Now published: LEANS feasibility study

We are very pleased to announce that after a long wait, our peer-reviewed paper on the 2021 LEANS feasibility study is now available. It describes the results of testing the LEANS programme in four Scottish primary schools. The abstract and lay abstract (plain English version) appear further down this page, to give a better idea of what the paper covers. 

This paper is open access, which means that all readers can view and download it for free, worldwide (no account/login required!). Please read and share it!

Get the publication here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27546330241272186

Alcorn, A. M., McGeown, S., Mandy, W., Aitken, D., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2024). Learning About Neurodiversity at School: A feasibility study of a new classroom programme for mainstream primary schools. Neurodiversity, 2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27546330241272186

For professionals and community members who have asked about the evidence base for LEANS, this new paper documents the current evidence base. We hope a larger evaluation study may be possible in the future.

If you previously read summary information about the LEANS school study on our about and evaluation pages since this project site launched in 2022, some of the language we use to describe the study has changed, but key numbers have not!

Abstracts (paper summary)

Academic abstract

Neurodivergent children educated in mainstream classrooms too often face poor outcomes compared to neurotypical peers. These may be caused, or exacerbated, by the negative attitudes and actions of classmates. One way to address these poor outcomes could be to educate all children about neurodiversity and neurodivergence, and how these differences manifest in school. The LEANS programme is a comprehensive, whole-classroom resource for teaching about neurodiversity concepts. In this feasibility study, LEANS was trialled in seven classrooms in Scotland. Measures captured pupil knowledge of neurodiversity, and their attitudes and intended actions in relation to their classmates. Approximately 140 children took part in the programme, of which 62 (about 40%) had parent consent to submit data for analysis. Quantitative analyses were pre-registered. Children who participated scored significantly above chance in their knowledge of neurodiversity at outcome (mean = 5.08 correct answers) and increased their scores on the Attitudes and Actions Questionnaire (mean difference = 1.14, p<.001). Qualitative data revealed good feasibility and low risk of harms. The LEANS programme can successfully teach children terminology and ideas about neurodiversity and neurodivergence, and this also increases positive attitudes and intended actions. This feasibility study should be followed up with a fully-powered evaluation in a more diverse sample, which also captures long-term impacts of LEANS. 

Lay abstract (plain English version)

Neurodivergent children in mainstream education often face difficulties succeeding at school. These problems may be caused, or made worse, by classmates who don’t understand them. One way to fix some of these problems could be to teach children about the differences between pupils, in how they learn and experience things at school. The free LEANS programme provides everything a teacher needs to educate pupils aged 8-11 years about the differences present in neurodiverse classrooms. In this study, we tested whether LEANS worked, in seven classrooms in Scotland. Approximately 140 children took part in the programme, of which 62 (about 40%) completed quizzes to measure pupil knowledge of neurodiversity concepts, and their attitudes to each other. Analyses were all pre-registered, meaning we planned what to do in advance, and published the plan. Children who took part in LEANS gained new knowledge about neurodiversity and their quiz scores also suggest that their attitudes to each other got better. Pupils and teachers seemed to think LEANS was a good idea and learning about neurodiversity didn’t seem to have any down sides. The LEANS programme works to teach children about neurodiversity, and it also helps improve children’s attitudes and how they plan to behave with each other. This was a small study though, and it should be followed up with larger project which can find out whether LEANS has other kinds of benefits, over time.