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Description

The social visibility of neurodivergence has become an increasingly salient object of inquiry within communication studies, particularly in relation to public communication, institutional communication, and processes of educational and social inclusion. Previous research has addressed this phenomenon primarily from the perspectives of health communication and awareness-raising campaigns, with a strong focus on stigma reduction and the improvement of public knowledge about neurodevelopmental conditions. However, these approaches have paid comparatively less attention to how communication intervenes in the transfer of scientific knowledge into applied contexts—such as the design of inclusive educational environments—and to its role in articulating the relationship between institutional discourse and the material transformation of space.

This study examines the role of communication in the construction of neurodivergence visibility, understood not as a merely informational process but as a discursive and institutional phenomenon that conditions the interpretation, legitimation, and application of scientific knowledge. From this perspective, communication operates as a form of structural mediation that shapes which forms of knowledge are considered relevant, which actors are authorized to intervene, which normative and cultural frameworks are activated, and, ultimately, the extent to which principles of inclusion are translated into concrete educational practices and design decisions or remain at a declarative level.

Methodologically, the study is grounded in a systematic review and a theoretical–conceptual analysis of recent scientific literature across four areas: communication, sociocultural studies of neurodiversity, higher education, and neuroarchitecture.

The findings indicate that the visibility of neurodivergence is predominantly articulated through media campaigns and dissemination activities, particularly in digital environments. Although these initiatives often follow a logic of planning and audience segmentation, their impact is constrained when there is no institutional communication architecture capable of connecting social awareness with procedures, support mechanisms, and sustainable spatial transformations. Consequently, public visibility alone does not guarantee operational inclusion unless it is accompanied by institutional mediations that facilitate implementation and legitimation.

From a sociocultural perspective, the review confirms that visibility is a discursive process through which meanings, identities, and regimes of legitimacy are negotiated. Within this framework, practices of self-representation and communicative advocacy led by neurodivergent individuals play a fundamental role in challenging medicalized narratives, shifting epistemic authority toward lived experience, and promoting diversity- and rights-based approaches.

In the context of higher education, the available evidence suggests that the absence of clear institutional communication limits the effectiveness of inclusive policies and perpetuates a gap between the normative recognition of diversity and its actual implementation in classrooms and campuses.

The study incorporates neuroarchitecture as a key field for understanding the relationship between space, cognition, and well-being, drawing on reviews that demonstrate the impact of built environment design on cognitive and emotional processes, as well as on performance assessed through techniques such as EEG. This literature also identifies significant challenges for knowledge transfer into design practice, including methodological heterogeneity and insufficient attention to individual sensory variability, thereby reinforcing the need for rigorous communicative mediations.

Publication Date

28-6-2026

Publisher

International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)

City

Galway, Ireland

Keywords

Neurodivergence, Communication, Visibility and Inclusion, Inclusive Educational Environments, Neuroarchitecture

Comments

IAMCR 2026, hosted by University of Galway, Galway, Ireland, 28 June–2 July 2026. Presented within the Inclusive Communication and People with Disabilities Working Group. Submission ID 1781. Authors: Bárbara Mercedes Castillo Abdul Hadi (UDIT), María Beltrán-Rodríguez (UDIT) and Luis M. Romero-Rodriguez (University of Sharjah). The participation is supported by an IAMCR certificate confirming that the paper was presented within the conference programme.

Visibility by Design: Communication Infrastructures, Mediation, and Knowledge Transfer on Neurodivergence in Institutional Contexts en [Ponencia] IAMCR 2026

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