When getting to school feels hard, it is not always that the young person “will not go”: how research maps school-environment hurdles for neurodivergent adolescents

Byline: Chau Sir / chausir.com

This article summarises public research with AI assistance.

1. What this study did

van der Werff and Bullen (Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand), with Sharp (School of Psychology, University of Auckland), published a scoping review in Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders on 16 April 2026 (received 2 April 2025; accepted 1 April 2026), reporting against the PRISMA-ScR checklist. In May 2024 they searched nine databases: Scopus, ERIC, ProQuest Education, ProQuest Social Science, ProQuest Health and Medical, ProQuest Psychology, ProQuest Dissertation and Theses, EBSCOhost Education Resource Complete, and PsycINFO, with no date limit, and included English-language sources only. Sources had to include at least one neurodivergent adolescent aged 13 to 18 in a general or alternative education setting, and to report school-based or other environmental factors linked with difficulty attending school. Of 2962 records first identified, 500 duplicates were removed, 2462 were screened, and 55 were read in full; 13 sources were first included, and 5 more were added by backward citation chasing, giving 18 in total. Twelve were journal articles and six were theses; 16 were published in 2020 or later, with dates from 2013 to 2024. All six theses were from the United Kingdom; the journal studies came mainly from Australia (5), the United Kingdom (3), and the United States (2), plus Northern Ireland and Japan. Ten were qualitative, six quantitative, and two mixed-methods. Across the 18 sources, data were reported for 2418 young people, with samples ranging from 2 to 1076. Gender was reported for 1761 people: about 87% were male and about 13% female; one person identified as non-binary. The most common primary description in the literature was autism (about 52%), then ADHD (about 16%), with intellectual disability also appearing (about 12%). [1]

2. What the literature maps

The literature map organises school-environment hurdles mainly as: heavy sensory load (for example a noisy classroom, or a sudden change), peer relationships (including being bullied, conflict, or a lack of close friends), teacher relationships and school ethos (for example punitive consequences, little understanding of neurodivergence, and little flexibility), and academic overwhelm. The quantitative studies more often focused on bullying appearing together with difficulty attending school. The authors also caution that terms and definitions are not consistent: some studies counted a single request to stay at home, while others used a longer period of absence. This is a map of existing literature, not proof that changing any one school arrangement necessarily makes attendance easier for every neurodivergent adolescent. The points above are associations and gaps only; causation cannot be read directly from this kind of design. [1]

3. Reading caveats

This is a scoping review. Its aim is to map the literature, not to compare whether any one school arrangement works well. The included sources are concentrated in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, only English-language work was included, males are over-represented, ethnicity was poorly reported, the sources were not appraised for quality, and unpublished theses were included, so causation cannot be read directly from this kind of design, and the map is harder to extend to other places or to every neurodivergent adolescent. Inconsistent terms and definitions also make it harder to read the studies as one set. This review is not proof that changing any one sensory, peer, teacher, or academic arrangement necessarily makes attendance easier for every neurodivergent adolescent. Each young person’s experience is different, and research is not a complete picture of any one person. [1]

4. How Hong Kong parents might take this

A familiar Hong Kong scene: after moving up to secondary school, the young person has to rush between rooms, face bells and noisy corridors, and cope with teasing from classmates or a sudden change in a teacher’s tone; before school they may cry or have a sore stomach, or Monday mornings may be especially hard to get out of the door. Some people then feel that “they just will not tough it out, and will not go.” The value of this scoping review is shifting the lens from “the young person will not go” to “the school environment itself can be a hurdle.” The literature map shows that sensory load, peer relationships, flexibility from teachers and the school, and academic load more often appear together with accounts of attendance feeling hard. For Hong Kong parents, it may help to talk with the young person about which times and places feel especially hard, for example “when the corridor is noisy between lessons” or “on days when the timetable changes suddenly,” and then share those concrete scenes with the school, rather than only arguing over “will they go or not.” You can also ask whether a more predictable routine, or a quieter place to pause, is possible.

Chinese families sometimes feel that “going to school is a duty, and not going means being disobedient”; the literature map instead suggests first separating “does not want to go” from “going there feels very hard,” then thinking together about ways to walk alongside the young person. The research is a reference only. Every family has its own pace, and there is no need to blame yourself or every person in the school. If difficulty attending school keeps weighing heavily on the family, you can ask parent groups or family support services about ways to walk alongside them; this review is not asking parents to redesign the school system themselves. If there is an immediate crisis, call 999 or the Mental Health Support Hotline 18111.

From the angle of CRP (Communication, Relationship, Parenting), you might start with communication and relationship: an adult and the young person can name, in concrete times and places, which parts feel more manageable and which feel especially hard, and then take those scenes into a conversation with the school, rather than only arguing over “will they go or not.” The research is a reference only. Each family can walk alongside the young person in a way that feels comfortable.

Sources

1. van der Werff, S., Bullen, P., & Sharp, R. (2026). Understanding the contextual variables that contribute to the school refusal behavior of neurodivergent adolescents: A scoping review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-026-00554-0 (publisher page: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40489-026-00554-0; open access, CC BY 4.0: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40489-026-00554-0.pdf)

Disclaimer

Educational information, not a diagnosis or medical advice.

Chau Sir’s talks and articles are parent education. They do not provide diagnosis, assessment, or treatment, and they do not give medical or medication advice. If you need that kind of support, please consult a qualified professional.