(UK) Wales: Autistic kids 'fall through the cracks'; special schools 'very populated'
- The end of childhood
- Nov 9
- 3 min read
Nov 8, 2025, BBC News: Neurodivergent children left to 'fall through the cracks'
When 12-year-old Joe's family first moved to Wales during the Covid pandemic, his parents knew finding the right school was going to be tough.
Three primary schools and a "nightmare" transition to secondary later, he's "basically had no education" for over a year, his mum said.
Joe, who is autistic and awaiting an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, is one of hundreds who fall in "the gap" between coping in mainstream school and qualifying for dedicated additional learning needs (ALN) settings.
In a recent update on Welsh government ALN reforms, Education Secretary Lynne Neagle announced £8.2m [$10.7] "to improve delivery", adding she had "listened carefully to concerns". . . .
Parents of children with ALN said mainstream settings could be more inclusive if they had dedicated spaces for neurodivergent pupils to regulate themselves when overwhelmed, acceptance of uniform tweaks catering for texture sensitivities, consistent routines where possible and less focus on punishment for missed classes or assignments. . . .
In Wales 7,176 children were home schooled last year - the highest on record - though the true figure could be higher as disclosing home schooling status is voluntary unless the child is de-registered from school.
Holly, 15, has been learning predominately from home since January 2024, only going in for exams and essential assessments.
She is autistic and has ADHD and sensory processing disorder, and said navigating busy corridors, meeting hundreds of new people and working out differing expectations were among the things she found tough at high school.
Her mum Jo said: "It's the classic autistic girl masking. Everybody will say she's a pleasure to teach... but in the background, she's really struggling. . . .
Jo says her two children are both autistic but present in completely different ways, making facilitating learning at home really tricky
Jo's five-year-old son Rowan is also autistic, classed as a "school refuser" because he's been unable to attend since February.
Rowan "presents completely differently to Holly" and has pathological demand avoidance which means his "nervous system's response to any demand is to see it as a threat".
"It just progressed to the point where we'd get to the school gates and he'd be in floods of tears with teachers peeling him off me.
"We've now got to the point where he won't leave the house at all." . . .
"It's a one-size-fits-all approach and, if they don't fit the mould, they don't know what to do with you." . . .
Michael Charles, a solicitor specialising in education across Wales and England, said ALN schools had become "very overpopulated".
He said fewer students were being officially recognised as having ALN, which he believed was because schools manage students' individual development plans.
"There's been substantial underfunding - some will say systemic underfunding - and schools lack the resources to write the required plans," he said.
Mr Charles said calls from concerned parents were "growing exponentially" and there were fears "a generation of children are going to be swept under the carpet".
Neagle admitted "significant challenges remain" and said while the aim of inclusive, person-centred learning was widely supported, "inconsistencies in the definitions of ALN and additional learning provision" had been highlighted and "resources are tight, while complexity of need continues to rise".
She added: "The feedback is clear - families need better information, more joined-up support and decision making must be more consistent in applying the law."
The Welsh government said a "programme of actions is under way", including extra funding and additional training to schools, colleges and councils, as well as updated information and advice for parents to help them navigate the ALN system.
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