Inclusive Practices in Language Education: Gender and Neurodiversity
The Gender Awareness in Language Education SIG is launching an online lecture series! Our first event will be held on Zoom on April 19, 2026 from 2 PM to 4 PM JST. Since April is Neurodiversity Awareness Month, our theme will be “Inclusive Practices in Language Education: Gender and Neurodiversity”. We have four speakers who will share their knowledge and expertise on gender and neurodiversity.
Register here by 1:00 PM on April 19th to participate: https://forms.gle/SKsztZpvgwunQ2m39
Neurodiversity and the Traits of a Natural Educator
The traits that can cause women to be overlooked as neurodivergent in the education system are the same traits that can make us natural born educators. We’ll take a look at why neurodiversity in girls is often missed, and how our particular skills can be exceptionally suited to becoming excellent educators.
Ariana Ikeda
Counselor at North Star Counseling
Ariana Ikeda is a licensed mental health counselor with a large clientele base of neurodivergent women as well as children. She co-leads group DBT skills training at DBT Tokyo, and spends a lot of her time researching how to adjust therapy skills to fit the neurodivergent experience.
Gender Bias and Dyslexia: Breaking the Barriers to Inclusive Practices
The presenter will uncover common myths surrounding dyslexia, including gender bias, and highlight the necessity for inclusive practices. While some research states that dyslexia is more prevalent in boys than girls, other studies offer a juxtaposition to challenge the roots of this phenomenon. Regardless of gender, dyslexia can affect any individual’s learning progress and academic performance. This presentation addresses the supports needed for accommodating their learning progress, often termed as inclusive practices. Through this presentation, participants will expand their awareness of dyslexia-related issues by exploring strengths and weaknesses, engaging in experiential activities, and setting a foundational mindset for inclusive practices.
Hidayat Polim
PhD candidate (Soka University)
Hidayat Polim is a PhD candidate at Soka University, Japan. Drawing from both academic and personal experiences of dyslexia and selective mutism, his research aims to promote inclusive practices in English language classrooms. While engaging in raising awareness and empowering teachers to build a more accessible and inclusive education through his research, he also serves as an English instructor at private universities in Japan. His other research interests include teacher education and community service learning.
Beyond Differentiation: Supporting Every Learner Through a Multi-Tiered Approach
Inclusive education is often framed through differentiation and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), yet teachers frequently face the practical question of how to respond when some students require more targeted or intensive support. This session introduces the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) as a framework for organising support across whole-class, targeted, and individual levels. Drawing on SENIA and ISCA’s collaborative work, the presentation explores how UDL can form a strong Tier 1 foundation, while additional layers of support are provided for learners with more specific needs. This session invites teachers to consider how we can balance inclusive ideals with the realities of everyday classroom practice.
Karmen Siew
M(A) International Education candidate, University of Tsukuba
Karmen is a graduate student in education and practising teacher working in International Baccalaureate school settings in Japan. Her research interests include inclusive education, neurodiversity, and how school systems respond to learners whose needs do not fit neatly within standard structures. As both an educator and a neurodivergent learner, she is especially interested in bridging policy, practice, and lived experience in ways that are thoughtful, realistic, and humane.
Why making your classwork harder and more complex builds happier classrooms
Have you ever been in a situation where the parameters meant you knew immediately that you could not demonstrate understanding and mastery? How did you react? Did you try harder, sit back and try to get through it with the minimum input, use “strength” to control (positively or negatively), tune out and check your mail, or just quietly quit? Many teachers have had a positive experience of academia and paper tests can be a joy, so it is hard to understand students who underperform. Changes in Japanese accessibility law require teachers to build in accommodations: but few students will ever be identified. The real change for the whole class, comes from how, why and when you set tasks. Increase, not lower challenges. Widen the parameters of options for demonstrating mastery. Your disruptive students become assets, the silent ones can be heard, collaboration and attendance rates go up, and everyone graduates.
Alexandra Burke
Shiga University
Alexandra Burke is an English adjunct at Shiga University, and also researches / presents on how people with neurodiversity encounter and can overcome learning barriers in the classroom. Her experience spans all levels of the Japanese education system. Burke went “open” about her personal education experience to encourage other scholars to present more in this field. Her JALT awards including several “Michele Steele Best of JALT Chapter Awards”, Best Poster, and the 2024 Mid-Career Scholar – Research. She is Co-editor of Barrier Free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for Teachers at All Levels of Schooling (Burke. A, Young. D, Cook. ML) Candlin & Mynard ePublishing 2024.
