What does neurodiversity mean for chemistry education?

How do we build chemistry classrooms where more students can thrive? In this bonus BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with Matt Mayo about neurodiversity in chemistry education. They discuss why every student experiences learning differently, how understanding those differences can make us better teachers and colleagues, and why creating more accessible learning environments benefits far more people than we might expect. It’s a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, empathy, and what it means to teach the whole student.

Important Links

• Submit a Question for Community Conversations
• bcce.divched.org/2026
• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife
• chemforyourlife.com

Timestamps

• 0:00 – Introducing the Community Conversation on neurodiversity
• 2:40 – Meet Matt Mayo and why this topic matters to him
• 6:10 – What the BCCE session will explore: students and faculty
• 11:00 – Why more educators are thinking differently about neurodiversity
• 14:00 – Melissa’s ADHD journey and designing courses that help everyone
• 18:30 – Questions to bring back to your own teaching community
• 19:10 – Universal Design for Learning and meeting students where they are
• 24:00 – Why awareness is the best place to start
• 25:30 – ADHD “superpowers” and different ways of thinking
• 28:00 – Looking ahead to the Community Conversation at BCCE

Support this podcast on Patreon 

Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.