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Disability and Neurodiversity: Cognition Pillar
Resources to help broaden disability and neurodiversity representation across the cognition pillar of APA’s National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula
Research summaries
Suggested instructions: Research summaries can be incorporated into a lecture or shared with students as a reading to demonstrate how psychological science explores the diversity of human experience. These resources can also be used to encourage students to identify the major components of a research study (i.e., the hypothesis or study question, sample, method, and findings). Students can be asked to identify potential limitations of the study and encouraged to discuss the implications for our understanding of human behavior. Keywords highlight how concepts within and across pillars are incorporated into a single research study.
Sample research summaries
Can blind adolescents learn to navigate an environment in a video game and then transfer those skills to navigating that same space in real life?
Do autistic adolescents and non-autistic adolescents recall self-defining and everyday memories in the same way?
Psychologist profiles
Suggested instructions: Profiles can be shared with students to enhance the visibility of psychologists of diverse backgrounds. As an additional activity, students can be asked to conduct research to learn more about the psychologist and their work. An alternative assignment could be to ask students to find other psychologists of diverse backgrounds whose work falls into this content pillar. Keywords highlight how psychological scientists study concepts within and across pillars.
Sample psychologist profiles
This cognitive psychologist is also an ADHD consultant and coach who helps others realize their full potential
This cognitive psychologist is a widely sought out speaker on intelligence who has even taught a class with Oprah
Additional resources
Video
- Wattel, R. (2018, December). Bridging the gap between the deaf and hearing community [Video]. Ted. https://www.ted.com/talks/roos_wattel_bridging_the_gap_between_the_deaf_and_hearing_community/transcriptopens in new window
In this TedTalk, Roos Wattle shares how she works with museums in the Netherlands to make them more accessible to those with disabilities. Her program "Musea in Gebaren" (Museums in Sign) trained deaf tour guides to allow those visiting these museums to have the full experience when they visit.
The development of resources to broaden diversity and representation in the teaching of high school psychology resources is an APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools initiative supported by funding from the American Psychological Foundation David and Carol Myers Fund. This resource was developed by Kara Ayers, PhD; Emily Lund, PhD; Erika Sanborne; and Allison Shaver.
Date created: July 2024