Imagine being in a classroom where the expectations don’t quite match how you learn, or the support you need to succeed isn’t available.
For neurodivergent learners, this is a common challenge. Now, imagine facing this challenge while also dealing with the barriers of being from a marginalized community due to race, income, language, or other factors. These students can face challenges that seem to multiply.
Students from marginalized communities often have unique challenges that impact academic success and personal development.
This article will explore these barriers and provide educators and professionals with ways to support learners from marginalized communities.
Executive Functioning & Marginalization
Executive functioning skills are abilities that help us plan, organize, remember things, solve problems, control our emotions, and focus on tasks. Executive functions are a crucial part of positive academic performance because students use them to keep track of assignments, stay focused in class, solve difficult problems, and manage stressors. Students differ in their development of EF skills–but for neurodivergent youth–they are much more likely to experience difficulties in developing these skills.
What is Marginalization?
Marginalization happens when certain groups of people are treated as less important or left out of opportunities that others have. Marginalization can happen because of things like race, culture, income, language, or other differences, such as neurodivergence. People who are marginalized might not have the same access to education, jobs, or healthcare (for example) that others do. This often leads to people feeling left out or facing unfair challenges in school, work, or society.
What is Meant by ‘Marginalized Communities?’
Communities are made up of people who often support and help each other. This group of people share something in common, such as where they live (e.g., town or neighborhood), their beliefs (e.g., culture, religion) or their interests (e.g., dedication to a sports team). You could say that everyone at Life Skills Advocate is also a community as we help neurodivergent learners reach their personal goals.
Neurodivergence and Marginalization
Neurodivergent individuals–like those with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or other differences–often experience stigma, misunderstandings, and receive less support. These additional barriers make it harder to access fair treatment in areas of life such as education and employment.
These differences in thinking can then also be combined with other factors like race, gender, income, or culture that may introduce additional barriers to reaching one’s goals. Marginalization in more than one area of identity may lead to additional marginalization. Individuals with this intersection of discrimination make it even more crucial that they advocate for inclusion and equal opportunities.
Barriers Faced by Neurodivergent Learners in Marginalized Communities
A variety of factors can underlie differences in opportunity. Many of these challenges occur together and create unique circumstances for learners. Though this is by no means an exhaustive list of factors and only provides a few examples of a student’s hypothetical experiences, these are important considerations when understanding how to best support students.
Race
Differences in executive functioning may be influenced by racial differences, such as the representation of those who teach and model EF skills. Students of different racial backgrounds may not have exposure to teachers or mentors who share their racial background and experience. Instruction on executive functioning skills may be built on traditional teaching methods that do not represent the student’s learning style. Students of color are also less likely to be diagnosed with, for example, ADHD and their behavior is more often interpreted from a deficit lens as defiance. If educators or other professionals wrongly believe that the student has less potential to develop EF skills, the student misses out on valuable learning opportunities. In addition, racial discrimination has been found to contribute to a decline in EF skills due to the impact of psychosocial stress (p. 9-12).
Gender
Different expectations exist in society for men and women. These expectations lead to differences in how men and women present their executive functioning difficulties and how likely these individuals are to receive appropriate support. For example, women may mask challenges with time management and planning due to prioritizing skills that tend to be expected of women, like emotional regulation and socialization. Alternatively, men may receive less support in emotional regulation skills due to expectations surrounding masculinity and toughness. In this scenario, people are less likely to receive the help they need due to gendered expectations. Barriers also exist for people who are non-binary or gender nonconforming who may experience mixed societal expectations solely based on gender and not on individual differences and preferences.
Income/Socioeconomic Status
People who experience poverty are likely to experience additional chronic stress and have access to fewer resources than those with higher socioeconomic status. Stressors, including housing insecurity or housing instability, result in prioritizing basic needs and immediate survival over long-term planning. Poverty has been found to negatively impact executive functioning development across cultures. People with less monetary resources may not have access to tutors, community programs, or affordable extracurricular activities that promote executive functioning development.
Language Acquisition
Students acquiring English as a second language are more likely to have language barriers that impact the development of executive functioning skills. The cognitive load of learning and understanding language makes it more challenging for students to have the cognitive resources to plan and problem-solve. These individuals may also have a limited academic vocabulary to support their learning of executive function skills and application of educational or work experiences.
