To ask, if you’re a teacher

That's interesting and they're lucky to have you!

I met DH (not diagnosed but very similar to our AuDHD child) in his early 30s and looking back, he was really struggling with the people aspects of work. Fortunately us getting together set him on a different career path and he found something better for him eventually.

I do all our admin though. His house was a right rats nest when I moved in.

I'd say about 20% at least. I have some classes where 50% are in the SEND register for all different reasons.
Then you have the teacher... me... with adhd. 😄 🤣 do I count and up the percentage? Only diagnosed last year via the NHS.
But also my diagnosis was very quick 9 weeks in total. My friend lives in a different county, has had part one but waiting for the 2nd part a year later... however the process was entirely different. The kid's waiting list for CAMHs is at least a year, so actually when I say my percentages in a secondary school, it is higher as a lot are waiting for assessment. So it's sad really because earlier assessment would help those kids immensely!

No, I think everyone who is ND should be diagnosed. I don’t like anecdata so wouldn’t agree that this thread shows what is actually going on in our society.

I think it has been massively under diagnosed in the past, and so it feels like it is more diagnosed.

20% of pupils with ALL SEND is the current statistic. Based on actual data from DfE. Current adhd diagnosis rates are about 1%. Again that is actual data from NHS/diagnosis providers. That means some classes with have 5%, some 0, some 20 and that data is still correct.

I think we know more about it and especially signing girls, so we seek diagnosis tha might not have happened. The current estimate (based on full population data) is that about 5% of the population is ND (that includes dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette’s and others).

The causation could go both ways. Differences like autism and ADHD can make you poor (it can in some cases go entirely the other way if a special interest is lucrative and the opportunities are there of course).

However, it wouldn't take much scrutiny of e.g. NAS research to discover difficulties getting jobs, difficulties keeping jobs, lacking qualifications due to difficulties with school, prejudice, and from the parental point of view, difficulties keeping a job when kids have SEN, and this last one is anecdotal only but where there are kids with SEN and things are difficult, the dad often buggers off and single parent families are on average poorer too.

And the actual expense of course of paying for all the stuff that otherwise takes years of waiting lists. I reckon we'd spent 5 or 6 grand when I did the first SENDIST tribunal. I included an itemised list. I didn't include my loss of earnings while doing the paperwork. I was able to work more once it was finally done.

I think (& with personal experience) masking is ‘easier’ with support - both financial and attention. Autism is a wide spectrum as we all know. I have a ‘on paper’ bright child who has never formally been diagnosed and although school was a challenge, I would say they are doing ok in life with our support, but in their mid 20’s has struggled to gain financial independence from us because they literally cannot cope with a permanent full time job. They work but need regular time out to literally recharge their batteries. Had we as parents not had the resources to support as we have for the past 20 years, they would not be where they are today.

I appreciate this is your view and experience but I'm just saying it's not mine. I absolutely believe there were many undiagnosed children but my experience is the level of need now is more widespread. I'm not saying that is anything to do with overdiagnosis or any sort of a problem and believe we need to do all we can to make schools as inclusive as we can.

Schools used to have more funding and therefore smaller class sizes, more TAs (used to be a time when all primary classes had at least one).

Schools in more deprived areas have lost more in funding cuts due the funding formulas. So pupils in less deprived areas may still have educational settings that allow them to manage.

Girls tend to be diagnosed in secondary school or beyond, as they are often able to mask/manage in primary. Diagnosis is hard fought for and so often only happens at crisis point.

You mention MN is middle class, but middle class teachers teach in deprived areas? You were ask g for the experiences of teachers.

Because the advantages of middle class life help to alleviate some of the barriers. More routine, more resources etc.

Children in deprived areas have higher incidence of chaotic home lives, fewer resources (no quiet spaces at home). No ability to invest in special interests. Ability to channel sense of justice or impulsive behaviour into more acceptable hobbies/interets.

