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This work-in-progress research paper describes the prevalence of neurodivergent students (ND) in engineering across two institutions. There is growing awareness that engineering students who are neurodivergent bring unique assets and face challenges to their higher education experience. Neurodivergent students may also face additional challenges associated with chronic illness or being marginalized due to their gender or race/ethnicity. This paper provides background on these issues, followed by demographic data from two institutions. The goal of the paper is to raise the awareness of engineering faculty that the variety of differences and medical conditions among engineering students may be more diverse and/or prevalent than many realize. Students may not disclose these conditions or receive formal accommodations but can be successful. With a notable percentage of engineering students identifying as ND, faculty should ensure these students feel supported. Higher education institutions should also prioritize systematic planning and programming to support the retention and success of these neurodivergent students. 

The population of neurodivergent (ND) students in engineering programs is a topic of growing interest and importance in both academia and industry. Neurodivergence encompasses a range of neurological differences, including but not limited to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and dyspraxia. This diverse group of students brings unique perspectives, skills, and challenges to engineering education and the workforce. Understanding and supporting neurodivergent students is crucial for promoting inclusivity and diversity in engineering. This paper summarizes existing literature on the prevalence of neurodivergent students. This is followed by data from a large public institution, exploring the extent to which undergraduate engineering students self-identified as neurodivergent. Among over 1000 students, 18% identified as neurodivergent, 19% as maybe neurodivergent, and 62% as not neurodivergent (and therefore neurotypical). Junior and senior students were given the opportunity to self-identify types of neurodivergence, with ADHD and anxiety found as the most common write-in responses. A number of students identified multiple conditions. A higher percentage of female compared to male students self-identified as ND or maybe ND. Large percentages of students who indicated a gender that was not male or female also self-identified as neurodivergent. Similar percentages of White and Hispanic/Latinx first-year students identified as neurotypical; a higher percentage of Asian students identified as neurotypical. The results indicate that studies on the experiences of neurodivergent students in engineering should consider intersectional demographics. Given the significant percentages of engineering students identifying as ND, faculty should work to ensure these students are supported. 

This paper explores a learning environment that may foster innovation in the engineering curriculum. In this study, the innovation self-efficacy of undergraduate environmental engineering students is explored in a target course before and after a curricular intervention which has been shown to have the potential to enhance innovation self-efficacy. A design mentor and an education mentor outside of the course supported the students through their engineering design process. During the start and end of this curricular intervention, a survey consisting of the Very Brief Innovation Self-Efficacy scale (ISE.5), the Innovation Interests scale (INI), and the Career Goals: Innovative Work scale (CGIW) was administered to measure students’ shift in: 1) Innovation Self-Efficacy, 2) Innovation Interests, and 3) Innovative Work. Formal feedback from the mentors was utilized in interpreting the survey outcomes. Results generated from this survey show a modest increase in innovation self-efficacy. Nevertheless, less impact was found compared to the previous year when innovation attitudes were weaker in the pre-survey. 

It is critical to incorporate inclusive practices in the engineering curriculum which prepares neurodiverse students to achieve their full potential in the workforce. This work-in-progress paper seeks to capitalize on the unique strengths of marginalized neurodiverse engineering students. In this study, the innovation self-efficacy of engineering students who self-identify as neurodiverse is explored before and after a curricular intervention, which has been shown to have the potential to enhance innovation self-efficacy, in an environmental engineering target course. A previously validated Likert-type survey was used, which included the Very Brief Innovation Self-Efficacy scale, the Innovation Interests scale, and the Career Goals: Innovative Work scale. Among the 47 responses on the pre-survey, 13% of the students self-identified as neurodiverse and an additional 19% indicated that they were maybe neurodiverse. This included a much higher percentage of female than male students in the course (23% vs. 5% neurodiverse). There were no significant differences in the pre-survey or post-survey in the innovation self- efficacy and innovation interest among students who self-identified as neurodiverse, maybe neurodiverse, and not neurodiverse. Career goals based on the innovative work scale differed in the pre-survey among the three groups, being lowest among students who self-identified as maybe neurodiverse; there were no differences among the groups in the post-survey. It appeared that there were gains in the innovation self-efficacy between the pre and post-survey among the students who self-identified as neurodiverse and maybe neurodiverse but these differences were not statistically significant. A limitation of the study was the lack of ability to pair the data for individual students and a low number of neurodiverse students in the dataset. This preliminary work calls attention to the need to consider neurodiverse students in our instructional practices. In the future, we hope the research will expand our understanding of a neurodiverse-friendly curricular design in preparation for engineering students with autism spectrum disorder and other types of neurodiversity for the workforce, as well as assisting engineering educators in the adoption of practices that have the tendency to enhance innovation self-efficacy in neurodiverse students.