Culture
Individuals from different cultural backgrounds will have different social expectations when it comes to developing EF skills. Educational systems in different cultures may learn in ways that do not typically complete independent or written work, making it less likely they will develop organization and time management in ways expected of them in other cultures. Another example is how people from different cultures express their emotions. While some cultures encourage open expression, others encourage restraint, which may impact their ability to manage stress and frustration.
Supporting Marginalized Youth
Communities can be marginalized for reasons related to differences in opportunity based on race, gender, sexuality, income, native language, culture and others not explored in this article. It’s important for educators and other professionals to be sensitive to personal differences that may impact a student’s opportunity to learn executive functioning skills.
Maintain High Expectations
When teachers and other adults hold all students to high expectations, they learn to believe in their potential and strive for success. When we lower our expectations, we limit their opportunities and potential for growth. Educators and other professionals should model for youth that they are capable of academic and interpersonal success, whether that be through EF skill instruction or some other means of support.
Providing Accessible and Relevant EF Skill Instruction
Executive functioning skill instruction should be taught in a relatable and practical manner for students, especially if they are unfamiliar with certain expectations for academic success. It’s important to take time to learn how the student learns best and what they value. EF skill development can be explained within the context of their values, such as how these skills can benefit the family or be translated into work experiences. Students are more likely to engage in EF skill-building activities when they feel it is meaningful.
Adopting Strength-Based Approaches
It’s most important that we focus on student abilities and positive qualities rather than see them for their challenges. Recognizing and building on student strengths will help students feel confident and motivated to continue to improve. For example, a student with strength in emotional regulation could have EF skill instruction taught from the perspective of bouncing back quickly from disappointment when their schedule doesn’t go according to plan.
Collaborate with Families and Communities
Families know their learners best and offer valuable insight into executive functioning skills at home, even if they don’t explicitly use this label to describe skills like planning, organizing, and completing tasks. Families can better support their learners’ EF skill development by being active and informed in their learners’ journey to greater independence.
Advocate for Systemic Change
If you notice that certain groups of learners are not being supported with current practices and expectations, voice your observations to others and discuss ways to improve the system. Disparities in resources and services for marginalized communities should be addressed strategically to ensure all students have the support necessary to be successful. Often, these inequities are noticed by school personnel who recognize trends in what works and what doesn’t. Advocating for change is a continuous process, and educators are in a great position to empower youth and help them see their potential.
Resources and Tools for Neurodivergent Learners
Taking our free Executive Function Assessment can be very beneficial for identifying specific areas where students need support. However, it’s important to recognize that slime assessment questions may not fully reflect differences in culture or other belief systems or may be hard to access due to language barriers. Exploring executive function skills through discussion and observation is helpful to ensure your learners are getting the support they need. For many students, this may be the first time they learn about EF skills and how these skills can impact their academic and personal lives.
Educators and other professionals may find different skills and strategies useful in our executive function Resource Hub. This platform contains many useful techniques for learning various EF skills. Using these resources, you can help students explore different approaches to find what resonates most with their interests, values, and unique ways of learning. Since not all EF strategies may align with every student’s culture or belief system, trying out multiple methods allows them to discover what works best in their unique situation.
In communities with fewer local resources, life skills coaching (even online) can help fill the gap by building essential skills remotely.
TL;DR – (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Supporting neurodivergent learners in marginalized communities is critical to addressing the compounded barriers these students face, such as stigma, systemic inequities, and limited access to resources. Executive functioning (EF) skills—like planning, organizing, and emotional regulation—are essential for academic and personal success, yet marginalized students often lack equitable opportunities to develop these skills. Factors such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, language, and culture can influence how these challenges manifest.
Educators can support their learners by maintaining high expectations, offering accessible and culturally relevant EF instruction, using strength-based approaches, collaborating with families and communities, and advocating for systemic change. This empowers learners to overcome obstacles, build confidence, and reach their full potential in school and beyond.
Further Reading
- American Psychological Association (2017) – Poverty’s Impact on Children’s Executive Functions: Global Considerations
- CultureAlly (2024) – What Does Marginalized Mean and Why Does it Matter?
- Keating (2022) – Racial Discrimination and Core Executive Functions
- National Education Association (2022) – New Focus on Strength-Based Learning
- National Library of Medicine (2022) – The Directionality of the Relationship Between Executive Functions and Language Skills: A Literature Review
- Thomas B. Fordham Institute (2021) – High Expectations Drive Student Success
- Life Skills Advocate (2024) – The Importance of Home & School Collaboration When Developing Daily Living Skills
- Life Skills Advocate (2022) – What is Executive Functioning? A Comprehensive Guide