Between 30-40% of the population are estimated to be neurodivergent. This means at least nine children in an average classroom may struggle with traditional teaching methods.

Schools do not have the time or resources to diagnose these students or provide the help they need to succeed. The shortage of educational psychologists and funding in SEN departments means that neurodivergent people are diagnosed late or not at all.

This has negative short and long term consequences for neurodiverse learners, and there is a lack of evidence-based learning strategies for these students.

Caitlin Glover faced significant challenges in education due to dyslexia and undiagnosed ADHD. Everything changed when she discovered strategies tailored for neurodivergent learners - unlocking her potential and helping her excel. Now, she’s driven to support others like her who lack the diagnosis or resources they need to thrive.

Caitlin now views her dyslexia and ADHD as her “superpowers”. She is creating Cognexus, an app that identifies neurodivergent traits and gives learners personalised strategies to help them succeed in education and life.

Big Change supported Caitlin with early-stage funding and coaching to develop her idea for Cognexus. Cognexus is a mobile game application that looks to identify neurodivergent traits in primary-age students and provide them with personalised strategies for learning.

Cognexus aims to support parents and teachers by flagging potential neurodivergent conditions for further investigation, which prevents children falling through the gaps due to lack of SEN funding and support in mainstream state schools.

It will use a different approach to SEN support than is currently used in education. Cognexus won’t label children with disorders, but instead take a holistic approach and identify specific areas that they may need support in.

Caitlin ultimately wants to prevent neurodiverse children falling through the gaps and fighting through an education system that is not designed for them.

Caitlin founded an award-winning business specialising in education for neurodivergent students in 2017, when she was aged 12. She has co-authored research on neuro-inclusion in education and research. She has spoken about ethical AI and neurodiversity for The BBC, The Times, CogX and Raspberry Pi, among others.

Caitlin is currently at university studying Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on cognitive science. She is passionate about the use of technology to improve people's lives.