Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist

Personal Strengths Communication Strengths

___ Enjoys working independently ___ Explains ideas or concepts well to others
___ Has a good sense of his/her personal strengths and ___ Asks good questions
weaknesses ___ Is a good storyteller
___ Learns from past mistakes ___ Is a good joke teller
___ Has persistence in carrying out assignments or activities ___ Has good listening skills
___ Is courageous in dealing with adversity and/or the ___ Handles verbal feedback (especially negative feedback) well
unknown ___ Has good articulation ability
___ Keeps a personal diary or journal ___ Is able to effectively use non-verbal cues to communicate
___ Has a good sense of humor with others
___ Possesses a sense of responsibility ___ Is persuasive in getting someone to do something
___ Has strong opinions about controversial topics ___ Has good assertive skills without being pushy
___ Marches to the beat of a different drummer
___ Handles stressful events well (e.g. is resilient) Emotional Strengths
___ Has good character (e.g. honesty, integrity, fairness)
___ Has the ability to set realistic goals for him/herself ____ Is emotionally sensitive to perceiving the world around
___ Has a sense of confidence or high self-esteem him/her
___ Has good self-discipline ____ Has an optimistic attitude toward life
___ Has personal ambitions in life ____ Can tell how he/she is feeling at any given moment
___ Displays good common sense ____ Can easily pick up on the emotional state of another person
___ Possesses personal vitality, vigor, or energy ____ Is able to handle strong internal feelings in a
constructive manner
____ Receives gut feelings about things

From: Thomas Armstrong, Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help

Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2012.
"Reproduced with permission. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org."
 Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist

Social Strengths Cognitive Strengths

___ Has leadership ability ___ Has good organizational skills
___ Has a good sense of empathy for others ___ Has good study skills
___ Enjoys socializing with others ___ Is able to use cognitive strategies (e.g. self-talk) in
___ Is good at helping others solving problems
___ Is kind or affectionate towards others ___ Is able to pay close attention to details
___ Has at least one good friend ___ Has a good short-term and/or long-term
___ Prefers working with others memory
___ Likes to play board games and/or card games with others
___ Has skill in refereeing disputes conflicts between ___ Is able to think ahead
classmates ___ Is able to become totally absorbed in an activity
___ Is polite and has good manners ___ Can easily divide his attention between two or more
___ Is able to work out his/her own conflicts with others activities
___ Works well in groups
___ Volunteers his/her time in some worthy cause Cultural Strengths
___ Belongs to at least one club or social group (e.g. Scouts.)
___ Has a good relationship with at least one family member ___ Has traveled to other countries
___ Is friendly to others ___ Speaks more than one language
___ Is good at sharing with others ___ Is tolerant of others who have cultural, ethnic, or racial
___ Follows class rules
___ Has a good relationship with at least one teacher in the differences
school ___ Has pride in his/her own cultural, ethnic, or racial
___ Has good personal hygiene background
___ Trusts others without being taken in ___ Likes to find out about historical events around the world
___ Is liked by his peers ___ Enjoys learning about different cultural traditions

From: Thomas Armstrong, Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help

Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2012.
"Reproduced with permission. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org."
 Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist
Visual-Spatial Strengths
Literacy Strengths
___ Has an aptitude for fixing machines
___ Enjoys reading books ___ Likes to create three-dimensional structures with building
___ Has good reading comprehension materials
___ Enjoys doing word puzzles or playing word games ___ Is good at doing jigsaw puzzles or other visual puzzles
___ Is a good writer in one or more genres (e.g. poetry, ___ Is able to read maps well
stories, reports, letters) ___ Reports being able to visualize images clearly
___ Gets information more easily through pictures than words
___ Is a good speller ___ Is sensitive to the visual world around him/her
___ Has a large vocabulary
___ Enjoys listening to audio books or to someone telling a Physical Strengths
story or reading out loud
___ Has a good sense of balance
Logical Strengths ___ Learns material best when moving around
___ Likes to ride his/her bike, skateboard, and/or other self-powered
___ Does well in science class personal vehicle
___ Can estimate things easily ___ Is good at playing team sports like baseball, soccer, basketball, or
___ Enjoys working with numbers and/or statistics football
___ Is good at playing individual sports like tennis, swimming,
___ Is good at solving math problems gymnastics, or golf
___ Has a chemistry set or other science kit that he/she works with ___ Is in good physical health
at home ___ Likes to dance
___ Has an interest in astronomy, chemistry, physics, or biology ___ Is physically strong
___ Enjoys logical or number games or puzzles like Rubik’s cube ___ Is a fast runner or has other athletic abilities
or Sudoku ___ Likes to exercise (e.g. weights, aerobics, jogging, treadmill)
___ Can easily calculate numbers in his/her head ___ Has good physical endurance
___ Has good physical flexibility

