Kemi badenoch now against autistic children

[Hunnymonster1]

What is wrong with her? Just read that the children commision is saying average wait like to get diagnosed as autistic is 4 years.
So kemi banging on about how parents are pushing gor diagnosis because they see how much extra money etc autistic children get at school is wrong.
The fact is I woukd think judging by lbc many kids are not getting the support that they need.
So js this about her saying the conservatives need to save tax by not helping people or children with autism and mental health issues.
Bare in mind she said similar about maternity pay last week makes me think she's like Liz truss wants to cut alot of stuff
How the hell can anyone support this?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/kemi-badenoch-autism-tory-leadership-buckland-b2628845.html

I agree but there isn't enough money. I want all kids to have their needs met. I'd love for there to be an overhaul of the education system with different schools of all types; forest schools, academic schools, apprenticeships, hands on, low demand, high demand..... etc but this isn't going to happen.

"I know the system is broken.
I know who broke the system.
What Kemi Badenoch said does nothing to address the broken system. On the contrary, she seems to be blaming disabled children and their parents instead of taking any responsibility or proposing any solutions."

Yep.

I didn't read it like that and I'm also a parent of a child with sen. I agree she isn't proposing solutions butshe doesn't have to, there is already a plan to change things which is being trialed.

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/education-start/education-learning/the-send-and-ap-improvement-plan/

I can't help but wonder if she has seen a trend for teens on the internet to self-identify as autistic and thinks that this is what is leading to the explosion in diagnoses (missing the whole point of the 'self-identify' bit) and wants to clamp down on it just like she clamped down on fake stories of girls identifying as cats.

Well we agree she's not proposing any solutions - just suggesting kids don't deserve transport or equipment.

And stoking culture wars, SN parents against NT kids.

But the answer is to improve access to support for all children with special needs, not take it away from those whose parents have managed to persevere to access it.

So why mention SEN children at all? What's she trying to achieve by this given she isn't proposing any solutions?

Culture war?

There absolutely is. And adhd. I've been asked to fill in many DLA forms where I've read what the parents have written before my section and it has been laughable and embarrassing for all involved.

She has just been seriously criticized by the Spectator and other conservatives for her stance. Good.

Agree and to expand remove parental ability as an aid completely.

I think maybe she's indicating that she'll take a stance/ deal with it. I don't think it's a subject many politicians want to touch as removing provision from disabled children isn't a good look. It does need dealing with though and there are people who do think that those with hidden disabilities don't need/deserve support (NOT MY VIEW BEFORE I GET JUMPED ON). I do think there are kids who could be supported in mainstream via universal offer who have big budgets allocated because a) the universal offer budget has been reduced so much this doesn't happen and/or b) their parents are able to secure reports and challenged at tribunal to get provision at a much higher cost.

The send budget has to be slashed or stopped from it's year on year increase, it just can't be supported.

I don't find that surprising at all. Schools will always put in place support first for children whose unmet needs disrupt others, rather than those who are quiet. I actually have two boys who both mask heavily at school and don't fit the gender stereotype but still, it's very much my experience that schools will deal with problem behaviour as a priority. And if they only have access to a very limited number of EP hours per year then it's always a race to the bottom. Who is displaying the most need, which is often who is the most disruptive. Which is much more likely to be the boys. There just isn't the time or budget to investigate children that are masking and quiet but underachieving, especially when they get thrown into a 1500+ pupil average secondary school. The need has to be very clear and obvious, and even then probably won't get picked up as realistically teachers get almost no SEN training and staff turn over is so high they rarely get the same teacher for any length of time anyway.

She isn’t dealing with any issues as regards SEN she is trying to create a witch hunt against people with anxiety and autism.

And re your SEN needs sorting you can say it all you like but the SEND budget( which is paltry) can’t be slashed as every child with SEN deserves and should be getting the support they need. They’re not so it will need to be increased.

I think sometimes the terms are thrown around without any good idea of what they mean. I also think there is too much reliance on self/parent diagnosis - you have to know what condition is likely as you have to ask your GP for referral to the right service. Different private company running Autism and ADHD assessments here, even for children, there isn't a holistic assessment any more. NICE guidelines also need changing to stop pharmacists being able to diagnose ADHD but thats a whole other rant.

There isn’t any parental diagnosis. What are you talking about? You go to your GP who decides if you should go through the screening process. Then if successful you go through the diagnosis process which involves several tests and a developmental history .

Private is very expensive and many people can’t afford it.

What do you mean about pharmacists being able to diagnose adhd?

I mean what I said above about parental diagnosis - you have to ask for the right assessment, in my area even child assessments for ADHD and autism are separate routes. In a ten minute meeting with a GP who has never met you or your child before they are almost entirely going on what you tell them. Hence I am worried about the lack of holistic assessment, as I said.

The pharmacist thing - ADHD 360 who do both adult and child assessments for ADHD via NHS Right to Choose use pharmacists as the NICE guidelines allow them to do so. Personally I think it's awful and the guidelines need urgent revision.

What stance do you think she's taking to deal with it?

...she isn't proposing solutions, but she doesn't have to, there is already a plan to change things which is being trialed.

So according to you @Perzival, politicians are talking about it and doing something about it. What's Kemi's pamphlet bringing to the table?

"I mean what I said above about parental diagnosis - you have to ask for the right assessment, in my area even child assessments for ADHD and autism are separate routes. In a ten minute meeting with a GP who has never met you or your child before they are almost entirely going on what you tell them. Hence I am worried about the lack of holistic assessment, as I said. "

This wouldn't provide a place at a SN school or transport or equipment.

I see the strong desire to frame Badenoch as talking truth to power 🙄

It's really nothing more than a promise to the membership that she'll offer them tax cuts (never mind what she cuts to achieve it). Truss 2.0.

😂😂😂

The government is currently paying LA'S to decrease their send costs/ wiping out their debt.

La's are declaring bankruptcy and citing send as a partial cause.

There is a plan to make mediation mandatory.

They want LA's to produce a list of schools that are acceptable rather than parental preference.

Budgets may increase in the short term but they will decrease drastically with reform.

You'd have to ask her what her intentions are.

Oh come on, the intentions are fairly obvious. Tax cuts.

Her leadership campaign is hosted by Neil Record, vice president of the IEA. They also had a significant influence over Truss's 'fiscal event'.

Their interest in SN extends to..,well, nothing springs to mind.

I think the National Autistic Society have her intentions bang on: she's using autistic children as a political football. She doesn't give a shit about them. She's happy to stir prejudice against disabled children for political gain.

What a Scumbag!

Wow you can read the future now too!

I don’t see how they will decrease with reform at all. SEND needs will need to be met because every child has a right to an education and when it isn’t it impacts on everybody.

I think you need to stop scaremongering. Everybody is aware of the pressures across education as a whole, labour haven’t said they are going to focus on and slash education budgets.

I don’t care what you said. Your GP appointment may be 10 minutes and he/she listens to the parent but all you’ll get is being put on a list for screening as to whether you meet the criteria for the diagnosis route. If you get through screening you are put on the diagnosis list which involves lengthy sessions,tests and a developmental history. In our cases after autism disgnosis the team referred us to adhd disgnosis. CAMHS and schools know children well and often refer too.

And all this takes years.