Wired for Connection: Reaching Neurodiverse Virtual Learners with VR, AI, and Video Conferencing

Virtual schools disproportionately attract students with ADHD, autism and social anxiety, often because traditional school failed them first. When we design for connection in virtual learning, we design for these students. This poster presentation explores how educators can use immersive technology and AI to intentionally build the social skills and peer belonging virtual learners need most. Drawing on real implementation at a K-12 virtual school, see how virtual reality environments use avatar-based interaction and structured peer collaboration to lower social barriers for neurodiverse and anxious learners, and how AI tools create low-stakes space for social rehearsal. Learn practical strategies for everyday video conferencing in Microsoft Teams, no headset required, and ways to pilot VR at no cost through Engage XR and Minecraft Education with as few as four headsets. School leaders will gain a federal grant funding roadmap connecting Title I, IDEA and Perkins V dollars to VR purchases, plus proposal framing language. Every strategy is grounded in predictability, reduced pressure and genuine connection.