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Interventions improving learning experiences in neurodivergent youth: A systematic review

Pinetti S, Belzunegui-Pastor À, Tsou Y, Chen Y, Delsink E et al. · 6 Sept 2026

Abstract

Many neurodivergent youth experience greater levels of stress and anxiety, as well as lower levels of school belonging, motivation, and grades. Diverse types of interventions intend to address this urgency. However, most interventions seem to focus on adapting the neurodivergent students to the requirements of the educational environment, which does not fit the definition of inclusive education. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to identify, summarize, and analyze intervention studies focused on improving the learning experiences for neurodivergent youth aged 4 to 25 years. Learning experiences in this study refer to the lived experiences of being in a learning environment, including participation, engagement, belonging, inclusion, and wellbeing.Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search was performed in PsycInfo and ERIC databases. Eighty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. We established six themes that represent different aspects of learning environments an intervention could address to improve neurodivergent learners’ learning experiences. Each study was classified into one thematic area, resulting in 11 studies in the home education and parent-child relationships theme, 10 studies in teacher training, 11 studies in inclusive learning environments, 35 studies in social participation in educational settings, 13 studies in engagement and wellbeing in educational settings, and 8 studies in transitional structures. Results show that interventions that successfully supported neurodivergent youth’s mental health and wellbeing in learning environments are those focusing on these student’s needs, rather than pushing them to adapt their behaviors to fit in the classroom context. Moreover, interventions that positively increased engagement (social or academic) focused on facilitating a more appropriate environment, whether social or spatial. These findings highlight the importance of rethinking our objective when designing an intervention. Moreover, there is a need to include neurodivergent youth’s own voices while developing studies.