a diagnosis-centered understanding of schooling, discussing their implications for planning, teacher mediation, curriculum, and assessment. Methodologically, this is a qualitative, bibliographic, and exploratory study grounded in research on neurodiversity, inclusive education, teacher education, and pedagogical practices. The analysis indicates that inclusion is not achieved merely through the identification of neurodivergent conditions or the adoption of individualized accommodations, but through the development of flexible, accessible, and responsive educational environments. It is concluded that practices based on participation, pedagogical mediation, curricular flexibility, and formative assessment can foster the learning of neurodivergent students while contributing to a school culture that recognizes diversity as a constitutive dimension of the educational experience.