Presenters: Adam Lalor, Ph.D. (Vice President of Neurodiversity Research and Innovation, Landmark College) and Rick Bryck, Ph.D. (Senior Director, Institute for Research and Training, Landmark College)

This webinar will describe both the process used to mentor a student led research project—undertaken by neurodivergent college students—and the methods, results, and implications of the study results. Previous research highlights that academic burnout significantly affects college students’ academic performance (Madigan & Curran, 2021) and that neurodivergent students encounter unique challenges in higher education compared to their neurotypical peers (Shmulsky et al., 2021). Yet, there is a lack of research addressing the coping mechanisms utilized by neurodivergent students to manage academic burnout. Responses were obtained from 37 college students, with one or more neurodivergent profiles, via open-ended survey questions. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis and focused on student reported methods for coping with burnout. Results fell into two broad themes, comprised of several sub-themes, of reported support strategies. Implications of the findings for educators and practitioners working with neurodivergent students will be discussed, along with insights into co-creating a research study with students.