Our response to the Health, Social Care and Support Committee’s report on ADHD and Autism Support Pathways

Last year, we were pleased to share the experiences of the people we support in accessing, and trying to access, neurodevelopmental assessment and support in our response to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s Call for Views on these issues.

You can read the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s full report here: ADHD and autism pathways and support.

The Committee’s report, published last week, represents a thorough and much-needed assessment of the state of Scotland’s neuro-developmental provision. We were pleased to see several acknowledgements and key recommendations in the report that reflect the experience of neurodivergent people, including:

• The vital role of well-managed transitions for the wellbeing of neurodivergent people and families
• Acknowledgement of ‘gatekeeping’ and barriers to timely assessment
• A recommendation that the Scottish Government take forward mandatory training on neuro-developmental conditions for all health and social care staff in patient-facing roles
• A pushback against the myth of ‘over-diagnosis’
• Recognition of diagnosis as an affirming part of neurodivergent identity
• Calls for the Scottish Government to publish a timetable for draft provisions for the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill and set out a roadmap for quarterly reporting of data on referrals and waiting times for autism and ADHD

In particular, we strongly support the Committee’s call for the creation of a national plan to ensure all autistic people and people with ADHD, across all Health Boards, have access to clear and consistent pathways to support.

A holistic approach, where assessment is one part of a wider, person-centred support system, is essential. Every neurodivergent person deserves inclusive, accessible support on their own terms.

We welcome the Scottish Government’s new neuro-developmental funding announcement, which coincided with the report’s publication. However, without the structural reforms recommended by the Committee and charities like ours, significant challenges will remain, and too many people will continue to face waits for help.

We look forward to presenting evidence to Parliament’s Equalities Committee next week on inclusive education, and to continuing to champion genuine, inclusive reform for neurodivergent people and families across Scotland.