2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Navigating the Social-Emotional Landscape of Neurodiversity in AI Education

In this paper, we address the critical need to explore the social and emotional dimensions of learning in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education, i.e., Computer Science Education with and about AI, for neurodivergent students. While AI holds immense potential to create inclusive learning environments, current pedagogical practices often fall short in addressing the unique social and emotional needs of neurodivergent learners. The research we present in this paper examines the experiences of project instructors and neurodivergent students enrolled in or graduated from two-year institutions in a neurodiversity-focused AI summer training program. In this work, we draw on interview data from multiple stakeholders on the project team. Our findings highlight challenges the instructors faced in navigating the social-emotional landscape of neurodiversity, including supporting students with social anxiety and facilitating effective communication among individuals with diverse communication styles. In this paper, we will examine the emotional work required of instructors to foster inclusive learning environments. We will emphasize the need for professional development opportunities that equip educators with the knowledge and skills to support the holistic needs of neurodivergent students in AI Education.

Authors

Ren Butler Carnegie Mellon University [biography]

Ren Butler is a Ph.D. student in Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. Ren researches psychological safety in neurodiverse AI engineering teams. Ren aims to discover design principles for software development tools that support psychological safety among engineers with social and emotional differences. These principles can foster team learning, well-being, and productivity.
Dr. D. Matthew Boyer http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4191-260X Clemson University
Andrew Begel Carnegie Mellon University [biography]

Dr. Andrew Begel, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Software and Societal Systems Department at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to this, he spent over 16 years as a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research. Andrew’s goal is to create inclusive workplaces where all people, especially those with disabilities and the neurodivergent, can be successful, without discrimination. His recent work has helped people on the autism spectrum gain employment and facilitate social interaction, helped blind software developers collaborate with their sighted colleagues, and used affective computing and biometrics to better understand how software developers do their work.
Rick Kubina Pennsylvania State University
Prof. Somayeh Asadi University of Virginia
Taniya Mishra
JiWoong Jang Carnegie Mellon University [biography]

Joon is a Ph.D. student at CMU's School of Computer Science, where he focus on understanding, designing, and building AI-equipped assistive technology (AT) and how such tools affect and alter existing social dynamics in intro- and extra-spective ways – tackling stigma, user-assimilation, and the AT adoption/abandonment problem through his research.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025