Burnout by Design: How Digital Systems Overburden Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education

May combine two claims.

Neurodivergent students face disproportionately high barriers to completing postsecondary education, with long-term interruptions such as burnout being a common outcome.

“Neurodivergent students face disproportionately high barriers to completing postsecondary education, with long-term interruptions such as burnout being a common outcome [32, 70, 79].”

• cites [32] [32] Patrick Dwyer, Erica Mineo, Kristin Mifsud, Chris Lindholm, Ava Gurba, and T.C. Waisman. 2022. Building Neurodiversity-Inclusive Postsecondary Campuses: Recommendations for Leaders in Higher Education. Autism in Adulthood (9 2022). doi:10.1089/aut.2021.0042 - sourcePartly supported

  The Introduction (page unavailable) says autistic and ADHD students are less likely than the general population to complete postsecondary studies. Recommendation 7 (page unavailable) says inadequate sensory accommodations could cause distress and burnout that affects academic success, but it does not establish that burnout commonly causes long-term interruptions. (LLM, conf=0.88)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [70] [70] Jane A. Sedgwick-Müller, Ulrich Müller-Sedgwick, Marios Adamou, Marco Catani, Rebecca Champ, Gísli Gudjónsson, Dietmar Hank, Mark Pitts, Susan Young, and Philip Asherson. 2022. University students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a consensus statement from the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN). BMC Psychiatry 22, 1 (12 2022), 292. doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03898-z - sourcePartly supported

  The Background says a significant majority of university students with ADHD experience academic difficulties, and the Discussion & conclusion says ADHD can adversely affect retention and progression. A Background table lists fatigue or burn-out among associated behaviours, but the paper does not establish that burnout commonly causes long-term interruptions in study. Its findings also concern students with ADHD, not neurodivergent students generally. The indexed passages provide no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [79] [79] Connie Syharat, Alexandra Hain, Arash Esmaili Zaghi, and Catherine Berdanier. [n. d.]. Burnout: The Cost of Masking Neurodiversity in Graduate STEM Programs. In 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings . ASEE Conferences. doi:10.18260/1-2--43092 - sourcePartly supported

  The Literature review reports high rates of departure from college, and the Discussion identifies stressors that may contribute to burnout among neurodivergent graduate students. In the Findings, one participant describes needing a longer recovery after overload. The paper does not establish that long-term interruptions are a common outcome across postsecondary education; its study focuses on graduate STEM students. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

The mental workload of organising student life while balancing stigma can lead neurodivergent students to mask their traits and not communicate their needs, deepening difficulties and leading to burnout or drop-out.

“The mental workload of organising their student life (such as managing coursework deadlines) whilst balancing the stigma of outwardly presenting as neurodivergent in the workplace [21], or even disclosing as such, can lead neurodivergent students to mask their traits and not communicate their needs, deepening their difficulties and leading to burnout or drop-out [79, 80].”

• cites [21] [21] Sabrina Burtscher and Kathrin Gerling. 2024. Neurodivergence and Work in Human-Computer Interaction: Mapping the Research Landscape. In Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work . ACM, New York, NY, USA, 1-14. doi:10.1145/3663384.3663386 - sourceSupported
• cites [79] [79] Connie Syharat, Alexandra Hain, Arash Esmaili Zaghi, and Catherine Berdanier. [n. d.]. Burnout: The Cost of Masking Neurodiversity in Graduate STEM Programs. In 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings . ASEE Conferences. doi:10.18260/1-2--43092 - sourcePartly supported

  The Findings (Neurodivergent burnout due to overwork and masking) describe organizational demands and difficulties with deadlines. The Discussion (Power dynamics and self-silencing; Neurodivergent burnout) describes students hiding their struggles or not asking for help, and identifies overwork and masking as burnout risks. The paper does not establish drop-out as an outcome of this process. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [80] [80] Connie Mosher Syharat, Alexandra Hain, Arash E. Zaghi, Rachael Gabriel, and Catherine G. P. Berdanier. 2023. Experiences of neurodivergent students in graduate STEM programs. Frontiers in Psychology 14 (6 2023). doi:10.3389/fpsyg. 2023.1149068 - sourcePartly supported

  The Findings section (‘Neurodivergent burnout due to overwork and masking’; page unavailable) describes organizational strain, masking, and burnout. The Discussion (‘Power dynamics and self-silencing’; page unavailable) describes students hiding struggles and avoiding requests for help. The paper does not link this combined process to dropping out; its mention of college departure in the Literature review is not presented as an outcome of masking or burnout. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

Once they reach higher education, neurodivergent students are marginalised by the learning experiences themselves and are expected to perform additional invisible meta-work beyond that expected of typical students.

