(UK) Scotland: Kids with ADHD "are being excluded from school up to six times on average"

April 16, 2018, (UK) Scotland Herald: Children with ADHD being excluded up to six times on average amid learning support cuts http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16163247.Children_with_ADHD_being_excluded_up_to_six_times_on_average_amid_learning_support_cuts/ CHILDREN with attention-deficit disorder are being excluded from school up to six times on average, according to a new report. Long waits for a diagnosis, a lack of classroom learning support and an over-reliance on medication as the only treatment were also highlighted in the first report by the Scottish ADHD Coalition. The charity surveyed more than 200 parents across every mainland health board in Scotland who had a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A third of parents said their child had been temporarily excluded from school at least once. Of those who had been excluded, on average exclusion had occurred six times. Only a quarter of parents (26 per cent) felt their school had a good understanding of ADHD and how to manage it in the classroom,… Latest Scottish Government figures show that the number of additional support needs (ASN) teachers fell from 3,248 in 2012 to 2,733 in 2017, with the average spending per pupil on learning support falling by £728 over the same period. … Only 15 per cent of children were offered counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy or psychological support in addition to medication. … Maureen Watt, Mental Health Minister, said: "We take the mental health of our young people very seriously. "That is why we have doubled the number of child and adolescent mental health service psychology posts in recent years, and we’re investing an extra £150 million in mental health over five years." …