Dialogic Practice as a Vehicle for Inclusion: Navigating Belonging, Engagement, and Complexity in a Neurodiverse Higher Education Landscape

As colleges and universities enroll increasing numbers of neurodivergent students, questions of inclusion, belonging, and sustained engagement have become central concerns in higher education research and practice. This article presents a theory-informed narrative synthesis of scholarship on dialogic pedagogy, student belonging, neurodiversity, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and trauma-aware education. It also includes a reflexive institutional illustration of the Ongoing Academic and Social Instruction Support (OASIS) program. Institutionally reported outcomes are interpreted as descriptive indicators rather than causal evidence, given the absence of independent evaluation and comparative data. The analysis highlights both the promise and the constraints of dialogic approaches, including issues of power, scalability, and structural limitations. The article concludes with implications for practice and a research agenda emphasizing longitudinal and comparative evaluation.