“However, once they reach higher education, neurodivergent students are marginalised by the learning experiences themselves 2 , and are also expected to perform additional invisible 'meta'-work (or 'access labour' [15, 75, 78], see Footnote 1), beyond that expected of typical students.”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported
• cites [75] [75] Susan Leigh Star and Anselm Strauss. 1999. Layers of Silence, Arenas of Voice: The Ecology of Visible and Invisible Work. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 8, 1-2 (3 1999), 9-30. doi:10.1023/A:1008651105359 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [78] [78] Lucy Suchman. 1995. Making work visible. Commun. ACM 38, 9 (9 1995), 56-64. doi:10.1145/223248.223263 - sourcePartly supported

  The Abstract (page unavailable) says that some forms of work are less visible to those who benefit from them, supporting the general idea of invisible work. The paper does not address neurodivergent students, access labour, or whether they perform additional work compared with typical students. The separate claim about marginalisation by learning experiences is attached to citation 2, not this source. (LLM, conf=0.83)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

As a result of barriers in digital systems, many neurodivergent students create their own coping strategies, contributing yet more to their invisible work.

“As a result of the barriers present in these systems, many neurodivergent students create their own coping strategies, thus contributing yet more to their invisible work [15, 75, 78].”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported
• cites [75] [75] Susan Leigh Star and Anselm Strauss. 1999. Layers of Silence, Arenas of Voice: The Ecology of Visible and Invisible Work. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 8, 1-2 (3 1999), 9-30. doi:10.1023/A:1008651105359 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [78] [78] Lucy Suchman. 1995. Making work visible. Commun. ACM 38, 9 (9 1995), 56-64. doi:10.1145/223248.223263 - sourcePartly supported

  In “Representation as Stereotyping” (page unavailable), Suchman describes work overlooked by technology designers; “Work” (page unavailable) notes that service work can be less visible to those who benefit from it. These passages support the general idea of invisible work, but the paper does not establish that digital barriers lead neurodivergent students to create coping strategies. (LLM, conf=0.82)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The gap investigated by this work lies at the intersection of HCI work that actively involves neurodivergent subjects and literature investigating neurodivergent individuals in higher education and broad accessibility of universities and their systems.

“The gap investigated by this work lies at the intersection of the mentioned HCI work which actively involves its neurodivergent subjects [21, 29, 39, 64, 64, 93], and the body of literature which investigates the experience of these neurodivergent individuals in higher education [4, 14, 15, 51, 57, 70], as well as work investigatigating the broad accessibility of universities and their systems [3,”

• cites [21] [21] Sabrina Burtscher and Kathrin Gerling. 2024. Neurodivergence and Work in Human-Computer Interaction: Mapping the Research Landscape. In Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work . ACM, New York, NY, USA, 1-14. doi:10.1145/3663384.3663386 - sourcePartly supported

  The Introduction and Findings establish that this is HCI work about neurodivergent people in workplace settings. But the Methods describe a close-reading literature review, not research that directly involved neurodivergent participants; the direct participation described in the Corpus Description belongs to studies it reviews. The higher-education and university-accessibility literature is cited separately in the citing sentence, so it is not attributed to this source. (LLM, conf=0.83)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [29] [29] Breanna Desrochers, Ella Tuson, and John Magee. 2019. Evaluation of why individuals with ADHD struggle to find effective digital time management tools. In ASSETS 2019 - 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility . Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, 603-605. doi:10. 1145/3308561.3354622 - sourceSupported
• cites [39] [39] Jonas Grund, Moritz Umfahrer, Lea Buchweitz, James Gay, Arthur Theil, and Oliver Korn. 2020. A gamified and adaptive learning system for neurodivergent workers in electronic assembling tasks. In ACM International Conference Proceeding Series . Association for Computing Machinery, 491-494. doi:10.1145/3404983. 3410420 - sourceSupported
• cites [64] [64] Kathryn E. Ringland and Christine T. Wolf. 2021. Creating assistive technology in disabled communities, five years on. ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing 131 (10 2021), 1-5. doi:10.1145/3507912.3507914 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [93] [93] Susan Young. 2005. Coping strategies used by adults with ADHD. Personality and Individual Differences 38, 4 (3 2005), 809-816. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.06.005 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [4] [4] Anastasia H. Anderson, Mark Carter, and Jennifer Stephenson. 2018. Perspectives of University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 48, 3 (3 2018), 651-665. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3257-3 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [14] [14] Yasamine Bolourian, Sasha M. Zeedyk, and Jan Blacher. 2018. Autism and the University Experience: Narratives from Students with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 48, 10 (10 2018), 3330-3343. doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3599-5 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported
• cites [51] [51] Soo Jin Kwon, Yoonjung Kim, and Yeunhee Kwak. 2018. Difficulties faced by university students with self-reported symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a qualitative study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 12, 1 (12 2018), 12. doi:10.1186/s13034-018-0218-3 - sourceSupported
• cites [57] [57] Anabel Moriña, Víctor H. Perera, and Rafael Carballo. 2020. Training Needs of Academics on Inclusive Education and Disability. SAGE Open 10, 3 (7 2020), 215824402096275. doi:10.1177/2158244020962758 - sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

Many unsupported neurodivergent adults develop poor self-esteem and struggle to maintain relationships.

