Exploring the Impact of the NEST Toolkit: A New Resource for Neurodivergent Student Support

What inspired the creation of the NEST toolkit and how did the initial idea come about?

The development of NEST was inspired by previous research with Autistic school leavers, who had reported feeling better understood by other Autistic students than by neurotypical peers when they were at school. The study proposed that school-based peer support – where neurodivergent students provide support for one another – could help reduce feelings of isolation, increase self-confidence, and build a sense of community for neurodivergent students. Whilst peer support programmes for other minority groups (e.g., LGBTQ+ students) have helped minimise the negative consequences of marginalisation, peer support for neurodivergent pupils in school is still a relatively unexplored area. We wanted to work with neurodivergent young people themselves to find out how to design peer support groups that would work for them and then test their feasibility in schools.

Can you explain the process of co-designing the NEST materials with neurodivergent young people and adults? What were some of the key insights gained during this process?

The NEST materials were co-designed with a group of 8 neurodivergent young people and a neurodiverse group of 9 adults who work with neurodivergent young people (e.g., teachers, educational psychologists, parents). Each group was invited to 6 online meetings where we discussed the factors which they thought would be most important in a neurodivergent peer support group, including who should facilitate the group, what kinds of activities the group might do, how student-leadership opportunities could be embedded, and what kind of physical space would work best. Based on these discussions, we created the first version of the NEST handbook. This version was trialled by 4 mainstream secondary schools, who set up their own peer-support groups using the handbook. At the end of the academic year, we ran focus groups with pupils who attended the groups and interviews with staff facilitators. Their feedback was incorporated into the final version of the handbook.

Working directly with neurodivergent people to design NEST helped us identify which elements of a peer support programme are important to neurodivergent people themselves. In particular, they emphasised the central role of the group facilitator (being attuned, enthusiastic, knowledgeable about neurodivergence, an advocate for students, and having the support of senior leadership), that inclusiveness is essential, and that the groups should help directly addressing negative perceptions of others (e.g., outdated views on neurodivergence). The process emphasised that a co-design methodology is crucial to make sure that the end-users’ voices and perspectives are embedded in the creation of resources designed to support them.

What were the main challenges you faced while developing and implementing the NEST toolkit?

Students and facilitators in the pilot schools said their experience of using NEST was generally positive. However, some facilitators noted some challenges to running the groups, including managing conflicting needs and preferences of group members (e.g., with regard to noise levels and choice of activities) and supporting student choice and autonomy – NEST groups are designed to be student-led, but one NEST group found that having autonomy and choice over group activities was a bit overwhelming for students and they decided to stop running the group before the end of the academic year. However, even in this case, the facilitator did plan to run the group again in the next academic year, incorporating a bit more structure. We added some reflection on their experience into the final version of the handbook to help new facilitators think about how to structure and support decision making within the group.

Can you share any specific feedback or success stories from students and educators who have used the NEST toolkit?

Members of the pilot NEST groups said that being with other neurodivergent people allowed them to ‘open up’ and feel less of a need to “mask” within the NEST group. For example, one student said,

“you get to be yourself and not hide your true personality away from the world”. Another said, “it just feels, like, amazing to come here and, like, be myself.".

The older students thought the mentoring aspect of the group may help boost self-acceptance of younger neurodivergent students. For example, one older student said

, “for me it is kind of fulfilment ... I am influencing younger people in a good way and not in a bad way. I am trying to prevent letting people grow negatively.”.

Students said that the NEST group felt more comfortable than the wider school environment:

“because there is way less people”, “it’s quiet, there is not much people, it’s a really nice open space ... and these people, I know all these people”. This meant they felt happy and safe when attending the group, reporting that they "have found a safe space ... a quiet safe space".

The staff facilitators also reflected on how the groups had helped students build community, develop a positive neurodivergent identity, and boost their self-confidence. In particular, one facilitator said,

“I have seen a huge growth in [student’s] confidence...[student] just seems so articulate when speaking about her experience and how she feels about things and it amazes me, because she struggled in first year just to get used to a new place and how she fitted in and to hear her talk so positively about her experience, and so eloquently about her experience is really lovely. I think it has helped her self-confidence and quite a few of the others as well.”

How do you envision the future of the NEST toolkit, and are there any plans for expanding or updating the materials?

The NEST materials are now freely available for all mainstream secondary schools to download and use. We hope that schools will use the resources to develop their own NEST groups which fit the needs of their students. The pilot study indicated that NEST-facilitated peer support for neurodivergent students in mainstream schools is possible, sustainable, desirable and potentially beneficial – we hope the NEST materials will help school staff feel confident to set up neurodivergent peer support groups which are fun, inclusive, and student-led. While we don’t have any plans to evaluate their use in schools, we invite students and staff who have set up NEST groups to let us know how they get on. We will use this feedback to update the materials in the future.

What advice would you give to schools that are considering implementing the NEST toolkit but are unsure where to start?

Download the NEST handbook and resource pack! It’s free and contains all the information schools need to think about whether a NEST group is right for them before they get started. It has information about the sort of environment, school culture, and facilitator NEST groups need and provides general information about neurodiversity and peer support. If schools do want to give NEST a go, the handbook has sections on how to set up and run the group, including example activities, case studies from previous NEST groups and printable supporting resources.