Autism and Learning Disability Training

Paid tribute to Paula McGowan for her work in securing the debate and raising awareness about autism and learning disabilities. Barbara highlighted that while significant steps have been taken, such as training 750,000 healthcare staff, there is still much more to be done. She mentioned a constituent's child who was limited to two hours of school due to being labelled 'too naughty' despite showing traits of autism. The MP also discussed the importance of education, health and care plans for children with special educational needs but noted that only 55% of eligible pupils have them. Will the Minister give way?

Emphasised the importance of supporting children with autism from nursery and pre-school settings, stating that early support is crucial.

Welcomed the work of Paula McGowan for her son Oliver, highlighted concerns about reducing EHCPs, mentioned the increase in autistic children's presentation and the need for better training for education staff working with them. Noted persistent absence rates are significantly higher for autistic children compared to other students.

Committed the debate and highlighted that older students with autism should receive similar support to those in schools, referencing Northern Ireland's enhanced autism training programme.

Agreed that understanding the challenges faced by autistic individuals requires significant time and acknowledged the discrepancy between what children experience and how teachers perceive it. One of the challenges for autistic children is that many people they interact with in school have not received appropriate training, leading to a behavioural context treatment. He agrees that persuading teachers and other personnel about why these actions are not behavioural issues could be beneficial. Congratulated his colleague on the work being done for families with autistic children and emphasised that standing up for these families is challenging. Raised concerns about additional staff training, including dinner and food providers. Highlighted the importance of recognising the unique strengths of autistic children alongside their challenges.

Highlighted work being done by Caudwell Children's national centre to provide timely diagnosis for children with ASD through her role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for disability.

Ms Marion Fellows shared her personal experience with autism in education, highlighting the importance of raising awareness and training for teachers and support staff. She praised Scotland's approach to neurodevelopmental support and professional learning opportunities for educators.

Thanked the Minister for the opportunity to raise awareness and supported families dealing with neurodiverse conditions. Mentioned attending understanding autism training and established an autism forum in Darlington. Mr Peter Gibson asked Labour about what they would do differently in government to address recruitment challenges in the sector, specifically regarding autism training.

Acknowledged the importance of the debate and suggested using the Oliver McGowan training programme as a model for education professionals.

Noted that many constituents wait up to two years for an education, health and care plan and expressed concern over the lack of NHS funding for young people with autism in child and adolescent mental health services. He thanks the hon. Lady for her point and suggests that even without additional funding, better allocation of funds would improve support for children with autism spectrum disorders. He notes a disparity where schools supporting such children are underfunded until they reach a £7,000 threshold, while others avoid this financial burden.