“Many unsupported neurodivergent adults develop poor self-esteem and struggle to maintain relationships [70]”

• cites [70] [70] Jane A. Sedgwick-Müller, Ulrich Müller-Sedgwick, Marios Adamou, Marco Catani, Rebecca Champ, Gísli Gudjónsson, Dietmar Hank, Mark Pitts, Susan Young, and Philip Asherson. 2022. University students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a consensus statement from the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN). BMC Psychiatry 22, 1 (12 2022), 292. doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03898-z - sourcePartly supported

  In Results and consensus outcome, the section on ADHD and other mental health conditions links emotional lability in adults with ADHD to low self-esteem and says university students with ADHD may have difficulty maintaining social relationships. It does not establish these outcomes for neurodivergent adults generally or attribute them to a lack of support. The indexed passages provide no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.88)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Without focusing on accessibility, universities risk further excluding neurodivergent students and reinforcing existing inequities.

“Without focusing on accessibility, universities risk further excluding neurodivergent students and reinforcing existing inequities [82].”

• cites [82] [82] Pauline Taylor-Guy and Anne-Marie Chase. 2020. Universities need to train lecturers in online delivery, or they risk students dropping out. The Conversation (3 2020). https://theconversation.com/universities-need-to-train-lecturers-inonline-delivery-or-they-risk-students-dropping-out-133921 - sourcePartly supported

  The “Why online learning can fail” section says online learning was intended to reach students with disabilities and other historically excluded groups, yet those groups are most likely to drop out. It does not specifically discuss neurodivergent students or establish that a lack of focus on accessibility causes their exclusion. (LLM, conf=0.83)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

There is an emerging body of work that involves neurodivergent adults in knowledge creation such as co-design and acknowledges the importance of neurodivergent perspectives in technology design.

“However, there is an emerging body of work that involves neurodivergent adults in knowledge creation such as co-design and acknowledges the importance of neurodivergent perspectives in technology design [39, 64], such as a 2019 study, which relevantly investigated why existing digital time management tools remain inadequate for ADHD adults [29].”

• cites [39] [39] Jonas Grund, Moritz Umfahrer, Lea Buchweitz, James Gay, Arthur Theil, and Oliver Korn. 2020. A gamified and adaptive learning system for neurodivergent workers in electronic assembling tasks. In ACM International Conference Proceeding Series . Association for Computing Machinery, 491-494. doi:10.1145/3404983. 3410420 - sourceSupported
• cites [64] [64] Kathryn E. Ringland and Christine T. Wolf. 2021. Creating assistive technology in disabled communities, five years on. ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing 131 (10 2021), 1-5. doi:10.1145/3507912.3507914 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [29] [29] Breanna Desrochers, Ella Tuson, and John Magee. 2019. Evaluation of why individuals with ADHD struggle to find effective digital time management tools. In ASSETS 2019 - 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility . Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, 603-605. doi:10. 1145/3308561.3354622 - sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

Invisible labour has expanded with barriers in technology exploding since the online migration of teaching with Covid-19, adding transitions between multiple apps and platforms.

“This invisible labour has expanded, with barriers in technology [15] exploding since the online migration of teaching with Covid-19 [46]: this comes with additional transitions between multiple apps and platforms, which can be difficult for neurotypical and neurodivergent students alike, with the consideration that disabled students are already operating on fewer spoons [56] (lower energy”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourcePartly supported

  Section 5.1.1 describes technology-related accessibility barriers and the additional access labor they impose on neurodivergent students. It does not establish that this labor expanded after teaching moved online during COVID-19 or attribute it to transitions among multiple apps and platforms; the citing sentence attaches a separate citation to the COVID-19 point. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [46] [46] Junrui Hu, Gisela Reyes Cruz, Joel Fischer, and Horia Alexandru Maior. 2024. Telepresence Robots for Remote Participation in Higher Education. In Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work . ACM, New York, NY, USA, 1-14. doi:10.1145/3663384.3663394 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [56] [56] Christine Miserandino. 2003. The spoon theory. But You Don't Look Sick (2003), 9781315453217-19. https://balanceanddizziness.org/pdf/TheSpoonTheory.pdf -Not checked yet

  Not checked in the free run.

May combine two claims.

When accommodations fail, students face a difficult choice: either take on additional invisible labour by advocating for their accommodations to be properly implemented or forgo the support they need and struggle with unfair academic disadvantage.

“When accommodations fail-whether due to bureaucratic inefficiencies, technological flaws or institutional oversight- students face a difficult choice: either take on the additional (invisible) labour [15, 75, 78] by advocating for their accommodations to be properly implemented or forgo the support they need and struggle with unfair academic disadvantage.”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported
• cites [75] [75] Susan Leigh Star and Anselm Strauss. 1999. Layers of Silence, Arenas of Voice: The Ecology of Visible and Invisible Work. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 8, 1-2 (3 1999), 9-30. doi:10.1023/A:1008651105359 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [78] [78] Lucy Suchman. 1995. Making work visible. Commun. ACM 38, 9 (9 1995), 56-64. doi:10.1145/223248.223263 - sourcePartly supported

  Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Some students used additional digital platforms linked to their email accounts with calendars, meetings, and tasks all linked together with different devices.

