Newbury MP finds out about autism and ADHD support

Autism Berkshire’s CEO Jane Stanford-Beale and Parenting Special Children’s CEO Ruth Pearse met Newbury MP Laura Farris last Friday to talk about autism and ADHD waiting times, support for families and in schools, and issues with mental health support for children.

The MP has raised the issue of long waits for diagnosis and issues around securing support for neurodivergent children in school in Parliament, including a debate in the House of Commons in February.

During the meeting held at Parenting Special Children’s office in Reading, she heard about the wide range of support available from the Berkshire West Autism & ADHD Support Service for families of children who are waiting for autism and/or ADHD assessments in Berkshire and was told that adjacent counties did not have similar services in place.

She was told that there now clear signs that waiting times for assessments were coming down, as the effects of investment in Berkshire CAMHS services were making a difference and that all parents whose children were waiting for assessment were informed at an early stage about the help that the Berkshire West Autism & ADHD Support Service can provide while they are on the waiting list.

Many families contacting Mrs Farris believed that their child needed an autism or ADHD diagnosis and an EHCP (Education Health & Care Plan) before they could get adjustments and tailored support in school, but Jane and Ruth pointed out that this was not the case and that support from schools is based on need, not a diagnosis.

The SEND Code of Practice requires schools to put in place graduated support for children who are having difficulties accessing the curriculum and IAAS (Information, Advice and Support Services) teams in each education authority area can help families to secure adjustments and support in school for children.

Both charities had many examples of cases where their support for a family and simple adjustments made by schools without an EHCP being in place had boosted children’s attendance and confidence in the classroom – and in other aspects of their lives. But there was more work to do in schools to make sure all neurodivergent children were benefiting from the help they are entitled to.

Jane and Ruth highlighted the issue of the number of children who were still out of school after the Covid pandemic and struggling with anxiety and depression, but where getting support from CAMHS was difficult.

Jane said that there was still a lack of parity of esteem for mental health services, particularly when it came to helping children and young people. While Government ministers were focused on cutting NHS waiting lists for surgical treatments post-pandemic, children are facing waits of four years and more for cognitive behavioural therapy in cases when they needed help urgently and are not attending school.

Laura Farris also heard about the autism awareness and understanding training programme that Autism Berkshire, supported by Buckinghamshire charity Talkback, provided during the autumn and winter for 2,000 officers in Thames Valley Police’s frontline response and neighbourhood teams, along with volunteer special constables, across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

She said that said she had learned a lot from the meeting, particularly about how the Berkshire West Autism & ADHD Support service could help families in her West Berkshire constituency during the wait for diagnosis.

Pictured, from left, are Jane Stanford-Beale, Ruth Pearse and Laura Farris MP