I teach secondary, so I talk about a variety classes (I usually have 10+ classes per year). The SEN needs are not spread evenly across the classes, there will be more SEN in some than in others.
I absolutely will stand by the fact that there are not more kids with needs than 15 years ago. The cuts made it that there are fewer SEN places, people are more aware to ask for SEN school places than push their kids into mainstream. but this also means there are fewer SEN places, and more SEN kids who dont belong in mainstream are pushed into the system, but those kids always existed. In the past they just dropped off the map and out of education altogether and no one kept track of the numbers, while now we do.
There was a ignorant post a few days ago about the number of school refusers from someone who thinks it's a currentl only issue, when school refusers existed, but no one was reporting on the numbers. Kinda like, never seen Peru, so surely the country does not exist.

If the percentage is about 1:5 or 1:4 in each class then we need to teach neurodiversity as normal. I went to a deprived area state school in the 80’s and probably wasn’t any different then.

An average of about 20%. When I started teaching 13 years ago, 0-2%.

The idea 50% of the population will eventually have a diagnosis of ADHD/autism relies on the assumption that the increase in diagnoses will continue exponentially.

This isn’t what most experts think; the general consensus is that both ND have been under diagnosed for a long time and increased awareness means they’re now being better identified. This could be especially true in school settings when teachers are now trained on ND and there’s clear (if very long) pathways to diagnosis.

If theyre right, you’d expect the % diagnosed to plateau eventually and become more consistent. That % of children would have always been there too, just without their ND being identified. I have ADHD and that aligns with my own experience - I was at school in the 90s and my school reports clearly evidence ADHD traits. These were viewed as character failings (no self-control, disruptive, etc) so I learnt to mask them as best I could to try and stay out of trouble.

Totally agree.

Doesn’t a diagnosis give more financial benefit support?

Secondary teacher here. Diagnosed as autistic myself - via the NHS and by a psychiatrist.

To answer your initial question directly, about 20% either have a diagnosis or are on the pathway for a diagnosis.

General points:

From personal experience, i.e. my own and my granddaughter's (who's in Y11), I think there's a big difference between what might be described as 'classic autism' and 'autism spectrum disorder' (ASD). We're both autistic.

DSM V comes out in 2013 and this is the first time we see 'autism spectrum disorder' (previously, the criteria for diagnosis was different) and then in 2014 we get the SEND Code of Practice. Many more people fit into the diagnostic criteria for ASD post 2013 than previously fitted into the diagnostic criteria for autism pre-2013.

In the area where I work, children aren't screened / diagnosed with FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). Children aren't routinely categorised as ACE (adverse childhood experiences). The 'symptoms' of both can look like autism (also ADHD).

I'm unsure whether I think the higher rates of diagnosis are a problem because the children are displaying 'symptoms' of something, and these somethings can be managed by using autistic friendly strategies. However, there's clearly a huge issue when a society refuses to accept that its young people are carrying the burden of inherited addiction, poverty and significant trauma from childhood. Perhaps if we reversed the gutting of our health and social care services, then we'd see fewer diagnoses of autism and more action earlier to support our children and young people.

DfE data shows 20% But Remember that SEND includes the D, which is any child who is disabled. Not just and or learning difficulties. But children with epilepsy, diabetes, wheelchair users, cerebral palsy etc.

I am not a teacher. But my beloved late daughter was a primary school teacher.

She taught year 4. She had a SEND specialism (this was her passion and she was, I’m told and I believe, a gifted and dedicated teacher). She had the smallest of 3 year 4 classes. But had been allocated most of the children with SEN. Out of her 21 pupils, 6 had a diagnosis of ADHD or ASD and another 6 or more were on the pathway to diagnosis. She spoke of her work with such enthusiasm and dedication. She has been a great loss to her school (and to us of course).

Even though all for all teachers, there is a sociological phenomenon that suggests that people are more likely to post if they fit the general themes of the answers. And in and spectrum of statistical answers you will have groupings. Unless you survey all teachers in all 29,000 schools though you can’t get a spread.

When did you go to school? Mine was 80s and 90s. So no attendance officers. We had a weekly spelling test. No SATs. First exams I ever did was GCSEs.

Coursework was still a thing, we all chose our own topic and got on with it. We wrote stories in primary English, without any scaffolding and genuinely no spell check!

This isn’t about rules, I love rules, most ND people do. They don’t like pointless ones (asking to take a blazer off), and the pressure of constant “achieving”