“Some students used additional digital platforms, specifically linked to their email accounts with calendars, meetings, and tasks all linked together with different devices [29].”

• cites [29] [29] Breanna Desrochers, Ella Tuson, and John Magee. 2019. Evaluation of why individuals with ADHD struggle to find effective digital time management tools. In ASSETS 2019 - 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility . Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, 603-605. doi:10. 1145/3308561.3354622 - sourcePartly supported

  The Physical versus Digital Tools section (page unavailable) reports that participants used digital tools, most commonly Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Reminders. The Specific Strategies section also reports use of calendars and to-do lists. Neither section says these were students using email-linked platforms that connected calendars, meetings, and tasks across devices. (LLM, conf=0.84)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

Unlike their non-disabled peers, neurodivergent students must navigate accessibility systems that are often poorly designed, inconsistently implemented and inadequately communicated.

“Additionally, unlike their non-disabled peers, neurodivergent students must navigate accessibility systems that are often poorly designed, inconsitently implement and inadequately communicated [15].”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

Coping strategies, dealing with disabling experiences, stigma, and extra systems contribute to the invisible work this study addresses.

“These coping strategies, along with dealing with the disabling experiences of being neurodivergent students, the stigma they encounter, and the extra systems they navigate (e.g., disability services) all contribute to the invisible work this study addresses. [15].”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Previous research on access labour has shown that neurodivergent students must engage in additional administrative and emotional work to secure equitable access.

“Previous research on access labour [15] has shown that neurodivergent students must engage in additional administrative and emotional work to secure equitable access.”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

This study fills a critical gap in HCI, work, and education research.

“This study fills a critical gap in HCI, work, and education research”

• cites [15] [15] Valeria Borsotti, Andrew Begel, and Pernille Bjørn. 2024. Neurodiversity and the Accessible University: Exploring Organizational Barriers, Access Labor and Opportunities for Change. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 8, CSCW1 (4 2024), 1-27. doi:10.1145/3641011 - sourceSupported
• cites [21] [21] Sabrina Burtscher and Kathrin Gerling. 2024. Neurodivergence and Work in Human-Computer Interaction: Mapping the Research Landscape. In Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work . ACM, New York, NY, USA, 1-14. doi:10.1145/3663384.3663386 - sourcePartly supported

  The Conclusion (Section 9; page not provided) identifies research opportunities concerning neurodivergence and work in HCI, supporting the claim’s HCI-and-work component. Table 1 excludes school and general contexts without an explicit focus on work, so the paper does not establish a gap in education research. (LLM, conf=0.88)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

The failure to design for neurodiversity from the outset leaves disabled users as an afterthought, reinforcing systemic inequities.

“The failure to design for neurodiversity from the outset leaves disabled users as an afterthought [21], reinforcing systemic inequities.”

• cites [21] [21] Sabrina Burtscher and Kathrin Gerling. 2024. Neurodivergence and Work in Human-Computer Interaction: Mapping the Research Landscape. In Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work . ACM, New York, NY, USA, 1-14. doi:10.1145/3663384.3663386 - sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

The inclusion of neurodivergent people in the process of diagnosis or self-identified (only 2 out of 11 participants) is justified in that diagnosis is considered a privilege, with barriers to access psychiatric care such as lengthy wait times and administrative issues, especially for marginalised groups.

“The inclusion of neurodivergent people in the process of diagnosis or self-identified (only 2 out of 11 participants) is also justified in that diagnosis is considered a privilege, with barriers to access psychiatric care such as lengthy wait times and administrative issues (including the type of access labour discussed in this very work), especially for marginalised groups [8, 33, 44, 75].”

• cites [8] [8] Philip Asherson, Ron Akehurst, J. J. Sandra Kooij, Michael Huss, Kathleen Beusterien, Rahul Sasané, Shadi Gholizadeh, and Paul Hodgkins. 2012. Under Diagnosis of Adult ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders 16, 5\_suppl (7 2012), 20S-38S. doi:10.1177/1087054711435360 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [33] [33] Sam Fellowes. 2024. Establishing the accuracy of self-diagnosis in psychiatry. Philosophical Psychology (3 2024), 1-28. doi:10.1080/09515089.2024.2327823 - sourcePartly supported

  Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [44] [44] Mira Elise Glaser Holthe and Eva Langvik. 2017. The Strives, Struggles, and Successes of Women Diagnosed With ADHD as Adults. SAGE Open 7, 1 (1 2017), 215824401770179. doi:10.1177/2158244017701799 - sourcePartly supported

  Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [75] [75] Susan Leigh Star and Anselm Strauss. 1999. Layers of Silence, Arenas of Voice: The Ecology of Visible and Invisible Work. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 8, 1-2 (3 1999), 9-30. doi:10.1023/A:1008651105359 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

The participant base for this study was largely female, but the authors considered it justified in relation to both the small sample size and the largely male focus of most previous work on ADHD, autism, and neurodivergence.

