Redesigning Deficit-Laden Assessments for Neurodivergent Students

In this chapter, the authors deconstruct the deficit views inherent in special education assessment wherein marginalized, neurodivergent students receive stigmatizing labels and are often deprived of opportunities for quality instruction. The authors examine how eligibility criteria based on deficit views of disability are culturally biased and scientifically invalid. Then, the deficit perspective of Individualized Education Programs are analyzed to demonstrate how neurodivergent students and their families are isolated and objectified through this legal process. Lastly, as an alternative to the current assessment system, universally designed assessment is recommended to provide more accessible and flexible platforms for demonstrating students' knowledge and skills and to restore the lost connection between assessments and daily instruction.