I can't read your mind": A Study of Neurodivergent Computing Students' Experiences with Collaborative Active Learning

Synthesis: This study surveyed 24 neurodivergent computing students (autistic and/or ADHD) and 20 neurotypical peers, supplemented by 4 in-depth interviews, to understand how collaborative active learning structures affect comfort and Accessibility. Three key findings emerge: (1) Neurodivergent students experience significant discomfort with assignments that lack clear structure or have ambiguous expectations — the title quote reflects a common frustration with unspoken social norms in teamwork. (2) They strongly prefer smaller teams that work together consistently, with explicitly defined roles, minimizing the cognitive load of social negotiation. (3) Common coping strategies include self-selecting roles and strategic self-disclosure of neurodivergence.

The findings connect to broader concerns in Equity and Equity: as AI tutors and collaborative AI tools enter computing classrooms, their interaction models may inadvertently replicate the same structural ambiguities that disadvantage neurodivergent learners. The preference for defined roles and predictable structures mirrors themes in Special Education about explicit Scaffolding. For CS Education, the study provides actionable design recommendations: instructors should provide structured assignments, use smaller consistent teams, and allow role self-selection. While preliminary (n=24), this is among the first studies to center neurodivergent voices in computing education research, contributing to more student-centered approaches to Collaborative Learning.

What this means for practice

• Learners. Ask for recurring teams instead of one fixed semester-long group: 50% of neurodivergent students reported some discomfort with semester-long teams compared with 22% of neurotypical students.
• Instructors. Provide fully structured assignments and define team roles explicitly: 87.5% of neurodivergent respondents were comfortable with fully structured assignments versus 16.67% with no structure provided, and interviewees described role assignment as reducing anxiety about the workload.
• Keep teams small and stable — neurodivergent students preferred working with 3-4 people who meet on a recurring basis, which limits repeated social negotiation.
• Do not treat self-disclosure as the default accommodation route; students described anonymous disclosure of access needs as a way to receive support while avoiding the emotional cost and stigma risk of naming a diagnosis.

Limitations

• The survey drew 44 responses (24 neurodivergent, 20 neurotypical) plus 4 interviews, recruited by convenience sampling through computing-related Discord servers and Slack channels at multiple North American universities.
• Only two neurodivergent identities were represented — students on the autism spectrum and students with ADHD — and the authors state the findings are not meant to generalize to the broader neurodivergent computing student population.
• Comfort findings come from self-reported seven-point Likert ratings, and the qualitative evidence rests on 4 interviews, so the authors present the results as preliminary trends rather than validated effects.

Citation

Cynthia Zastudil, Srishty Muthusekaran, Rayhona Nasimova, Stephen MacNeil (2026). "I can't read your mind": A Study of Neurodivergent Computing Students' Experiences with Collaborative Active Learning. arXiv preprint (cs.HC).