“The participant base for this study was largely female, however the authors considered it justified in relation to both the small sample size of this work and the largely male focus of most previous work on ADHD, autism, and neurodivergence [34, 36, 44, 87].”

• cites [34] [34] Taylor Funkhouser. 2024. The Gender Lens on ADHD: A Critical Assessment of Diagnostic Patterns and Pitfalls. Butler University Health (6 2024). -Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites [36] [36] Laura Fusar-Poli, Natascia Brondino, Pierluigi Politi, and Eugenio Aguglia. 2022. Missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses of adults with autism spectrum disorder. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 272, 2 (3 2022), 187-198. doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01189-w - sourcePartly supported

  The Introduction (page unavailable) says autism diagnostic tools were standardized on male samples, and the Discussion, ‘Sex differences’ (page unavailable), says tests such as the ADOS-2 were developed around a typical male autism phenotype. This supports a male focus in autism assessment, but the paper does not establish that most previous work across ADHD, autism, and neurodivergence focused on males. Its own sample was mainly male, and its small-sample discussion does not justify the citing study’s largely female participant base. (LLM, conf=0.83)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [44] [44] Mira Elise Glaser Holthe and Eva Langvik. 2017. The Strives, Struggles, and Successes of Women Diagnosed With ADHD as Adults. SAGE Open 7, 1 (1 2017), 215824401770179. doi:10.1177/2158244017701799 - sourcePartly supported

  Sampling Procedures (p. 3) says all five participants were women, and ADHD in Women (p. 1) says understanding of ADHD has been based mainly on observations of boys. But Strengths and Limitations (p. 10) treats the small sample as a reason for caution, not as a justification for the female participant base; the paper does not extend its point about male-focused research to autism or neurodivergence generally. (LLM, conf=0.87)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [87] [87] Roberta Waite. 2007. Women and attention deficit disorders: A great burden overlooked. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 19, 3 (3 2007), 116-125. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2006.00203.x - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Neurodivergent students must do extra work to navigate challenges, from compensating for poor digital accessibility to developing self-created coping mechanisms.

“Finally, we reveal the extra work neurodivergent students must do to navigate these challenges, from compensating for poor digital accessibility to developing self-created coping mechanisms 6 .”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Neurodivergent students must exert twice the effort than their neurotypical peers to meet the same expectations.

“First we examine the disabling reality of neurodivergence in higher education where students must exert twice the effort than their neurotypical peers to meet the same expectations.”

May combine two claims.

Many neurodivergent traits are not superpowers; students described them as actively disabling, interfering with academic performance and daily functioning.

“However, many neurodivergent traits are not superpowers. In practice, students described them as actively disabling , interfering with academic performance and daily functioning, by for example having them miss content and struggle to keep up, as explained here by P3 and P6:”

May combine two claims.

The results highlight an unequal academic burden placed on neurodivergent students, structured around four key themes.

“Our results highlight the unequal academic burden placed on neurodivergent students, structured around four key themes.”

May combine two claims.

Digital tools undermine neurodivergent students, impeding academic success.

“Next, we explore how digital tools undermine neurodivergent students , impeding academic success.”

May combine two claims.

Neurodivergent traits are diverse, and some, like hyperfocus or intense special interests, may be perceived as strengths, but internal struggles remain invisible and can fuel harmful narratives.

“Neurodivergent traits are diverse, and some, like hyperfocus or intense special interests, may be perceived as strengths. However, internal struggles remain invisible, they can fuel harmful narratives.”

May combine two claims.

Most students felt that the university's digital accessibility was only 'partly' adequate, with 'not at all' being the second most common response.

“- Most students felt that the university's digital accessibility was only 'partly' adequate (with 'not at all' being the second most common response).”

May combine two claims.

Others preferred physical experiences, some for the sensory experience of writing as a stim/self-soothing behaviour (P5), others to de-contextualise and manage distractions (P11).

“Others preferred physical experiences, some for the sensory experience of writing somewhat as a stim/self-soothing behaviour (as is the case for P5), others to de-contextualise and manage distractions (like for P11):”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Positive usability features were applied piecemeal and are therefore still an opportunity to improve the design.

“However, these positive features were applied piecemeal and are therefore still an opportunity to improve the design.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Students who needed to use screen readers would struggle to make sense of the university websites or have a good experience.

“P8 highlighted the divergent needs of different disabled groups, citing that any students who needed to use screen readers would struggle to make sense of the university websites, or have a good experience:”

May combine two claims.

University disability accommodations (Reasonable Adjustments) are often poorly implemented or communicated.

“The university does offer disability accommodations for students (often referred to as Reasonable Adjustments), but oftentimes these are poorly implemented or communicated, and the process to acquire these accommodations is also difficult, as experienced by P3:”

May combine two claims.

Participants described frequent 'Craptions' in lecture videos, and automated captions are not currently reliable enough, requiring manual labour.

