What schools and parents need to understand about supporting Autistic and neurodivergent children

Read my guest post for Special Needs Jungle 27th November 2025

“Getting support right for Autistic children in school can be far from straightforward, even for experienced teachers, because every child is affected differently. Even a child who appears very academic can find school a challenge if they also (and usually do) have sensory sensitivities, anxieties, and co-occurring conditions, in particular ADHD. And even if another child has exactly the same named diagnoses, their needs may be completely different.

This is one of the reasons why so many Autistic children end up in specialist provision, where their environment can be more controllable and classes are smaller. But with the government clearly keen on having more children in mainstream, each classroom may contain a larger proportion of autistic pupils and so teachers and schools need to be prepared.

Parenting Autistic children can also feel like walking a tightrope, balancing the needs of everyone in the home, while also ensuring all your children have what they need to thrive.”