Interventions supporting neurodivergent students in professional placements: A scoping review of barriers, facilitators, and student outcomes.

Authors

Tenber Grota, Mandy El Ali, Meena Gupta, Jo-Anne Rihs, Jodi Sita, Larissa Cameron, Geraldine Rebeiro, Clare Cole

Published in

Journal of professional nursing : official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Volume 66. Pages 156-162. Epub Jul 01, 2026.

Abstract

To map the existing evidence on interventions, accommodations, barriers, and facilitation models designed to support neurodivergent students during Professional Experience Placement (PEP).
APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, Education Source, ERIC, MEDLINE Complete, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection.
Neurodivergent students encounter distinct challenges during PEP, a core requirement for nursing registration. Despite this, tailored and inclusive supports remain inconsistent, fragmented, or absent, limiting the capacity of neurodivergent students to engage equitably in clinical learning environments.
A scoping review.
A scoping review was conducted following the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis and reported using the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Findings were presented through narrative synthesis, supported by descriptive statistics and content analysis.
Twenty-one sources of evidence were included, most of which were qualitative (n = 13) and predominantly conducted in the U.K. (n = 15), with additional studies from Australia (n = 2) and the United States (n = 2). Nursing was the most represented discipline (n = 9). Common interventions focused on disclosure support (n = 13) and peer mentorship (n = 10). Key barriers included stigma and negative attitudes from clinical staff (n = 13), alongside fear of academic or professional consequences following disclosure (n = 9). Effective facilitation most often involved supportive mentor or peer relationships (n = 8), neurodiversity focused staff education (n = 8), and clear processes to guide disclosure (n = 8).
Supporting neurodivergent students during PEP requires more than standard accommodations; it demands cultural and systemic change. Priorities include reducing attitudinal barriers, strengthening personalised support, and fostering meaningful mentoring relationships. Future research should evaluate structured mentorship and staff training across diverse disciplines.

PMID:
42744427
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Sep 2026.

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