“P3, P5, and P6 describes frequent, 'Craptions' in lecture videos, highlighting the need for invisible manual labour in this case as the automated process is not currently reliable enough:”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Bad captions and transcripts affect many disabled people, including neurodivergent people, but disproportionately affect the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

May combine two claims.

Features that contribute to poor usability of university digital systems include excess user workload, inaccessible visuals, and poor application of accessibility features.

“However, the features which contribute to poor usability include excess user workload (poor or lacking integration, simplicity, number of steps, intuitiveness, consistency, and automation), inaccessible visuals (poor or lacking layout, images, colours/colourcoding, font, and customisability), and poor application of accessibility features”

May combine two claims.

Poor integration and excess complexity, such as a high number of steps in a task, increased user workload and affected intuitiveness.

“For example P1 felt that user workload was impacted by poor integration, and P2 pointed out high workload caused by excess complexity, such as a high number of steps in a task, affected intuitiveness:”

May combine two claims.

Navigation difficulties were often caused by poorly implemented verbose naming across multiple platforms, using abstract course codes instead of concrete course names, leading to students missing digital learning content.

“P11 explained that navigation difficulties were often caused by poorly implemented verbose naming across multiple platforms, using abstract course codes instead of concrete course names, leading to P4 missing out on an entire type of digital learning content:”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

A lack of clear instructions or signposting on how to use university systems impacted neurodivergent students more than neurotypical students.

“Other participants argued that a lack of clear instructions or signposting on how to use university systems impacted them more than neurotypical students.”

Not yet classified.

When asked to locate a document in under three minutes, the most commonly cited blocker was the login system, followed closely by administrative confusion.

“- Whenasked to locate a document in under three minutes, the most commonly cited blocker was the login system, followed closely by administrative confusion.”

May combine two claims.

University digital systems often worsen the existing challenges neurodivergent students face in higher education by triggering symptoms, disrupting academic performance, and delivering inconsistent or inaccessible user experiences.

“Overall, university digital systems often worsen the existing challenges neurodivergent students face in higher education-by triggering symptoms, disrupting academic performance, and delivering inconsistent or inaccessible user experiences.”

• Also stated in: § 4.3.2 Digital systems trigger symptoms that negatively af- · p. 10 · boosted

  “In short, the answer to how neurodivergent students are affected by university digital systems is clear: negatively.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Students expressed that consistency across university systems and automation to communicate information between them would help lessen the workload on them as users.

“Students such as P4 expressed that consistency across university systems and automation to communicate information between them would help lessen the workload on them as users.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

One participant (P3) spent over 10 minutes trying to log in from multiple devices during the interview before giving up entirely.

“One participant (P3) even spent over 10 minutes trying to log in from multiple devices during the interview before giving up entirely.”

May combine two claims.

Students brought up the need for customisation in visual spaces, for colour and font, but also the size and layout of videos, as well as the volume of different speakers.

“Students brought up the need for customisation in visual spaces, for colour and font, but also the size and layout of videos, (as detailed by P1), as well as the volume of different speakers in for spaces (P10):”

May combine two claims.

Symptoms triggered by digital systems included procrastination, task paralysis, executive dysfunction, overwhelm, and emotional dysregulation, but many more were noted.

“Symptoms triggered included procrastination, task paralysis, executive dysfunction, overwhelm, and emotional dysregulation, but many more were noted.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

For P7, accountability was digital from their supervisor; for P2 and others, it was simply working among peers.

“For P7, this was digital accountability from their supervisor, and for P2 and others this was simply working among peers:”

May combine two claims.

System-related triggers often had cascading effects: students avoided tasks, missed content, and faced real-world consequences, such as being locked out of university systems or losing money due to overly complex administrative processes.

“These system-related triggers often had cascading effects: students avoided tasks, missed content, and faced real-world consequences, such as being locked out of university systems (P7) or losing money due to overly complex administrative processes (P9):”

May combine two claims.

Having to deal with digital systems triggered participants' symptoms, led to academic consequences, and generally poor user experiences.

“Having to deal with digital systems triggered participants' symptoms, and led to academic consequences, and generally poor user experiences.”

May combine two claims.

Many students were forced to change passwords too frequently, leading to procrastination and lockouts.

“Many students were forced to change passwords too frequently, leading to procrastination and lockouts.”

May combine two claims.

Participants noted both the issues with non-Reasonable Adjustments adjusted deadlines, and the importance of reminders and urgency as a motivating factor.

“In this same theme three, the participants noted both the issues with non-Reasonable Adjustments adjusted deadlines, and the importance of reminders and urgency as a motivating factor in themes three and four (Sections 4.3 and 4.4).”

May combine two claims.

As a result of poor communication and lack of verbose naming/visuals, students could not find things easily, and this led to missing content sometimes.

“As a result of this and poor communication, students could not find things easily, and this led to missing content sometimes (still theme three).”

May combine two claims.