From: Thomas Armstrong, Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help

Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2012.
"Reproduced with permission. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org."
 Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist
Musical Strengths
Dexterity Strengths
___ Is sensitive to the rhythms of music
___ Has a hobby building model cars, planes, ships or other ___ Enjoys playing a musical instrument
similar projects ___ Knows the music and lyrics of many songs
___ Displays good handwriting ___ Has a particular interest in one or more musical
___ Likes to juggle or do magic tricks genres (e.g. rock, classical, jazz)
___ Enjoys hand crafts like knitting, crocheting, embroidery, ___ Enjoys listening to music
or needlepoint ___ Has a good sense of hearing auditory acuity
___ Likes to make things with his/her hands ___ Has a good sense of pitch
___ Has good tactile ability ___ Has a good singing voice
___ Enjoys arts and crafts like origami, collage, and/or paper ___ Makes up his/her own tunes or melodies with or
maché without/lyrics
___ Enjoys woodworking, carpentry, carving, and/or metal
work High Tech Strengths
____Has good eye-hand coordination
___ Likes to spend time using a computer, tablet, or smart
phone
Nature Strengths ___ Has a facility for playing video games
___ Likes to surf the Internet
___ Has good rapport with animals ___ Knows how to set up audio-visual or computer equipment
___ Is good at taking care of plants in the classroom or at home ___ Likes to text on the phone
___ Is sensitive to weather patterns ___ Enjoys social networking (e.g. blog, website, Facebook)
___ Takes care of a pet at home or at school ___ Enjoys using a still camera or video camera to record
___ Is concerned about the welfare of the planet (e.g. is events or express him/herself
ecologically-minded) ___ Has several his/her own favorite movies or TV shows that
___ Likes to go hiking and/or camping in nature he/she likes to talk about
___ Enjoys studying nature (e.g. insects, plants, birds, rocks, ____Understands at least one computer language
and/or animals)
___ Likes to hunt or fish
___ Has a good sense of direction

From: Thomas Armstrong, Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help

Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2012.
"Reproduced with permission. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org."
Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist
Creative Strengths
___ Expresses him/herself dramatically
___ Has a good imagination
___ Enjoys doodling, drawing, and/or painting
___ Likes to act in plays and skits
___ Works well with clay or other forms of sculpture Miscellaneous Strengths
___ Demonstrates creativity in one or more school assignments
___ Possesses a love of beautiful things ___ Likes collecting things (e.g. stamps, coins, buttons)
___ Has ideas for futuristic or fantastic projects
___ Comes up with ideas that nobody else has thought of ___ Loves to cook
___ Has a love of learning new things
___ Is a good test taker
___ Possesses a good memory for nighttime dreams
Spiritual Strengths
___ Is curious about the world around him/her
___ Enjoys meditation, yoga, or some other form of ___ Has a good sense of time
contemplation ___ Manages money well
___ Asks big life questions (e.g. what is the purpose of ___ Has good fashion sense in the clothes he/she wears
life?)
___ Has a deep sense of wisdom ___ Has good entrepreneurial skills (e.g. has started own
___ Participates in religious or other spiritual events business) started his/her own business
___ Has a philosophical attitude toward life
___ Has a strong faith in something higher than
him/herself
Other Strengths (write in other strengths not mentioned
elsewhere in checklist):

From: Thomas Armstrong, Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help

Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2012.
"Reproduced with permission. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org."