Education experts have raised concerns over inadequate teacher training to support children with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other forms of neurodiversity, warning that the knowledge gap contributes to misdiagnosis, stigma and exclusion in schools.
The experts spoke at the two-day African Neurodiversity Conference 2026, organised by the Association of Nigerian Educational Psychologists at Children’s International School, Lekki, Lagos, which ended on Wednesday.
Delivering the keynote address, a professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Ilorin, Bolanle Olawuyi, said the removal of special education and psychology courses from teacher-training curricula had left many teachers ill-equipped to understand and support neurodivergent learners.
Olawuyi said, “When you remove special needs from the general teaching, then how do you want the teacher to know how to handle some children? So the limited training is there.”
She said teachers sometimes mistook learning differences for laziness, while parents misunderstood children’s behaviour and communication, sometimes resorting to punishment.
“Sometimes you see teachers label some children because the child is differently able. And the teacher says, ‘Oh, you are very lazy,’” she said.
Olawuyi added that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were sometimes labelled careless because of their difficulty sustaining attention.
“Some of them have attention issues; they are not able to see. As a result, such children, such adults or young people have been termed careless,” she said.
She warned that such misconceptions could result in children being wrongly diagnosed and placed in unsuitable learning environments.
“An ADHD child will be termed intellectually challenged. An autistic child will be given another thing, another label, and then will be placed in wrong facilities,” she said.
The professor also expressed concern over the cost and limited availability of diagnostic services, saying some families could not afford the assessments needed to identify their children’s learning needs.
“Diagnostic and assessment services are mostly inaccessible, and they are very expensive. Even when they are accessible, they are very, very expensive,” she said.
“Do you know that buying one assessment tool alone, even the standardised test that we use for assessment, runs into millions of naira?”
Olawuyi said the lack of early identification and appropriate support could cause children to lose valuable opportunities to develop their abilities.
She recalled the experience of a boy with Down syndrome who was exceptionally talented at playing the keyboard but stopped attending school after being bullied by classmates.
The professor called for the restoration of special education and psychology courses in teacher-training programmes, alongside continuous professional development to help serving teachers support neurodivergent learners.
“Then we should have a dedicated budget for inclusive activities. This is very important when we talk about inclusivity,” she added.
She also urged the government and donors to make assessment tools and learning resources more accessible, adding that schools should adopt individualised educational plans and inclusive teaching practices.
“The kind of practice you have in the class must be inclusive. It should not be segregated. The resources that will enable teachers to assist others must be made available,” Olawuyi said.
The President of the Association of Nigerian Educational Psychologists, Eniola Ayinde-Olajobi, also identified inadequate teacher training, limited access to assessment and stigma as major challenges facing neurodivergent children and their families.
“Autistic children are misunderstood because they communicate or interact or experience the world differently. Parents carry the burden of blame, teachers also are confused without the knowledge of knowing what to do or the support they require,” she said.
Ayinde-Olajobi said many gifted children and adults struggled for acceptance in environments that did not understand their learning and communication needs.
She stressed that understanding how individual learners function was essential to providing effective support.
“As an educational psychologist, my work has continually reinforced one fundamental truth. When we understand the learner, we are better positioned to support the learner,” she said.
“A child is not the problem. A child is not even a problem to be fixed. A difference is not automatically a deficit, and a diagnosis, where applicable, should never become a limit on the person’s potential.”
The association president said the response to neurodiversity should go beyond public awareness to practical action, including early identification, appropriate assessment, evidence-based interventions and better-equipped schools.
“We know that access to timely assessment remains very limited. We know that specialist services are often beyond the reach of the ordinary population, and we know that many educators have not received adequate training in neurodiversity,” she said.
Ayinde-Olajobi urged educators to recognise learners’ abilities rather than focus on their differences, adding that schools needed to translate inclusion policies into practical support.
“We must ensure that inclusion is not merely a policy statement, but also an actionable phenomenon,” she said.
She added, “Imagine an Africa where a child with ADHD is guided rather than named or shamed, where an autistic child can participate meaningfully in school and community life, where parents are supported rather than blamed.”
The conference highlighted the need to develop a neurodiversity awareness course for teachers to equip them with the practical knowledge and skills to support neurodivergent learners and children experiencing barriers to learning.
A proposal was made to develop an accessible online course for teachers, with the long-term aim of reaching educators across Nigeria.
The course will cover foundational neurodiversity awareness, learning disabilities, classroom inclusion, identification of learning support needs and practical approaches to engaging learners with diverse profiles.
The conference resolved to begin stakeholder consultations and develop an accessible online programme on neurodiversity and inclusive classroom practices for teachers.
Other resolutions, as contained in the conference communique, included the launch of neurodiversity school clubs to promote awareness, understanding, acceptance and inclusion among learners within school communities.
“Schools in Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Rivers and Nasarawa states, as well as in Kenya, expressed interest in establishing the clubs.
“Participating schools received starter kits, while school coordinators were assigned to support implementation,” the communique read.
The conference also emphasised the need to improve the identification, representation and visibility of neurodivergent people of African origin.
Participants highlighted the limited representation of African experiences and role models in public discussions on neurodiversity and called for improved access to culturally appropriate, evidence-based assessment and support services.
They said greater visibility of African neurodivergent people was essential to challenging stereotypes, inspiring young people and affirming that neurodiversity was part of the African experience.
The conference further drew attention to the limited availability of locally developed, culturally appropriate assessment instruments for identifying learning difficulties and neurodevelopmental support needs in African contexts.
“Participants noted that reliance on imported assessment tools, which may be expensive and difficult to access, could create significant barriers to timely and appropriate assessment, particularly for families and institutions with limited resources,” the communique read.
The ANEP said it would pursue collaboration with educational psychologists, researchers, psychometricians and other relevant professionals to explore the development and validation of assessment instruments that were culturally and linguistically appropriate for African populations.
It added that such work should be guided by sound psychometric principles, rigorous research, ethical practice and appropriate validation to ensure that assessment outcomes were meaningful, fair and useful for educational and support planning.
The conference brought together educators, researchers, policymakers, professionals, advocates and other stakeholders committed to advancing neurodiversity awareness, inclusive education and support for people with diverse learning and developmental needs.
Speaking, the Director of Children’s International School, Lagos, Joke Chukuma, represented by her deputy, Yinka Ojo, said the school regarded inclusion as a core value that could make a difference in children’s lives.
A speech pathologist at the University of California, Prof Julie Washington, said teachers must understand that children develop at different paces.
“We have to change what we are doing for the kids to be successful. We need to be more aware. We need to develop the pedagogy to be used in the classroom,” Washington said.
“You don’t need to change the way kids talk; allow them to use their cultural, home language. Figure out why kids are doing things differently instead of suppressing them.”
A panel session featuring Prof Adoka Ahon, Prof Olumide Ige and Olayinka Ojo, and moderated by Tobiloba Ajayi, examined challenges facing inclusive education.
The panellists noted that although policies on inclusion existed, they were rarely implemented and curricula were not inclusive.
They also said schools needed to restructure their infrastructure to provide suitable pathways and facilities for neurodivergent children.
The panellists identified teacher training as essential to helping educators support children with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences.
Another panel session focused on the lived experiences of neurodivergent people.
The roll-call of speakers at the conference also included Dr Martin Bloomfield of Beyond Inclusion, United Kingdom; Solape Azazi; Clarice Jackson; Funmi Unuajefe; and Dr Sharon Brown.