Multiple students described working better while engaged in parallel play, and struggling to work without an element of interaction or even supervision.

“Finally, multiple students described working better while engaged in parallel play, and struggling to work without an element of interaction or even supervision (theme four, Coping Tax, Section 4.4).”

May combine two claims.

Digital systems exacerbate neurodivergent symptoms, disrupt engagement, and create additional barriers to success.

“Instead of supporting learning, these systems exacerbate neurodivergent symptoms, disrupt engagement, and create additional barriers to success.”

May combine two claims.

Many students struggled greatly with the password system in this study; one student was even unable to log in, and others listed multiple symptoms the password system had caused for them.

“Many students struggled greatly with the password system in this study as evidenced in theme three (Section 4.3), one student was even unable to log in, and others listed multiple symptoms the password system had caused for them.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The unanimous sentiment was that an additional task management system with automatically added tasks and adjusted deadlines would be helpful to them.

“the unanimous sentiment that an additional task management system with automatically added tasks and adjusted deadlines would be helpful to them.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

One specific preference was tabulation rather than long pages on the learning platform.

“One specific preference was tabulation rather than long pages on the learning platform (theme three, System Failure, Section 4.3).”

May combine two claims.

Poorly designed digital workflows contribute to increased cognitive load, academic inequities, and emotional strain for neurodivergent students.

“This study examined the impact of digital system design on neurodivergent students, highlighting how poorly designed workflows contribute to increased cognitive load, academic inequities, and emotional strain.”

May combine two claims.

The predominant focus on children in HCI literature on neurodivergence and limited inclusion of neurodivergent adults contributes to a body of knowledge that may inadvertently exclude the population it aims to assist.

“Moreover, the predominant focus on children in HCI literature on neurodivergence and the limited inclusion of perspectives from neurodivergent adults contributes to a body of knowledge that may inadvertently exclude the very population it aims to assist.”

May combine two claims.

Many students with ASD in particular struggle with sensory overload in busy rooms or groups, and misophonia when speaking to people.

“many students with ASD in particular struggle with sensory overload [10] in (loud, bright, smelly...) busy rooms or groups, and misophonia when speaking to people”

• cites [10] [10] Ben Belek. 2019. Articulating Sensory Sensitivity: From Bodies with Autism to Autistic Bodies. Medical Anthropology 38, 1 (1 2019), 30-43. doi:10.1080/01459740. 2018.1460750 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Designing for adoption or appropriation and identifying coping mechanisms used by neurodivergent individuals have emerged as effective strategies for creating more accessible digital spaces.

“Designing for adoption or appropriation and identifying coping mechanisms used by neurodivergent individuals have emerged as effective strategies for creating more accessible digital spaces [64, 93].”

• cites [64] [64] Kathryn E. Ringland and Christine T. Wolf. 2021. Creating assistive technology in disabled communities, five years on. ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing 131 (10 2021), 1-5. doi:10.1145/3507912.3507914 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [93] [93] Susan Young. 2005. Coping strategies used by adults with ADHD. Personality and Individual Differences 38, 4 (3 2005), 809-816. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.06.005 - sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

The extra effort required for managing administrative tasks, learning new systems, and ongoing communication significantly increases neurodivergent students' invisible workload, and complexity of digital workflows and communication gaps exacerbate this burden.

“The extra effort required for managing these processes, including administrative tasks, learning new systems, and ongoing communication, significantly increases their invisible workload. Moreover, the complexity of digital workflows and communication gaps between these systems exacerbates this burden.”

May combine two claims.

The findings bring up three overlapping types of invisible access work: invisible labour of disability, articulation work, and individual strategies/coping tax.

“Not only must they perform the generalised invisible labour of disability , but they must also perform additional articulation work and pay an additional coping tax (which we know they cannot afford given their reduced number of spoons [56]).”

• cites [56] [56] Christine Miserandino. 2003. The spoon theory. But You Don't Look Sick (2003), 9781315453217-19. https://balanceanddizziness.org/pdf/TheSpoonTheory.pdf -Not checked yet

  Not checked in the free run.

May combine two claims.

We extend these findings by showing that the very systems intended to support learning instead impose an additional workload, making academic participation more effortful, stressful, and exclusionary.

“We extend these findings by showing that the very systems intended to support learning instead impose an additional workload, making academic participation more effortful, stressful, and exclusionary.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Beyond this, they develop personal strategies like calendar organization, body doubling, and creating false urgency to navigate academic demands.

“Beyond this, they develop personal strategies like calendar organization, body doubling, and creating false urgency to navigate academic demands.”

May combine two claims.

This added cognitive and emotional burden increases the likelihood of emotional dysregulation, task abandonment, or burnout, as seen in theme three.

“This added cognitive and emotional burden increases the likelihood of emotional dysregulation, task abandonment, or burnout, as seen in theme three (Section 4.3).”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Neurodivergent students already face significant cognitive and emotional labor due to masking and self-regulation.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The concept of Bright Spots revolves around recognizing and duplicating successful behaviours or practices to facilitate broader-scale transformations.

