9. Short Debate: Pathways from referrals to diagnosis and beyond: the challenges of living with autism and other neurodivergent conditions

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:42 pm on 11 May 2022.

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Photo of Laura Anne Jones Laura Anne Jones Conservative 5:42, 11 May 2022

I'd firstly like to thank Hefin David for bringing this important debate to our Chamber today. I very much hope that his personal experiences with his beautiful daughter, and knowledge that he now has, will be listened to. For most of what you've said, you've had that experience, unlike most of us here, and you know what is needed to right the wrongs of the system. The current state of affairs isn't good enough. Currently, we're seeing a two-year-plus waiting list for children to see an NDT specialist, which is storing up significant issues for the future and, in my opinion, putting children's learning and life chances at significant risk. Without the NDT appointments, we now have children not being clinically identified as autistic or having ADHD, resulting in poor levels of understanding and provision, thus creating a scenario where children are simply not being adequately supported to thrive. I have also been told of one case of a parent potentially having to go into debt to fund a private referral for their child. I've also been told that headteachers and teachers can put measures in place themselves to support literacy and numeracy—that's not the issue—but what they have stressed and what they do struggle with is that neither headteachers nor teachers have the training or capacity to provide vulnerable learners with what they need and that support, which often results in exclusions, as they can't deal with that behaviour. I would ask the Welsh Government now, as we have a new ALN system coming into play, that we have real and regular checks on it and safeguarding in place, to ensure that the scheme does alleviate all our concerns here today, and that we don't let any more children slip through the gaps. Thank you.