Reimagining Family Engagement Through a Neurodiversity Lens

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Reimagining family engagement through a neurodiversity lens requires redefining involvement beyond attendance or compliance toward authentic, reciprocal collaboration. Traditional engagement frameworks privilege families with time, access, and familiarity with school norms, while marginalizing caregivers whose communication styles or lived realities differ. Neurodiversity-affirming practice reframes engagement as a relationship built on trust, cultural humility, and shared expertise. School social workers play a vital role in validating caregiver knowledge as embodied, contextual, and essential to student success (Lang et al., 2025). By implementing strategies such as structured listening sessions, co-created student profiles, and accessible communication formats, practitioners foster recognition, justice, and rebuild trust. Grounded in intersectionality and cultural humility (Crenshaw, 1991; Tervalon &amp; Murray-García, 1998), this approach challenges deficit narratives and centers families as co-constructors of knowledge. In doing so, family engagement becomes an act of equity, transforming inclusion from intention into systemic practice.</jats:p>