Table 5. “Adulting for Health” curriculum (structure and approach).
1This approach contrasts with approaches that ascertain diagnosis utilizing validated screeners and exclude participants based on results. Given the paucity of research in this area—as well as the long history of excluding neurodivergent individuals from research based on arbitrary criteria [39]—additional research is warranted before narrowing the inclusion criteria.
2Technology-mediated interventions for neurodivergent individuals are vastly heterogeneous with respect to duration [40], and no specific duration is, to date, associated with a greater level of efficacy [41].
3This aligns with the approaches from other developmentally based virtual intervention programs [27].
| Inclusion criteria | Any individual who identifies with any neurodivergent condition will be eligible to participate1 |
| Structure | Intervention sessions will include approximately one hour per week of live pedagogy, accompanied by ad-hoc out-of-class assignments, activities, and opportunities for skill-building. Initial iteration will be a six-week program based on the number of high-need areas we identified as a part of this research.2 |
| Approach | Each session and activity will utilize multiple teaching and presenting modalities (i.e., PowerPoint presentations, videos/multimedia, readings for diverse audiences, discussions, and reflections) and will integrate visual, verbal, and auditory approaches. Content will be delivered by interdisciplinary healthcare professional teams (e.g., pediatricians, primary care providers, psychologists, social workers, and others) to account for participants’ multidisciplinary health and healthcare needs.3 Teams will include healthcare professionals and trainees that identify as neurodivergent or have specific lived experience in order to cultivate additional engagement from intervention participants. |