RefLeX: Helping Refugees Learn by Supporting the Teachers Who Teach Them

At Teacher Studio, we know that real inclusion starts in the classroom—and that educators need the right tools to meet every learner where they are. That’s why we’re proud to be a partner in RefLeX, a new Erasmus+ project focused on helping adult educators support refugee learners, especially when it comes to mental health, learning differences, and neurodiversity.

This project is all about creating practical, research-informed resources for teachers working with refugees—many of whom face barriers to learning due to trauma, stress, or conditions like dyslexia, autism, or ADHD.

Why REFLEX Matters

Over the past few years, Europe has welcomed growing numbers of people fleeing war and crisis—particularly from Ukraine. While many refugees are motivated to learn, their experiences often affect their ability to focus, retain information, or even feel safe in a learning environment.

But here’s the challenge: many educators don’t feel equipped to deal with the emotional or neurological realities these learners bring. In fact, recent research from our Austrian partner found that:

• 2 in 3 educators say it’s difficult to support learners with mental health challenges.
• Nearly half don’t feel prepared to address learning difficulties caused by trauma or stress. 

This gap is exactly what REFLEX aims to close.

What We’re Doing

REFLEX is a joint effort between Teacher Studio (Spain) and bit schulungscenter GmbH (Austria). Together, we’re developing a free, practical toolkit that will help adult educators:

• Understand how refugee experiences affect learning.
• Recognise signs of psychological stress, neurodivergent traits, or trauma in learners.
• Respond with tools and teaching strategies that truly help. 

We’re doing this through three main actions:

1. Grounded Research

We’re starting by talking to the people who know best—educators, experts, and refugee learners themselves. Through surveys and interviews, we’re collecting real insights about how things like PTSD, autism, dyslexia, or ADHD can affect adult learning. This input will shape every part of the project.

2. Online Course for Educators

We’re creating a short, free online course for adult educators. It will focus on how to support refugee learners while taking into account mental health, stress-related learning challenges, and neurodiverse conditions.

This is not a deep-dive into diagnoses—it’s practical, real-world guidance for teachers who need fast, effective strategies to support learners in distress or with different learning needs.

3. Ready-to-Use Toolbox

We’re also developing a toolbox full of ready-made materials: classroom activities, worksheets, and guides that make it easier to bring sensitive, inclusive teaching into everyday practice. These tools are designed to work for a wide range of learners, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, or autistic traits.

Our Role in the Project

At Teacher Studio, we’re taking the lead on everything related to neurodiversity in the project. That means:

• Highlighting how conditions like dyslexia, autism, and ADHD affect adult learners.
• Ensuring the materials we develop are accessible, inclusive, and respectful of different learning profiles.
• Advocating for approaches that recognise difference—not deficit. 

We believe neurodiversity should be part of any conversation about inclusive education, especially when working with adults who may never have received a diagnosis or support in their home countries.

Who Will Benefit?

This project is for:

• Adult educators who want to better support refugee learners with mental health or neurodivergent challenges.
• Refugee learners who will benefit from more understanding, more flexibility, and less frustration in the classroom
• Organisations and education centres looking for tools to build more inclusive and effective learning environments. 

Looking Ahead

Over the next year, we’ll be piloting the course and toolbox, and sharing our findings across our networks. Everything we create will be free to download, easy to use, and available in multiple languages.

REFLEX is a small-scale project with a big goal: to make sure no refugee learner is left behind because of trauma, stress, dyslexia, autism, or ADHD—and that every teacher feels ready to make a difference.

Stay tuned for updates and resources. And if you’re an educator, let us know if you’d like to get involved—we’d love to hear from you!

THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION. VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE HOWEVER THOSE OF THE AUTHOR(S) ONLY AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OR THE EUROPEAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY (EACEA). NEITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION NOR EACEA CAN BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM. AGREEMENT NUMBER: 2024-1-AT01-KA210-ADU-000253155