This informal CPD article ‘Why Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Often Present with Reduced Resilience in School Contexts’ was provided by TAO Activities, a specialist alternative education and therapeutic provider delivering evidence-based outdoor learning programmes for children and young people.
Resilience is frequently conceptualised as a set of personal qualities that enable an individual to cope with adversity or stress. Within educational discourse, pupils are often described as either resilient or not resilient, with less attention given to the underlying developmental, neurological, relational and environmental processes that shape these capacities.
For pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), resilience appears lower not because of personal weakness but due to a combination of increased cognitive load, sensory demands, emotional pressures and developmental factors that make the school context more difficult to navigate. This article examines the evidence base explaining why SEND pupils often show reduced resilience in school environments and outlines implications for educational practice.
Neurodivergence in schools
Research across developmental psychology and neuroscience consistently demonstrates that neurodivergent pupils often begin the school day with a higher baseline level of cognitive and emotional load. Autism research shows differences in sensory processing, interoception, cognitive flexibility and social interpretation. Functional MRI studies reveal heightened activation in sensory and limbic regions when autistic individuals are required to process social information or eye contact (6).
These neurological differences increase the effort required to participate in typical classroom interactions. For pupils with ADHD, the evidence indicates underactivation in prefrontal regions associated with working memory, inhibition and sustained attention (4). This increases the cognitive cost of routine tasks such as following instructions or sustaining mental effort. When a pupil begins the school day with greater cognitive and sensory load, their resilience system can become depleted more quickly under stress.
Negative or corrective interactions
Another significant factor affecting resilience in SEND pupils is the cumulative effect of negative or corrective interactions. Longitudinal studies show that children with ADHD receive substantially more behavioural corrections, reprimands and negative feedback compared to neurotypical peers (2). The studies suggest this may be between ten and twenty times more over the course of childhood. Autistic pupils also report higher rates of social misunderstanding, peer conflict and perceived criticism. Over time, these interactions shape internal expectations about school, teachers and academic tasks. When a pupil anticipates that they are likely to fail, be corrected or misunderstood, their resilience is naturally reduced, and they may adopt avoidance strategies to protect themselves from further negative experiences.
Masking
Masking is another phenomenon relevant to understanding resilience in SEND populations. Many autistic pupils camouflage their sensory discomfort, anxiety and social confusion in order to appear competent or to avoid standing out among peers. Masking is an adaptive strategy but comes at a psychological and physiological cost. Research found that masking increases fatigue, stress, feelings of inauthenticity and vulnerability to later emotional overload (5). When a pupil has masked throughout the school day, any small challenge or unexpected event may exceed their resilience capacity because of underlying exhaustion that staff may not observe.
School environment intensifies pressure
The school environment itself often intensifies these pressures. Mainstream education can be highly stimulating, unpredictable and socially complex. Noise, movement, transitions, ambiguous expectations and rapid pace can overload neurological systems already under strain.
Social situations such as group work, unstructured playtimes or busy corridors present additional cognitive challenges for many SEND pupils. Even academic tasks may be experienced as threatening if pupils anticipate failure or negative comparison. Studies show that predictable routines, clear structure and low stimulus environments reduce stress in neurodivergent learners (3). When these are absent, resilience depletes more rapidly.
Trauma experiences
Trauma experiences intersect significantly with SEND. Studies indicate that autistic and ADHD pupils experience higher rates of bullying, rejection, school exclusion, and mis attuned adult responses. Research (1) suggests that autistic pupils may be particularly vulnerable to chronic school-based stress, which can operate in similar ways to trauma.
Repeated exposure to overwhelming environments or negative relational experiences can alter stress response systems and reduce resilience. Importantly, this does not mean that SEND automatically implies trauma. Rather, trauma and neurodivergence often interact in ways that amplify vulnerability to low resilience.
How schools can support
Despite these challenges, resilience can be strengthened when schools adopt intentional, structured approaches. Predictability and routine reduce cognitive load and help pupils prepare for transitions. Relational safety, through attuned adults and consistent trust-building, supports emotional regulation. Sensory and grounding strategies such as movement, breathing exercises or controlled sensory input enhance physiological stability.
Identity and strength-based practices allow pupils to develop self-efficacy, which is strongly associated with resilience in adolescence. Small steps of safe challenge foster persistence and build internal belief in capability. When schools identify resilience as a dynamic system rather than an inherent trait, they can actively design environments that support its development.
Final thoughts
Pupils with SEND do not have inherently lower resilience. They have different neurological architectures, stress responses and lived experiences that require school environments to adapt. They also often encounter more daily challenges, meaning their resilience system is taxed more heavily and more frequently.
By understanding the mechanisms behind reduced resilience, educators can avoid misinterpreting behaviours as defiance or disinterest and instead respond to the underlying load or unmet need. This shift enables practitioners to provide more effective support and promotes more inclusive, compassionate and impactful educational practice.
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References
(1) Anderson, C. et al. (2018). Autistic pupils and school stress.
(2) Barkley, R. (2014). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment.
(3) Brede, J. et al. (2017). Camouflaging and masking in autism.
(4) Castellanos, F., and Proal, E. (2012). Large-scale brain systems in ADHD.
(5) Hull, L. et al. (2017). Camouflaging in autism spectrum conditions.
(6) Uddin, L. et al. (2013). Neural connectivity differences in autism.