“The concept of Bright Spots revolves around recognizing and duplicating these successful behaviours or practices to facilitate broader-scale transformations.”

• cites [42] [42] Chip Heath and Dan Heath. 2011. Switch . Penguin. -Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites [92] [92] Dave Wright. 2023. Using Bright Spots to create change. https://medium.com/ @davewrightnz/using-bright-spots-to-create-change-d3d96312c051Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

The digital infrastructures that mediate this work are not designed with neurodivergent users in mind, forcing students to expend additional time and energy to navigate inaccessible, cognitively demanding workflows.

“However, the digital infrastructures that mediate this work are not designed with neurodivergent users in mind, forcing students to expend additional time and energy to navigate inaccessible, cognitively demanding workflows.”

May combine two claims.

This reliance on individual adaptation rather than systemic change not only reinforces academic inequities but also contributes to burnout, disengagement, and long-term interruptions in education.

“This reliance on individual adaptation rather than systemic change not only reinforces academic inequities but also contributes to burnout, disengagement, and long-term interruptions in education.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

As proposed by Heath & Heath, this is a Bright Spot, denoting effective behaviours or practices already present in a system, organization, or community.

“As proposed by Heath & Heath [42, 92], this is a Bright Spot, denoting effective behaviours or practices already present in a system, organization, or community.”

• cites [42] [42] Chip Heath and Dan Heath. 2011. Switch . Penguin. -Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites [92] [92] Dave Wright. 2023. Using Bright Spots to create change. https://medium.com/ @davewrightnz/using-bright-spots-to-create-change-d3d96312c051Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

Instead of facilitating learning, these systems create new barriers, exacerbating cognitive overload and emotional strain.

“Instead of facilitating learning, these systems create new barriers, exacerbating cognitive overload and emotional strain.”

May combine two claims.

Poorly designed university systems not only fail to support neurodivergent students but actively increase their cognitive and emotional burden.

“demonstrating that poorly designed university systems not only fail to support neurodivergent students but actively increase their cognitive and emotional burden.”

May combine two claims.

When systems are difficult to navigate or inaccessible, neurodivergent students must expend additional energy-both in internally managing their traits and in coping with the social stigma surrounding their condition.

“When systems are difficult to navigate or inaccessible, neurodivergent students must expend additional energy-both in internally managing their traits and in coping with the social stigma surrounding their condition.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Neurodivergent students already face significant cognitive and emotional labor due to masking and self-regulation.

May combine two claims.

As a result, students may fall behind, miss additional content, or be forced to do extra work-not only to catch up but also to compensate for the already heightened cognitive demands of being neurodivergent in an unsupportive environment.

“As a result, students may fall behind, miss additional content, or be forced to do extra work-not only to catch up but also to compensate for the already heightened cognitive demands of being neurodivergent in an unsupportive environment.”

May combine two claims.

The study was limited to perspectives from the UK, which is bounded to perspectives of this country's education system, and to privileges linked to its situatedness in the Global North.

“The study was also limited to perspectives from the UK, which is bounded to perspectives of this country's education system, and to privileges linked to its situatedness in the Global North.”

May combine two claims.

Unlike their neurotypical peers, neurodivergent students must contend not only with inaccessible systems but also with the broader structural challenges of navigating higher education as a neurodivergent individual.

“Unlike their neurotypical peers, they must contend not only with inaccessible systems but also with the broader structural challenges of navigating higher education as a neurodivergent individual.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Other limitations include participant demographics, such as gender and diagnosis status.

“Other limitations include participant demographics (see Table 1 and Appendix B), such as gender and diagnosis status.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

The sample may appear low to some, but with consideration of the sensitivity of the topic and the marginalisation of the studied population, it was deemed appropriate for qualitative work.

“Firstly, the sample may appear low to some, but with the consideration of the sensitivity of the topic and the marginalisation of the studied population, it was deemed appropriate for qualitative work.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

If universities and educational technology developers fail to address these systemic issues, they risk perpetuating exclusion and deepening disparities in academic access.

“If universities and educational technology developers fail to address these systemic issues, they risk perpetuating exclusion and deepening disparities in academic access.”

May combine two claims.

The population only came from one university, which limited the perspectives and the relevant university technologies, although some participants brought perspectives from other institutions.

“The population only came from one university, which limited the perspectives and the relevant university technologies, although some of the participants brought with them perspectives from other institutions they had attended (and this limitation was linked to the scope of the ethical approval available at the time).”

May combine two claims.

Without deliberate attention to accessibility, universities risk not only reinforcing existing inequities but also deepening the structural disadvantages that lead to burnout and attrition among neurodivergent learners.

“Without deliberate attention to accessibility, universities risk not only reinforcing existing inequities but also deepening the structural disadvantages that lead to burnout and attrition among neurodivergent learners.”

May combine two claims.

Design choices can either mitigate or intensify neurodivergent struggles.

“extending accessibility literature by highlighting how design choices can either mitigate or intensify neurodivergent struggles.”